Architecture Geek: Is The Bunker In The Middle Of The 6th Green At Riviera A Gimmick? Or Does It Actually Make Sense?
- Updated: February 16, 2019
@CallawayGolf
Riviera Country Club, the host of this week’s Genesis Open, is one of the most highly regarded courses on the PGA Tour.
When Golf World polled the pros about their favorite venues, Riviera came in third, behind only Augusta National and Harbour Town. “Classic,” one player called it. “Best design on tour,” said several others.
But another comment from an anonymous pro has always stuck out to me:
“Outside of the 6th hole with the silly bunker in the green, Riviera is perfect.”
Ah yes, the 6th at Riviera. The par 3 with the bunker in the middle of the damn green. Why did George Thomas and Billy Bell, the architects of the course, put the bunker there? Was it a throwaway gag on the construction map that accidentally got built? Were Thomas and Bell sadists? Drunks?
http://gty.im/920762120Is the bunker — horror of horrors — silly?
First off, I see nothing wrong with a bit of silliness in golf architecture. I mean, here we are, playing a weirdly difficult game that involves striking a ball with an array of sticks. We can afford to contemplate ourselves or our fields of play with a sense of humor.
The big question, though, is whether the bunker is just a gimmick, as I’ve heard many people say. If its only purpose were to attract attention, I would agree. But that’s not the case. As built by Thomas and Bell, this bunker—and the green complex around it—generates a lot of options and challenges for the player.
The 6th at Riviera is effectively several holes at the same time.
The bunker divides the green into quadrants, each of which can accommodate a pin. As a result, a member who plays the hole on four consecutive days may face tee shots that look, feel, and play four distinct ways.
The Genesis Open uses two basic pin positions: back left and front right. These sections of the green present distinct challenges and opportunities. Back left requires a carry over the center bunker but offers a tongue of short grass behind the hole that can serve as a backstop. Front right is less visually intimidating from the tee but unforgiving to those who miss long.
To add another layer of variety, the Genesis uses a forward tee on at least one day. During the first round of this year’s tournament, for instance, the 6th hole was 146 yards. During the final round last year, it stretched to 204 yards.
The fireworks really start when the pros reach the green.
If their tee shots end up catty-corner from the pin, they have to play either over or around the bunker. Most opt for a spinny chip from the surface of the green, a shot as difficult to execute as it is enjoyable to watch.
During the second round, Justin Thomas played a cheeky little wedge from the upper quadrant that screeched to a halt about a foot from the hole on the lower quadrant.
DO NOT TRY THIS in your Saturday game. 😱#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/zRLfoC6FrO
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 16, 2019
Come on, that’s just delightful!
On top of all of that, as Geoff Shackelford demonstrated in a video last year, Thomas and Bell contoured the 6th green so ingeniously that, when you find yourself on the wrong side of it, you can actually putt around the bunker. Even more delightful.
RELATED: Architecture Geek: Is The 18th At Kapalua A Good Hole?
Like anything in golf course design, putting a bunker in the middle of a green is all about execution. Architects Dan Proctor and Dave Axland reportedly pulled off a good one at Bayside Golf Club in Nebraska
So yes, the bunker in the middle of Riviera’s 6th green might look strange at first. But given the variety, challenge, and plain old fun that it lends to the hole, it can hardly be considered a gimmick.
About the author: Garrett Ford is an English teacher, an occasional writer, and an even more occasional golfer. He lives in Pebble Beach but can’t afford to play most of the courses in the area. He geeks out pretty hard about golf course architecture, but please try not to hold that against him. Follow him on Twitter at @gfordgolf and check out his blog at gfordgolf.com.
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