The Riviera Country Club is a private club with a championship golf course and tennis courts in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, in the Westside of Los Angeles. The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell , [1] it has been the primary host for the Genesis Invitational (originally the Los Angeles Open), an annual event on the PGA Tour in February.
Who designed the Riviera Los Angeles golf course?
The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell, it has been the primary host for the Genesis Invitational (originally the Los Angeles Open), an annual event on the PGA Tour in February. The 2021 edition was the 58th held at Riviera.
What is the Riviera Country Club?
The Riviera Country Club is a private club with a championship golf course and tennis courts in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, in the Westside of Los Angeles .
When was the last renovation on Riviera Beach golf course?
The course has held up well, as it has undergone only one major renovation when Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore redesigned the bunkers in 1992. Notable members of Riviera: Because of its proximity to The Entertainment Capital of the World, Riviera has attracted some of the biggest Hollywood stars to the country club.
When was the first major golf tournament held at Riviera?
The history of other major golf tournaments at Riviera: Riviera hosted its first and only U.S. Open in 1948 when the aforementioned Hogan won his first national championship. It has held the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships.
General information
The course
Who was the architect for Riviera Country Club?
George C. Thomas Jr.The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell, it has been the primary host for the Genesis Invitational (originally the Los Angeles Open), an annual event on the PGA Tour in February.
Who built Riviera golf course?
A George Thomas Classic: Riviera. Riviera Country Club, one of America's iconic golf courses, is tucked away in a residential area off the busy Sunset Boulevard. The course sits in a small canyon, a relatively unpromising site where, in 1927, George C. Thomas, Jr., laid out his masterpiece.
Who owns Riviera golf course?
tycoon Noboru WatanabeToday Riviera is owned by Japanese real-estate tycoon Noboru Watanabe, who paid $108 million in 1989 to the descendants of L.A. Athletic Club founder Garbutt. It was a small price to pay for one of American golf's true national treasures.
What golf courses did George Thomas design?
George C. Thomas, Jr. Designed CoursesBel-Air Country Club. Los Angeles, California. ... View Tee Times. Harding at Griffith Park Golf Courses. ... La Cumbre Country Club. Santa Barbara, California. ... Marion Golf Club. ... North at Los Angeles Country Club, The. ... View Tee Times. ... Palos Verdes Golf Club. ... Red Hill Country Club.More items...
What celebrities live on Riviera Country Club?
Famous Riviera MembersTom Brady.Jack Nicholson.Happy Gilmore (a.k.a. Adam Sandler)Mark Wahlberg.Luke Wilson.
How much did the Japanese pay for Pebble Beach?
$841 millionOn this day 29 years ago, Japanese real estate developer Minoru Isutani bought the Pebble Beach golf resort for $841 million.
What are the dead looking white trees at Riviera Country Club?
Another unique feature of Riviera Country Club's 92-year-old course is its abundance of Eucalyptus trees. The mammoth, white-barked trees are prevalent throughout the property, and in addition to looking and smelling great, they play a strategic role on several holes.
Where is the Riviera Country Club?
The Riviera Country Club is a private club with a championship golf course and tennis courts in the Riviera neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, California, a community in the Westside of Los Angeles . The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell, it has been the primary host for ...
What is the last par 3 hole in Riviera?
The sixteenth is the last par-three hole and can yield birdies, however players will need to hit the small green that is surrounded by bunkers. The seventeenth hole, Riviera's longest, heads uphill, downwind, and northeast towards the clubhouse, while the eighteenth is a world-famous finishing hole.
How high is the first hole in golf?
The first hole, a short par five, is a relatively easy beginning hole. The tee is elevated 75 feet (23 m) above the fairway, tempting players to hit driver but out of bounds on the left side and a barranca crossing the fairway make players cautious. Scores range from eagle to double bogey.
What is the ninth hole of the golf course?
The last three holes of the front are all par-four. The narrow fairway at the seventh is difficult to hit, and the long eighth hole has two fairways separated by a dry ditch. The ninth, long and uphill, is known for its well-placed fairway bunkers.
How many majors has the Riviera hosted?
The Riviera has hosted three major championships: the U.S. Open in 1948, and the PGA Championship in 1983 and 1995. In addition, it was site of the U.S. Senior Open, a senior major, in 1998 and the U.S. Amateur in August 2017. The club is scheduled to host the Olympics in 2028.
How many times has the Riviera hosted the Los Angeles Open?
It returned in 1973, where it has remained, with the exception of 1983 and 1998, for a total of 75 times through 2020.
What grass is used in the Riviera?
The greens at Riviera are Poa annua, common for the West, but the fairways and rough are Kikuyu grass. A tough, dense pasture grass originally from East Africa, it had been used at a nearby polo field in the 1930s and was also planted on hillsides to prevent erosion.
Who built the Riviera golf course?
The course at Riviera shows an architect at the height of his skill. The land is hardly awe-inspiring; George Thomas and his construction man William P. Bell were given a small, mostly flat property, and they didn’t move much dirt. Yet Thomas and Bell found all sorts of great natural hole concepts.
Who designed the Whitemarsh Valley Country Club?
The course sits in a small canyon, a relatively unpromising site where, in 1927, George C. Thomas, Jr., laid out his masterpiece. Thomas was a member of the Philadelphia School of Architecture, and after building Whitemarsh Valley Country Club in his hometown, he decided to take his talents to California, where he ended up designing courses ...
What is the 7th at Riviera?
The 7th at Riviera is a good example. A massive bunker on the left and a barranca down the right require a precise tee shot. But what’s so clever about the design is that the more aggressive a you get with your drive, the more the fairway bunker cuts in.
