Go Freddie go!
Go off camera before expectorating again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmOVDdtn8aU
I watched the clip a few times but didn't see it.
I was at Riviera yesterday, next to the fifth green when a club member standing next to me leaned over the ropes and "expectorated" a nasty loogie right onto the edge of the green, as the pros were lining up their putts. So perhaps it is accepted practice there. If so, I'll file it right up there with other accepted practices in which I hope to never participate, like the accepted practice of shirts off at certain parts of some courses.
Interesting comment on television today about Couples not showing up to defend his title at whatever Senior Tour event is taking place this week. Not necessarily evidence of Riviera's quality, but I think it is safe to say that Couples thinks it is good architecture. I think he is also a member at the Valley Club in Montecito, so I am think I am inclined to agree with his tastes on at least these two.
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Barney, I don't consider myself a hater, and still think Riviera is a beautiful and compelling course. But I think you may just be getting used to the look of the Faziofied bunkers. They just don't look quite right to me, especially in person, but that is just my opinion.
That said, to me most obvious example of what I would would say is the inferior and/or misguided Fazio work is at the 8th hole (I'll leave the bunker work here aside.) Now that the trees are gone between, one can really view the two fairways and compare them. To the left you have Riviera at its best, with the quirky rumpled fairway feeding naturally into the barranca. To the right you have what could almost be an elongated soccer pitch. And in between you have the wash, where it looks like they have tried to make it quirky or natural, but the shapes are squarish and sharp and look very contrived. It looks a bit like the a skateboard park grassed over.
I will say, though, that with the trees gone the left fairway seems to be a bit more of a reasonable option, and I did see a number of golfers play intentionally left with the thursday right pin position.
Riviera is such a great place and has remained so even though some of the changes may have been questionable.