[Bob_Huntley]

In 1975 I moved from Santa Monica and moved to Carmel/Pebble Beach. I resigned my membership at Riviera and later joined MPCC. I ticked off my first 'Bucket List To Do' today, by returning to play Riviera for the first time in thirty five years. What did I find?


A course that was in the best condition I have ever seen. Removal of a bunch of trees and the innovation of the split fairways at the eighth hole. I thought the false front on the eighth hole was an abomination. I hardly recognized the sixth hole with its greater green surface area.. I could be wrong but the fairways everywhere appeared to be wider than I remembered. The eighteenth hole surely is one of the best tests for a finishing par four. Compared with the Club I left so many years ago, the place today is a gem.

The Clubouse and facilities look like a Ritz Carlton from the days of old metal lockers and a card room that reeked of cigarette  and cigar smoke from decades of use. The photographs of the greats who played in the US and LA Opens are a joy to see.  

We played in perfect Southern California weather and my pleasure was doubled by playing with a generous member host, with Denis Watson and best of all, my youngest son. My game was execrable in the extreme but I was happy to be above the grass and not below it. It was a perfect day.


Bob

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Bob, I could not be happier to see a great day was had. Was number 6 one of your hole in ones?

[Scott Warren]

Bob,

Having heard all those stories about Riv from you as we rode around MPCC in October, and the fact that you hadn't been back since leaving in 1975, I'm really glad to read you got back there and liked what you saw.

cheers,
Scott

[John Mayhugh]

Bob,
Yours is a bucket list I would love to see.  Haven't you done everything already?   

Glad to hear you finally made it back to see Riviera.  While on this site we talk about course changes all the time, it's really interesting when someone shares a long-term perspective. 

[Jim Eder]

Riviera is one of my favourite places on earth.  I am so glad you had such a great time and I hope you get to play it more often in the future. It truly is special.

[Terry Lavin]

The Riv is a shrine to the game of golf.  It's easily in my Top Ten ever and it's not that far from another amazing place, LACC.  One of the great golf destinations in the States.

[Pete Lavallee]

Bob,

I'm very happy to hear you got a chance to return to Riviera. Hopefully you didn't play on a Monday and have to play the alternate greens on # 6, 10 & 16!   I suspect they were not in place back in 1975. I am some what puzzled by your observation that the condition of the course has greatly improved? Although I have only had the opportunity to play there once, back in 1985, I did attend many LA Opens in the 80's and never detected anything but the finest conditions for golf. I would agree that eucalyptus trees, especially the very large blue gums, did tend to dominate the landscape at that time. I doubt that their planters ever intened them to get quite that big. I suspect that although the course might loose some saftey factor if they were removed completely, the strategy that Thomas intended would remain intact. The heady scent of eucalyptus in flower, to this day, reminds me of Riviera!

Who was the big winner in the Wolf game?

[John Kavanaugh]

With no offense to my friend who graduated from The Ohio State University I find The Riviera C.C. to clearly be the finest golf course I have ever played.

[Jed Peters]

Pretty damn cool story, Bob.

I've had a few invites to Riv, I'd love to get there!

[Joel_Stewart]

With no offense to my friend who graduated from The Ohio State University I find The Riviera C.C. to clearly be the finest golf course I have ever played.

Thats a big statement, and not one I agree with.

I don't know what you have played but I probably put it around 25th on my list.

[John Kavanaugh]

With no offense to my friend who graduated from The Ohio State University I find The Riviera C.C. to clearly be the finest golf course I have ever played.

Thats a big statement, and not one I agree with.

I don't know what you have played but I probably put it around 25th on my list.

I like it more than Sand Hills if that is any indication. The greens are much more interesting.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Bob, sounds like you had a good day in all.  I think you had forgotten that in SoCal the sun does prevail more often than not.

Joel:
24 courses in the USA that are better than Riviera?  Where did you go to school?

[RJ_Daley]

Wow, it must have been like Ceasar returns to Gaul!   

The only thing missing, might be hearing Dino singing above the trees, "Memories are made of this" in the background.  Or, was he...? 

[Joel_Stewart]

Joel:
24 courses in the USA that are better than Riviera?  Where did you go to school?

Yes we slummed it at LACC, Wilshire and Hillcrest although a few years ago I was playing Riv and noticed the USC team, coaches, trainers and others on the range.

[Bob_Huntley]

Joel:
24 courses in the USA that are better than Riviera?  Where did you go to school?

Yes we slummed it at LACC, Wilshire and Hillcrest although a few years ago I was playing Riv and noticed the USC team, coaches, trainers and others on the range.

Joel,

My memories of the USC golf team were when they played LACC. We would tee off after lunch and be followed by the team and coaches. It would seem as though the team would wear something approximate to the team colors except for one straggly looking chap in khakis. When I asked Coach Stan Wood about the oddman out, he replied that The guy could wear anything he liked during pratice rounds and whats more, if I needed to win one more point he could play in his underwear. It was of course Craig Stadler.

[Ash Towe]

Bob,

It is wonderful to see that you are getting so much pleasure from the game again and keeping everybody so entertained with your stories and exploits.

[Bob_Huntley]

Bob,

I'm very happy to hear you got a chance to return to Riviera. Hopefully you didn't play on a Monday and have to play the alternate greens on # 6, 10 & 16!   I suspect they were not in place back in 1975. I am some what puzzled by your observation that the condition of the course has greatly improved? Although I have only had the opportunity to play there once, back in 1985, I did attend many LA Opens in the 80's and never detected anything but the finest conditions for golf. I would agree that eucalyptus trees, especially the very large blue gums, did tend to dominate the landscape at that time. I doubt that their planters ever intened them to get quite that big. I suspect that although the course might loose some saftey factor if they were removed completely, the strategy that Thomas intended would remain intact. The heady scent of eucalyptus in flower, to this day, reminds me of Riviera!

