Jay Riviere Passes

[Mike Nuzzo]

LOCAL GOLF LEGEND PASSES AWAY

Bret Barclay from River Ridge so eloquently provided this information:

Jay Riviere grew up in Houston and he and his older brother Bernie were exposed to golf at their grandfather's golf course.  They soon gravitated to Memorial Park where they met Dave Marr and a cast of other characters including a pre-PGA Tour Tommy Bolt who worked as a carpenter in the mornings and hustled golf in the afternoons; when he didn't have bigger fish to fry, he would take on the juniors.  Jay played football and golf at Rice and after college worked for Jimmy Demaret at the Concord Hotel in New York and then for Claude Harmon at Winged Foot from 1957-59.  He was one of the longest hitters in golf at the time and played the winter tours in 1958 and '59, including several Houston Opens at Memorial Park, and in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 1959.  Jay mentored under both Ralph Plummer and George Fazio when they did their respective courses at Champions and then continued to work for Mr. Fazio for a while before venturing out on his own.  Panorama in Conroe was one of his first solo efforts and he went on to design, build or renovate more than 70 courses both in the U.S. and South America, many of them in the Houston area.  He loved golf and golfers and was a great promoter of the game wherever he went.  Mr. Reviere was 77 and was living in North Carolina at the time of his death. 

Peace 

[Jeff_Brauer]

Mike,

Its been a tough week in Houston.  Its sad to hear of Jay's  passing as well.  I never actually met the man, but saw some of his work and certainly knew his name, seemingly losing several potential early commissions to him when I started in Texas.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

This is sad and my sympathies to their families. But cheers to a great friend of the game.

[Steve Lang]

   Very interesting life.  Sad indeed, but I'm sure his spirit lives on for those that knew him or may know him through his works.

Have there been any serious reviews of his work developed on gca.com in the past?  Ones I've played are noted with * below, hard not to play em in Houston area if you live here long enough..  Favorites are the Falls at New Ulm and then River Ridge's 27 holes.  In list below that I copied I don't see Panorama in Conroe, its got some very interesting holes among its 27, probably 3rd on my personal JR list.

Jay Riviere Courses Built

*Augusta/Biloxi at River Plantation Country Club - Private in Conroe
*Bay Forest Golf Course - Public in La Porte
*Biloxi/Charleston at River Plantation Country Club - Private in Conroe
*Bluebonnet Country - Public in Navasota
*Charleston/Augusta at River Plantation Country Club - Private in Conroe
*Clear Lake Golf Course - Public in Houston (NLE)
del Lago Golf Club in Tucson
El Campo Country Club - Private in El Campo
*Evergreen Point Golf Course - Public in Baytown
*Executive at Quail Valley Country Club - Private in Missouri City
**Falls Resort & Country Club, The - Resort in New Ulm
Frenchman's Bend Golf & Country Club - Public in Monroe
*Gleannloch Pines Golf Club - Loch Course in Spring
Gold/White at Pine Forest Country Club - Private in Houston
Green Meadows Golf Club - East Course in Katy
Green/Gold at Pine Forest Country Club - Private in Houston
*Harbour/South at South Shore Harbour Country Club - Resort in League City
Horsepen/Jackrabbit at Hearthstone Country Club - Private in Houston
Jackrabbit/Wolf Corner at Hearthstone Country Club - Private in Houston
*Masters at Bear Creek Golf World - Public in Houston
McAllen Country Club - Private in McAllen
North/West at Inwood Forest Golf & Country Club - Private in Houston
Oakhurst Golf Club in Porter
Presidents at Bear Creek Golf World - Public in Houston
Rayburn Country Resort - Blue/Gold Course in Brookeland
Rayburn Country Resort - Green/Gold Course in Brookeland
**River Ridge Golf Club - River/Parkland Course in Sealy
Sanctuary Golf Resort & Spa in Huffman
*Sharpstown Golf Course - Public in Houston
*Shore/Harbour at South Shore Harbour Country Club - Resort in League City
*South/Shore at South Shore Harbour Country Club - Resort in League City
Stonetree Golf Club in Killeen
White/Green at Pine Forest Country Club - Private in Houston
*Willow Fork Country Club - Private in Katy
*World Houston Golf Course - Public in Houston


SouthShore Harbour, League City, TX: The course was originally designed by Dave Marr and Jay Riviere and was renovated and augmented by Jeffery Blume in the late 1990s