The Bunkers at Riviera

[Peter Pallotta]

Historians: 2
Erudite Englishman: 1
Me and That Guy: 0

I stand corrected.

Peter


 

[Joel_Stewart]

let's hope this turns out better than the disaster of a restoration on #8

You don't like the skateboard park shaping in the barranca?   I am still holding out hope they will pave it over and use it in the X-Games.

I took this photo yesterday on the 8th.  They have a grandstand behind the green so it I was able to get some height.  (BTW, this is what they are proposing for the left side of #13.

This group had 2 birdies and a par but they all hit the ball within 20 feet.  Two players played to the right, and one to the left.

[DMoriarty]

Here is an aerial where some of the barranca shaping is visible.

[Jordan Standefer]

I got my first up close look at Riviera yesterday and was impressed all the way around.  Now I know why some think that the Riv can be considered one of the best in the country.

I have a few specific questions about the fairway bunker on #7.  I noticed that there is no rough or collar separating the fairway from the sand.  Is this how the hole plays all year, or just for the tournament?  Do any other holes have bunkers where the fairway is mowed into the sand?  (I walked the entire course, but only noticed it on #7.)  Considering the texture of the fairway, is it possible to hit the down slope in the landing zone and run left all the way into the bunker?

I found it to be a neat element to the strategy of the hole because the left side of the fairway seems to open up the green a bit on approach.

[Kevin_D]

I played Riviera for the first time a couple days ago and was extremely impressed. Very fun course, many interesting and distinctive holes, and yes I thought the bunkering looked quite good in person. I have no "before" perspective other than pics I've seen here and elsewhere, but overall it didn't strike me any more change to bunkering than has occurred at other great courses over the years, like Augusta National or Pebble Beach. The only issue at all was that the course played a bit soft, but that may be because it was just punched. Oh and I liked playing out of the kikuyu!

Can anyone educate me on the heresy that occurred there that I'm missing?

[Pat Burke]

Played Riviera after the tournament this year.
Best fairways I've played in years. 
This was the first time I saw all the work.
I did not like the bunker left on 7.  The barranca looks so manufactured
that it is distracting to my eyes.

Overall, I still enjoyed the course, the agronomy is MUCH better, but I like the version
I played in the 90's more.  I would imagine I would like the 50's version even mmore

[Nigel Islam]

I think Riviera is one the most "fun" course I have ever played. It is also one of the better ones. The variety of holes is spectacular.

[Josh Stevens]

Afraid i am genetically incapable of lauding any course with cursed grass. Maybe i am being unfair. How on earth do they make it acceptible and why on earth do they even bother. Couch surely would  thrive in South Cal, why have they retained kik?

[Kevin_D]

NIgel - I had a very similar impressoin.

Josh - curious why you say that. Have you played the course, or are you basing this on other kikuyu courses? I had read so many horror stories about the stuff I came in prepared to like the course but hate the grass, but didn't find it to be an issue at all (in fact, I found it highly playable).

I would be curious to see how the course is presented for the tournament.

Kevin

[David Bartman]

They started rolling the fairways for the tournament a couple years ago making the course play fast, even with kikuyu grass.  It has really changed the nature of the course for the tournament. 

I have played Riviera for 30+ years, as long as I have played golf.  I agree that some of the bunkers that have been altered could have been done better, but its not as if they are terrible either.  I do agree completely that the barranca on #8 wasn't blended into the natural area well enough, and that the green doesn't seem "Thomaslike" and doesn't present enough pin placements to really make the golfer choose going one way or the other. 

As to a major, I doubt that they have one there until they change over to bentgrass greens.  That isn't going to happen until PoaCure has been approved by the EPA and California version, as well as  proof of efficacy by other leading coastal courses like Cypress or maybe a local course like Bel Air Country Club. 

Its my favorite course in SoCal, I, luckily, play there once a month and I can confirm the rumor that the trees on 13 are supposedly coming down, moving the fairway left to bring the barranca in play off the tee would be an interesting result, time will tell.   
 

[Anthony_Nysse]

Afraid i am genetically incapable of lauding any course with cursed grass. Maybe i am being unfair. How on earth do they make it acceptible and why on earth do they even bother. Couch surely would  thrive in South Cal, why have they retained kik?

When you have as much kikuyu as they do, it's probably better to embrace it, as it's so difficult to eradicate. The age and density of it would make it incrediblly difficult to remove and it would be an uphill battle every year. After the renovation at Torrey Pines, they had the issues of removing it. I remember reading that they then began to promote it.