Riviera Country Club

George C. Thomas Jr.'s 1926 course in Santa Monica Canyon, known as Hogan's Alley, with kikuyu fairways, a bunker in the middle of the 6th green and a drivable 10th.

Thomas and William P. Bell built the course from scratch in Santa Monica Canyon for about $243,800, an enormous sum in 1926. It opened as the Los Angeles Athletic Club Golf Course and later hosted equestrian events for the 1932 Olympics. Ben Hogan won the 1947 and 1948 L.A. Opens and the 1948 U.S. Open here, which gave the course its nickname.

Kikuyu grass gives tight fairway lies but grabby rough, and the barranca winds through several holes. The 1st tee sits 75 feet above the fairway. The 4th was Hogan's favorite par 3, the 6th has a bunker in the middle of the green, and the 315-yard 10th is a classic risk-reward short par 4. The finish climbs to a green in a natural amphitheater below the clubhouse. Riviera hosts the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational most years, held the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships and the 2026 U.S. Women's Open, and will stage golf at the 2028 Olympics and the 2031 U.S. Open.

Holes to know

4

Par 3 · 236 yd

Ben Hogan called it the best par 3 in America.

6

Par 3 · 169 yd

A short par 3 with a bunker in the middle of the green, forcing players on the wrong side to chip or putt around it.

10

Par 4 · 315 yd

A 315-yard par 4 where long hitters can try for the green, though several bunkers surround it.

18

Par 4 · 451 yd

Starts with a blind uphill drive and finishes in a natural amphitheater below the clubhouse.

Championships

• U.S. Open 1948
• PGA Championship 1983, 1995
• U.S. Senior Open 1998
• U.S. Amateur 2017
• U.S. Women's Open 2026
• Los Angeles Open / Genesis Invitational 1929, 1930, 1945–53, and most years since 1973

Design history

• 1992: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw restored the bunkers to their 1926 appearance