Riviera Country Club

Opened in 1926 to a George C. Thomas Jr. design, the par-71 layout has hosted the U.S. Open, two PGA Championships, and remains the annual home of the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational. Its Spanish Revival clubhouse, kikuyu-grass fairways, and dramatic 18th-hole amphitheater make it instantly recognizable to golf fans worldwide.

Course History

Riviera was born of ambition. In the mid-1920s the Los Angeles Athletic Club set out to build a world-class course in Santa Monica Canyon and hired the celebrated amateur architect George C. Thomas Jr., who worked alongside construction expert and designer William P. Bell. The course opened in 1926, and its reputation was cemented almost immediately as it began hosting the Los Angeles Open, an event Riviera has staged more than sixty times in its history.

The club's championship pedigree is extraordinary: it hosted the 1948 U.S. Open, the PGA Championship in 1983 and 1995, and the 1998 U.S. Senior Open. Ben Hogan's dominance here in the late 1940s earned the course its enduring nickname, "Hogan's Alley." Today Riviera is the permanent home of the Genesis Invitational and is slated to host the golf competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Design & Architecture

Thomas's design is a masterclass in strategic golf, rewarding thought over raw power. The kikuyu-grass fairways sit firm and grabby, while the Poa annua greens are among the most demanding on Tour. Riviera is defined by a handful of world-famous holes: the tiny par-3 6th with a bunker set directly in the middle of the green, the drivable par-4 10th that tempts and punishes in equal measure, and the par-3 4th that Hogan called one of the best short holes in America. The routing runs down into the canyon and climbs back, framing shots with barrancas, eucalyptus, and native slopes.

Signature Holes

No. 4 — Par 3, 236 yards. A brawny one-shotter that sweeps right to left with no easy bailout, demanding a long iron or hybrid flighted against the canyon slope. Ben Hogan is famously said to have called it the greatest par-3 in America.

No. 6 — Par 3, 199 yards. One of the most distinctive par 3s in golf, world-famous for the pot bunker set directly in the middle of the putting surface. Depending on the hole location, players must putt around — or chip over — the sand on their own green.

No. 10 — Par 4, 315 yards. Widely regarded as one of the best short par 4s in the world. The green is drivable, but it sits shallow and angled, guarded by bunkers, and anything out of position leaves a devilish pitch — birdie and double bogey are both always in play.

No. 18 — Par 4, 475 yards. One of golf's iconic finishing holes: a blind uphill tee shot to a fairway that bends right, then a long approach to a kidney-shaped green set in a natural amphitheater beneath the clubhouse, where Genesis Invitational galleries gather every February.

Playing the Course

Stretching to 7,322 yards at par 71 with a 75.6 course rating and 137 slope from the championship tees, Riviera plays every bit as hard as its numbers suggest. The kikuyu rough saps distance and demands precise ball-striking, and the poa greens can turn bumpy late in the day. The closing stretch is iconic, culminating in the uphill par-4 18th, whose green sits in a natural amphitheater beneath the clubhouse where galleries have decided countless championships.

Know Before You Go

• Access: Strictly private. Play is limited to members and their accompanied guests.

• Location: 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

• Contact: (310) 454-6591.

• Tip: The best way to experience Riviera without a member invitation is to attend the Genesis Invitational, held each February.