Riviera 8th barranca/water course as a hazard, does it work?

[Brett_Morrissy]

I was lucky to play Riviera a few years ago, and thought the sand filled base/turfed walls of the old water course was a really neat feature.

Does anyone have any recent pictures that they could post? How is the maintenance and management of it handled by the club, as a lateral hazard?? If that is the case, it doesn't need to be maintained as the bunkers would there? No rakes?

[David Bartman]

Brett,

I played Riv a few weeks ago, were the trees between the two fairways taken out on #8 when you played? They are now, and have been for a few years, so you might have seen it with or without trees, the sandy watercourse was there before they removed all the trees in the middle of the hole. 

That being said, they do not have rakes , it is not maintained and  I would guess that they do add sand to keep the look "sandy " as opposed to letting the dirt mix too much with the area.  I usually play there every month, so I will try to remember to take a photo for you. 

[Brett_Morrissy]

Thanks David, yes the trees were removed.

Is it played as a lateral hazard, or just as a bunker?

I think the diagonal carry off the tee questions asked make it a great golf hole.

[Andrew Bertram]

[Andrew Bertram]

These were taken last Saturday

[Bob_Huntley]

I returned to Riviera last December after a hiatus of some thirty five years and found a totally different golf hole, but a better test than the old.

Looking at some of the photographs on here from time to time, I realize how lucky I was to have been a member there and playing one of the best for a song.

Some of the older guys on the this board have heard me rapsodize about No.2 and No. 6 but that is for another time.

Bob

[Tom_Doak]

I last saw it 2-3 years ago but I thought it looked kind of silly, really ... the sand hazard is just so narrow compared to the width of the flood plain, so it doesn't look natural.  It just looked like they were trying too hard to stay within the lines.

Have they changed the green yet?

[Andrew Bertram]

this is of the approach to the green



the discussion we had when playing the hole was around whether there was any real advantage playing to the right fairway unless the hole was cut back left

[Tal Oz]

Reviving an old thread here. I played Riviera this morning and when I got to the 8th tee I couldn't help but wonder what was George Thomas' intent with the hole and where it is now? I didn't snap a picture, but overall the hole looks quite similar to the photos from 2012 with the exception that the two bunkers in the barranca have higher faces that seem to go all the way up to fairway level. The sand in the bunkers now is even more white and fluffy which is something I noticed across all bunkers at the course.

The consensus among the group was that left is almost always the correct play, except for a back left pin. Reading through some old threads including ones from 2010 and 2002 it sounded like previously only a crazy person would choose left. The right side now feels really tight and missing anywhere in the barranca is a total crapshoot on your lie.

Does anyone have photos of the hole with the trees in the middle? Would love to see that. Ditto for what the original green looked like, the current one just doesn't feel in line with George Thomas' contouring.

From a GCA standpoint, what can be done to this hole to make it play like a true alternate route par 4? Keeping in mind that Riviera hosts a PGA Tour stop here every year.

[Jeff Schley]

I played there this summer and although I was going to go left, I sliced my drive (not a pro sorry) and ended up in the barranca with a crap lie.  Had to chunk it out, but somehow I got up and down with a nice pitch to a front middle hole location where I made about a 10 footer. Being our first time playing there, the member who hosted us said most people play to the left almost exclusively unless there is the back left pin.  View from the tee is not clear with the topography so you have to pick your line off the tee and trust it.
Went looking for pictures online and even the clubs website doesn't have updated pictures, as the trees are still in the middle area.
http://www.therivieracountryclub.com/club/scripts/custom/custom.asp?NS=PG&PAGECFG=COURSETOUR&DN=COURSETOUR

[Tal Oz]

Wow the trees in the barranca looked awful. This hole has so much potential.