Who was the big winner in the Wolf game?

Pete,

When I left in 1975 the Club was a part of the fiefdom of the Hathaway Brothers who owned a majority of shares of the Los Angeles. I did not detect the attention to detail and expenditures I experienced yesterday.

I am not sure if you realize it, but they they keep carts on paths for some four months or so during the winter, this never happened when I was a member; I was allowed to use a cart for medical reasons.

We didnt play Wolf because I was using the very front tees, in fact a gentle suggestion was made by my companions, who were hitting the ball rather a long way, that I tee off on No. 18 from the Ladies tee at the top of the hill, a suggestion with which I immediately accepted.

Bob

[Pete Lavallee]

Bob,

Very interesting that you mentioned the upkeep of the Kikuyu fairways. We had a similar experience here in San Diego, where we all too frequently play of spongy, overwatered Kikuyu surfaces. In the run up to the US Open, Torrey Pines relegated carts to the path for a full year. The water was shut off to drive out the various cool season grasses and the most amazing thing resulted. We were left with perhaps the finest fairway surfaces for striking ariel shots I've ever witnessed. It's somewhat paradoxical, because Kikuyu demands ariel approaches, it's nary impossible to bounce one on here in the US. I did play a links course in Cape Town, Milnerton, that kept their Kikuyu dry as bone and indeed you could bounce the ball into their greens; I suspect the dessicating effect of the "Cape Doctor" had a lot to do with that. In any case a perfect sward of Kikuyu can indeed be a joy to play off. I was available as a fourth; I can't believe you picked Dennis Watson over me! 

[Bob_Huntley]

Bob,

Very interesting that you mentioned the upkeep of the Kikuyu fairways. We had a similar experience here in San Diego, where we all too frequently play of spongy, overwatered Kikuyu surfaces. In the run up to the US Open, Torrey Pines relegated carts to the path for a full year. The water was shut off to drive out the various cool season grasses and the most amazing thing resulted. We were left with perhaps the finest fairway surfaces for striking ariel shots I've ever witnessed. It's somewhat paradoxical, because Kikuyu demands ariel approaches, it's nary impossible to bounce one on here in the US. I did play a links course in Cape Town, Milnerton, that kept their Kikuyu dry as bone and indeed you could bounce the ball into their greens; I suspect the dessicating effect of the "Cape Doctor" had a lot to do with that. In any case a perfect sward of Kikuyu can indeed be a joy to play off. I was available as a fourth; I can't believe you picked Dennis Watson over me! 

Pete,

Because of my declining skills in using a wedge , I putted some twenty feet or more from off the green. Neil Regan would have loved it.

Bob

[James Bennett]

Because of my declining skills in using a wedge , I putted some twenty feet or more from off the green. Neil Regan would have loved it.

Bob

Bob

I assume from the above that your skills with a putter are not declining.  Good to hear.


Riviera is a grand place - as a one time visitor, it is the holes that you never see on TV that really amaze you.  Holes like 2, 4, 5 and 9.  I wish I was a better player, because I would like to be able to successfully challenge Riviera's 18th - it really is a challenge.

The area created by George Thomas's earthworks all those years ago involving 18, 9 and 2 is a real joy, not that you could pick where those works were!

James B

[PThomas]

good to hear you are playing again Sir Bob...Riviera is indeed quite special

[Kevin Pallier]

Bob

Has the course changed much over time or kept pretty much as you remembered it ?

Appreciate the removal of trees on # 8 - but has much else been added or altered ?

[Bill_McBride]

Bob, you mentioned putting from 20 yards off the green.  Has the kikuyu been eradicated to allow that?  I haven't played Riviera, just walked some of it at the L.A Open, er Northern Trust. My kikuyu experience has been at La Cumbre in Santa Barbara, no putting from off the greens there!

[Lou_Duran]

I don't know if I am the OSU grad alluded to by John K, but just about all my reservations about Riviera are due to the velcro-like kikuyu being allowed to take over the golf course which greatly undermine its world-class architecture.  For example, the Redanesque #4 no longer appears to allow the short run-up shot placed to the right; the risk/reward relationship of the enticing drivable #10 is greatly affected by the uncertainty of the bounce just short of the green, making the long lay-up (to a full SW) a far better prospect for all but the longest hitters; the drive and the second shot on #18 are both terribly impacted again in favor of the very long, aerial player on both shots.  As it is, I think very highly of Riviera, though I do like LACC-North a bit better (haven't played it since the recent renovations), and would welcome the opportunity of playing it again.

Well done Mr. Huntley.  Oh, I've played with Pete L.  Good choice.  

[Bob_Huntley]

I don't know if I am the OSU grad alluded to by John K, but just about all my reservations about Riviera are due to the velcro-like kikuyu being allowed to take over the golf course which greatly undermine its world-class architecture.  For example, the Redanesque #4 no longer appears to allow the short run-up shot placed to the right; the risk/reward relationship of the enticing drivable #10 is greatly affected by the uncertainty of the bounce just short of the green, making the long lay-up (to a full SW) a far better prospect for all but the longest hitters; the drive and the second shot on #18 are both terribly impacted again in favor of the very long, aerial player on both shots.  As it is, I think very highly of Riviera, though I do like LACC-North a bit better (haven't played it since the recent renovations), and would welcome the opportunity of playing it again.

Well done Mr. Huntley.  Oh, I've played with Pete L.  Good choice.  

Lou,

When did you last play Riviera? Velco like kikiyu? Lou, for gosh sakes I could putt from the fairways.

Get in the rough and you do pay the penalty, that's where the African grass is a pain.

I answered your e-mail but the message was rejected.

Bob

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()