News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


Matt_Cohn

  • Karma: +0/-0
Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« on: February 18, 2011, 04:23:12 PM »
I know it gets a lot of play, and the green on #10 is tiny. But #14 especially?

Pete Lavallee

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2011, 05:26:57 PM »
Matt,

Can you imagine being invited to play Riviera on a Monday and not getting to play the 6th, 10th and 16th greens? Ouch!

Did these smalll greens really take a beating; how did they get by without the alternates for 70 years?
"...one inoculated with the virus must swing a golf-club or perish."  Robert Hunter

Lynn_Shackelford

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2011, 07:48:08 PM »
I played this morning with two Riviera members, but it wasn't at Riviera.  There is some event there.

They said play is down as the membership is dropping in numbers.  One of the reasons for this is the attempt by management to drive out the older members.  They want young hip entertainment type crowd.  Mark Wahlberg and Adam Sandler are now members.  They want it to look like the courtside seat at Staples.  It is my friends' feeling that by playing the temps it will encourage the old members to leave.  Frankly dues at $1,500 a month with F&B minimum as a part of that is working pretty well at driving out members.

In the past the course did more than 60,000 rounds and the small greens took a beating, but today with good maintenance standards and less play the temps are not needed.  The guess from my friends is that membership is now down to about 350.

It must be kept in mind that the elusive charm of the game suffers as soon as any successful method of standardization is allowed to creep in.  A golf course should never pretend to be, nor is intended to be, an infallible tribunal.
               Tom Simpson

David_Tepper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2011, 09:16:11 PM »
Lynn S. -

Who owns Riviera these days?

In the (very) old days, the owners of Riviera used to own an athletic club downtown and marina/yacht harbor out on the coast. Is that still the case?

DT

Sam Kestin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2011, 12:34:31 AM »
Riviera is owned by the Marukin Corporation out of Japan--a company run by a gentleman named Noboru Watanabe. I might be spelling some of that wrong...but close enough for partial credit...

Sam Kestin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2011, 12:51:52 AM »
As far as the alternate greens go, here's a little bit more info.

#6--This one gets the most use of all of the alternates...although this has become the case a lot less over the last few years. There used to be a lot more tree coverage over the usual 6th green's right side. The Club, for a long time, had grow lights that hung over the 6th green to provide an artificial replacement for the lack of sun that green would get. It is for this reason that it is a well-known fact among the membership that the sixth green is the slowest on the golf course. For the same reason, it gets the most rest and thus its alternate gets the most play.

#10--This alternate green usually only got put into the rotation on Mondays--the day the Club hosts charity outings. Rarely would the Club ever put this into use Tuesday-Sunday. I'd imagine the reason for having this alternate is the super-small regular 10th green...in conjunction with the fact that this green rarely receives anything more than a wedge shot and thus takes more of a beating on pitch marks than any other.

#14--This is the most recently built alternate green, but its status as an "alternate" is something of a misnomer. It was built a few years ago when the regular green was rebuilt (to bring it in closer to the front bunkers). The reason why they built this was so the members would have an actual green to play to while they were doing the rebuild. Since the regular green re-opened, I've probably seen this green used less than five times. None of those times were Tuesday-Sunday. 

#16--I assume the rationale behind the alternate green for this one-shotter is derived from the same rationale as the alternate green for #10. I'm not sure which of the two greens has the lowest square footage but they are both easily the two smallest on the golf course. Given the hole's modest length, it suffers from similar pitch-mark issues as the 10th...maybe even more so because it's a wider and somewhat more accessible target. For a hoot, play this alternate green from the old tiny back tee on 16. At 140 or so yards, its no bargain.

One thing worth pointing out, to address your point about being a guest and having it suck to only play 14/18 real "Riviera" holes, is the fact that almost never has the Club put all four in play in a single day. If the 6th is an alternate, the 16th will be the real green or vice versa. Usually, if there are any alternates in play, it will never be more than one or rarely two. If it's two or more, I'd be willing to bet my natural life that it's a Monday.

Joel_Stewart

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2011, 10:24:19 AM »
It is odd they have so many alternate greens.  I've been lucky, played there maybe 6 times and the only alternate I've played is on #16 which has been in play almost every time?

Mike Jansen

Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2011, 06:28:29 PM »
I think George Thomas liked the idea of double greens.  His Palos Verdes CC has a couple of them as well... think of any more?  I personally think it's a great idea. Especially at private club, and in moderation of course... but it opens up so many options.  And in time of aeration, it can leave another perfect green available.  I believe I read of a course in China where everyhole lhad 2 greens for that very reason.

Jon Spaulding

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2011, 08:03:06 PM »
Mike, Palos Verdes is a Billy Bell design, not a Thomas. George might have had a cup of coffee and used the restroom there. I believe #10 has a 2nd green, the current green site is not original and I think a Moorish creation. That course has some real potential once they undo some deep sins of past architects.

Sam, thanks for the background. I have heard many different versions of this, this puts most of them in some order.

Lynn, that is sad news......any reports of the Funky Bunch on the property? Ol' Wahlberg sure needs to do a lot of good work yet to atone for his past white rapper/Calvin Klein sins.
You'd make a fine little helper. What's your name?

Tim Martin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Why does Riviera need so many alternate greens?
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2011, 08:42:55 PM »
Lynn, that is sad news......any reports of the Funky Bunch on the property? Ol' Wahlberg sure needs to do a lot of good work yet to atone for his past white rapper/Calvin Klein sins.
Jon-See "The Fighter" and you will give Mark a pass on the Funky Bunch stuff. Once I saw the shape he was in during the opening gym scene I threw my giant snickers bar under my seat.

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back