ShotLink: The ins and outs of Riviera Country Club

text size

Dunn/Getty Images

The hills around the 18th green below Riviera Country Club's clubhouse are perfect for spectators.

Feb. 15, 2011

The Northern Trust Open is contested at Riviera Country Club, built in 1926 and one of the most famous courses on the PGA TOUR. Riviera's greens are well-protected and tough targets.

Courses with the toughest greens to hit

Rank	Course	Pct.
1	Pebble Beach Golf Links	51.78
2	Harbour Town Golf Links	56.77
3	TPC Southwind	56.83
4	Cog Hill G&CC	58.47
5	Riviera CC	58.54

Length isn't crucial to win at Riviera; it's more important to be able to work the ball:

Courses with the shortest drives (all drives)

Rank	Course	All Drives
1	Pebble Beach Golf Links	262.8
2	Harbour Town Golf Links	264.7
3	PGA West (PC)	267.2
4	Innisbrook Resort	267.9
5	Riviera CC	268.5

Players earn their stripes on Riviera's greens, which can be especially tormenting from supposed gimme range:

Courses with the most 3-putts

Rank	Course	Pct.
1	Aronimink Golf Club	7
1	Riviera CC	7
3	Atunyote Golf Club	6
3	Montreux G&CC	6
3	Quail Hollow Club	6

Riviera's opening hole is a tame par-5, featuring a tee box some 75 feet above the fairway:

Easiest holes on TOUR

Rank	Course	Hole	Par	Yds	Avg Score
1	Plantation Course at Kapalua	9	5	521	-0.759
2	PGA West (Palmer Course)	11	5	512	-0.652
3	Riviera CC	1	5	503	-0.651
4	TPC Blue Monster at Doral	1	5	529	-0.64
5	PGA West (Palmer Course)	18	5	543	-0.632

A few holes later, things get particularly harder:

Longest Par 3 proximity to the hole

Rank	Course	Hole	Par	Yardage	Avg
1	TPC Blue Monster at Doral	13	3	245	53'7"
2	Aronimink Golf Club	8	3	238	52'8"
3	Riviera CC	4	3	236	49'7"
4	Redstone GC	9	3	238	47'4"
5	TPC Blue Monster at Doral	4	3	236	47'3"

The iconic 18th hole is a tough one to make a winning birdie; par is always a good score:

Toughest greens to hit on TOUR (non-majors)

Rank	Course	Hole	Par	Yardage	Pct.
1	Magnolia GC	5	4	492	27.64
2	Riviera CC	4	3	236	31.46
3	Riviera CC	18	4	475	31.95
4	Torrey Pines (SC)	12	4	504	32.15
5	Montreux G&CC	7	3	220	32.73