What is the name of the PGA Tour's West Coast swing?
Since its inception, Riviera has been a fixture in tournament golf, serving as the annual venue for the Los Angeles Open (now known as the Genesis Invitational), the closing event of the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing.
What is George Thomas Classic?
A George Thomas Classic: Riviera. A look at the George Thomas-designed Riviera Country Club. by Andy Johnson. R iviera Country Club, one of America’s iconic golf courses, is tucked away in a residential area off the busy Sunset Boulevard.
Where is the first tee on the Riviera?
Set some 60 feet above the fairway, the 1st tee is where you “enter the canyon, ” but not before your name is announced by the starter. This is one of Riviera’s distinctive traditions. Teeing off at a great course is already special, but the starter experience adds some butterflies to the experience.
Who restored Thomas's fairway?
In 2008, Tom Fazio’s firm completed what Riviera billed as a restoration of Thomas’s original split fairway on the 8th hole. Fazio’s work has perhaps brought back Thomas’s strategic intentions from tee to green, but in my opinion, Fazio butchered the green, which now stick out like a sore thumb.
Share this article
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Riviera Country Club is approaching its 100th birthday and if the fairways and greens could talk, it’d probably take weeks to hear all the amazing stories.
Founded in 1926
Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo: Todd Kelly/Golfweek)
Breaking down gender, race barriers
Babe Zaharias hits a shot from a sand trap on the ninth hole at the Los Angeles Open on January 5, 1945. (Photo: Associated Press)
Hogan's Alley
Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo: Todd Kelly/Golfweek)
Jack's first payday came in this event (not on this course)
On this day 52 years ago, rookie Jack Nicklaus made his first check as a professional at the Los Angeles Open when he was part of a three-way tie for 50th place, winning $33.33.
PGA Tour debut but no Tour wins
Tiger Woods watches his shot during the 1992 Los Angeles Open at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo: Gary Newkirk/Allsport)
Drivable par-4 10th hole
Riv has a pretty great finishing hole (more on that in a minute) and a much-talked about donut-shaped green with a bunker in the middle (the 6th), but the 10th hole is perhaps the hole here.
Where did Riviera Country Club originate?
With its location in Pacific Palisades about 40 minutes outside of downtown LA, Riviera Country Club was founded in 1926.
Who designed Bel Air Country Club?
George C. Thomas, who had just finished putting together Bel-Air Country Club roughly 15 minutes away, was tasked with the course design. Despite not liking the course’s location in the Santa Monica Canyon, Thomas put together 15 different versions of the design over 18 months. The course officially opened for business in 1927.
What is Ben Hogan's favorite course?
Meanwhile, Riviera was one of Ben Hogan’s favorite courses. It’s been nicknamed “Hogan’s Alley” after he won a pair of Los Angeles Opens and the U.S. Open in between in 1948 and 1949 at Riviera. A bronze Hogan statue stands just a few yards away from the putting green, honoring the nine-time major champion. News.
Where was the PGA Championship played in 1983?
The event was played about 25 minutes away at Rancho Park Golf Course in 1983 while Riviera prepared to host the PGA Championship that year. In 1998, Valencia Country Club hosted the tournament as Riviera prepared to hold the U.S. Senior Open that year.
Who are the members of the Riviera?
Notable members of Riviera: Because of its proximity to The Entertainment Capital of the World, Riviera has attracted some of the biggest Hollywood stars to the country club. Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Glen Campbell, and Dean Martin are just some of the famous names who have been members at Riviera.
Is the 17th hole a three shot hole?
In contrast to the previous hole, the 17th tee runs uphill and benefits from a tailwind. But it remains a three-shot hole for all but the longest hitters. Tee shots should avoid the right-side bunker, but the bigger challenge comes on the second shot where more sand protects the left-side lay-up area.
Overview
The Riviera Country Club is a private club with a championship golf course and tennis courts in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, in the Westside of Los Angeles.
The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell, it has been the primary host for the Genesis Invitational (original…
History
When the country club and course opened 96 years ago in 1926, it was known as the Los Angeles Athletic Club Golf Course. William P. Bell helped Thomas in the design and planning of the course. They were in charge of assembling a labor force to build the course from scratch in the Santa Monica Canyon. The entire country club and golf course cost $243,827 to build; at the time, it was one of the most expensive in golf history. The course has been modified a few times, most nota…
PGA Tour
Riviera hosted the Los Angeles Open in 1929 and 1930, then nine consecutive years from 1945 through 1953. It returned in 1973, where it has remained, with the exception of 1983 and 1998, for a total of 75 times through 2020.
The course is well known for Ben Hogan, and the course has been called "Hogan's Alley" (a moniker shared with Colonial Country Club in Texas). Hogan won the L.A. Open three times (1942…
General information
The greens at Riviera are Poa annua, common for the West, but the fairways and rough are Kikuyu grass. A tough, dense pasture grass originally from East Africa, it had been used at a nearby polo field in the 1930s and was also planted on hillsides to prevent erosion. Over the years, it gradually invaded the course and became the dominant species. Kikuyu provides optimal lies on close-mown fairways, but is very challenging in the spongy rough.
The course
The course is a par 71, at a length of 7,013 yards (6,413 m) from the back tees (which has been lengthened to 7,322 yards (6,695 m) for Tour play), 6,531 yards (5,972 m) from the middle tees, and 5,907 yards (5,401 m) from the forward tees. The men's slope ratings are 74.6/135 and 72.2/130 for the back and middle tees, respectively. The ladies' slope rating is 74.3/142 for the forward tees.
External links
• Official website
• Official PGA Tour website for the Northern Trust Open
• Golf Course Histories aerial comparison 1927 v 2013