The LA wildfire has been ravaging all across the city. While houses are burning down, even the golf courses have not been spared. On Wednesday, as the fires approached Pasadena, the Altadena Golf Course, situated just northeast of the city, announced on social media that it had been engulfed by the flames. The blaze caused extensive damage to the clubhouse, with Altadena confirming in a statement that the entire club was lost to the fire.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of Altadena Golf Course,” the club wrote. The iconic Riviera Golf Club was also under threat for a while and was in an evacuation zone. It is now safe, but the PGA Tour announced that the $20M purse Genesis Invitational has now been shifted to a new venue. The details of which are yet undisclosed. This news was not received well by the fans.

What makes this Jack Nicklaus’s professional debut, and Tiger Woods Tour debut stage so significant? Here are three reasons why the Riviera GC means so much in the golf community.

1. The Breathtaking Views

Nestled in the Santa Monica Canyon just a few miles from the beach, Riviera offers a unique atmosphere that feels worlds away from the ocean. Today, it’s surrounded by luxurious estates owned by Los Angeles’ elite, but when George Thomas and William Bell began crafting their masterpiece in 1925 and 1926, the hillsides were virtually untouched. Thomas and Bell, already accomplished designers of courses like Los Angeles Country Club and Bel-Air reached the pinnacle of their collaboration at Riviera.

Thomas immediately recognized the course’s potential for greatness, declaring to a local newspaper that “it will vie for America’s best in every detail.” His vision was validated by none other than Dr. Alister MacKenzie, the legendary architect of Cypress Point. During a visit to Riviera, MacKenzie praised Thomas’ design, noting how he had “provided for every shot known to the game” while creating “the sportiest and most interesting settings,” all thoughtfully attuned to sunlight and prevailing winds.

2. The versatile set of holes

Riviera is also among the toughest golf courses to play at. Ben Hogan had so much fun playing around the par-3 holes in the course that he has often referred to the golf club as having the best par-3 holes in America. He even shot a commercial for his company’s golf clubs there. They are so difficult that Jim Murray, who has been a member of Riviera for over 40 years, has never been able to break 90 there.

“I know and love every blade of grass on Riviera, every eucalyptus tree, every barranca, every sand trap, even the one in the middle of the sixth green.” He later went on to say, “The worse it treats me, the more starry-eyed I get.” 

For Sam Snead, it is the opening hole that he prefers the most. The shots are generally played from a claustrophobic tee box for the opening hole. This also makes several outcomes possible at the very first shot. Talking about the sixth hole, Ron Whitten once wrote, “In the field of golf design, where imitation is passed off as inspiration, a truly original hole is as rare as an amateur architect. Which makes the Sixth at Riviera all the more remarkable. It was a true original, created by an amateur designer.”

3. The eighteenth hole

Like the 18th hole at Muirfield Village, the closing hole at Riviera Country Club is one of the best in golf. The uphill tee shot is blind, making the player uncomfortable off the tee. But finding the fairway is imperative for this challenging finisher. The green then features an extraordinary natural amphitheater, a perfect place to watch golf, as the famous clubhouse sits above.

The Riviera Golf Course is among the favorite courses of several PGA Tour pros. Patrick Cantlay is one such player who has regarded it as the best. “I think they change very little about the golf course, and yet the scores are always relatively high, or the winning score is relatively always around 12 to 16 under par or something. And there’s no real rough, and the greens aren’t overly firm, and it’s not crazy, crazy long,” he said.

It would be a huge void for the golf world if something were to happen to Riviera. Thankfully, it is safe now. Let us know in the comments section below!