Hi Dick,
The 9th at Riviera is a very attractive hole, with a sloped, irregular green. The walk from tee to green is fabulous. I'll stick with my choice here.
On to #10!
First, my experience at Riviera's 10th hole. Two rounds yielded the following memorable results. On a calm day, I made 3 the conservative way. A solid 4-wood to the left edge of the green, followed by a 78 yard sand wedge to 3 feet. I made the putt.
On another day after that, the heavy following wind was in play, and I decided to go for it. In order to attempt hitting a long drive, I try to make my body bigger to take a larger swing. Standing tall and further from the ball, I made the big swing and connected. A 1-in-100 shot. The ball went high and far, the ball visibly pushed downwind. The pin was a bit left of center; my ball was traveling a couple yards right of the flag when it hit the very top of the greenside bunker and rolled back onto a flatter portion of the sand. I made an excellent sand shot, aiming well left of the pin and hitting a soft flop-up that stayed on the green, about 20 feet away.
After an excellent first putt, I made an 8 footer for par, and walked away thinking this is the greatest shit ever. Ever.
Had I carried the bunker, I would have left myself a pitch shot from a few yards beyond the green, from where birdie is about a 25/75 proposition.
One of my strong sentiments about Sand Hills, which Adam just mentioned, is the sense the bunkers are randomly placed on the course. They look so natural and so irregular, compared to other golf courses. Of course, the positioning is precise, but it doesn't feel that way. They seem divinely sited.
The 10th hole is a great example. The fairway is wide, with a big swale in the right half. There are bunkers out there to navigate. It's hard to tell where the best line is. The entire hole slopes from the left side to the right. Attack the left side, and you'll have a chance to see the green, but a long drive down the right will leave a shorter, but often blind, approach. Bunkers are more an issue down the left side.
It's a long par 4 hole, especially from the back tees. Typical approach shots range from 150 to 220 yards. The green is large with a large, short grass area left and long that collects balls back towards the green. The green and short grass chipping areas are gently sloped; a straight shot into the slope will not always feed down onto the green, but faded shots will be rewarded.
What's so great about all this is the regularity in which long approach putts and chips are experienced. The slopes are pretty gentle, but 20-40 yard third shots are common, with gentle, predictable break. The short game shots around this hole are fantastic, a great hole to watch your friends play their shots around the green.
Riviera wins this hole to go 2 up, but the 10th at Sand Hills is an outstanding hole with a special greensite..