Hole #10 - Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, CA - 315 yards Par 4

The tenth hole at Riviera is remarkable for a number of reasons.  First, it is perhaps the greatest short par 4 in the world, yet it is built on uninspiring land that exists, literally, at every course ever built.  As a result, this hole could have been built anywhere, yet a hole of this nature does not exist anywhere else in the world.  What makes this hole great is the number of options off of the tee.  You can go for the green, lay up just short, lay up well short and to the right, lay up well short to the left.  The best play is probably a 3-wood to the front left of the green, but if that shot is pushed to the right, or finds the bunker left, a par is going to be difficult to achieve.  Another astonishing fact about this hole is that there is no out of bounds or water hazards to impact play, and yet the penalty for hitting your tee shot in the wrong place seems to be just as severe.

The hole itself plays a mere 315 yards and dead straight.  However, based on the angle of the green and both the greenside and fairway bunkering, it does not look or feel like a straight hole.  A massive cross bunker 170 yards off of the tee is the first thing you will notice about this hole, and this bunker plays a big role in the strategic merits of the hole.  It is only about a 200 yard carry, but the bunker plays a big role psychologically and also gives some challenge to the short-right layup play.  As the fairway snakes around, and to the left of this bunker, it meanders back to the right in front of another fairway bunker, offset to the left of the direct line of play to the hole, at the 250 yard mark.  This second fairway bunker dictates play for both the short and long left layup options.  Because of the tilt (to the back left) and angle (from front left to back right) of the green, the preferred angle to the green is from the left.  In order to be in position "A", a shot of between 270 and 300 yards is necessary.  If you can't thread the needle, you will have to carry your tee shot 270 yards to clear the left bunker, yet keep it less than 300 to avoid going through the fairway and beyond the green into thick rough.  Any big layup will need to have a carry of 200 yards to get past the large cross bunker but stop short of 250 yards to stay out of the left bunker.  The really short hitter can play short, or to the left of the cross bunker, leaving between 75 - 150 yards to the front of the green, or the big hitter can try to go for the green, which is open to the extreme front left about 285-300 yards from the tee.  Of course, if you go for the green and miss short or right, you will be lucky to make par, let alone birdie.

As can be glossed from the technical style of this hole review, this hole abounds with options.  More importantly, each of these options is challenged in its own way (hit it between here and here, rather than simply, hit it less than x).  Plus, the angle for your approach becomes increasingly difficult for each shorter route chosen from the tee.  So the decision to be more aggressive off of the tee is rewarded if you are able to execute the shot.

Next Best:  Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills, Pine Valley, Bel-Air, Pasatiempo, Sebonack, Prairie Dunes, National Golf Links of America
Most likely to take its place, but have not yet played: Winged Foot (West)