Hole 9 at Riviera Country Club, The

Pacific Palisades, California
Par
4
Yardage
458 yds
Stroke index
3
Hazards
6 bunkers
Hole 9 aerial at Riviera Country Club, The

Aerial source not provided

Green size: 39 yds deep × 32 yds wide

Scorecard yardage is for Championship tees. The aerial shows its labeled reference position; distance rings measure to the green.

Championship tees · Par 4 · 458 yards

The plan for No. 9

Set up the approach for the correct level of the green. The final shot's distance control is easier to manage from a deliberate fairway position.

Off the tee

Check which of the staggered fairway bunkers falls within your landing range. Choose a target and club together instead of treating every bunker as either automatically reachable or irrelevant.

Approach & recovery

Identify the flag's level before selecting the landing point. Build enough margin into the shot to avoid a bunker or a finish that leaves the transition between tiers to negotiate.

On the green

The two-tier surface makes total putt distance an incomplete measure of difficulty. Finishing on the same level as the hole can matter more than finishing closer across the step.

Watch for

  • Staggered fairway bunkers
  • Approach sand and a tier change on the green

Hole 9 Green Complex

Mapped green boundary

Green Surface

Green size: 4,700 sq ft

Dimensions
39y Deep × 32y Wide
Mapped green boundary

Course coverage

Tournament and creator videos about Riviera Country Club, The — shared course coverage, not hole-specific clips.

Tournament coverage

Genesis Invitational highlights

Genesis Invitational | Final Round Highlights

2025

Featured by these creators

Creator videos about this course

YouTube creators who filmed or featured Riviera Country Club, The. · Stats as of Oct 12, 2026 · 6d ago

Explore golf creators →

Key Holes at the 2026 U.S. Women's Open with a Former LPGA Caddie | Riviera Country Club

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Frequently asked questions

Yardage reference: Championship tees · 458 yards.

What's the best strategy off the tee?

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For this 458-yard par 4, most players will hit driver to set up a comfortable approach.

How difficult is hole 9?

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This hole is a moderate challenge for most golfers. Key challenges include: long par 4.

How big is the green on hole 9?

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The green is fairly large with multiple pin positions. Lag putting becomes important on longer putts.

What's a good score on hole 9?

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This hole is one of the tougher holes where par feels like birdie. A challenging par 4. Accept that bogey happens and avoid big numbers.

Research notes

  • A tier change makes approach distance control significant. (07:55–08:20 (inspected frame interval))[1]
  • The ninth has staggered fairway bunkers before its approach. (Hole 9)[2]
  • George C. Thomas designed the course, which opened in 1927. (Opening course-history paragraph)[3]
  • Riviera pairs an inviting opening par 5 with a demanding second and distinctive par 3s at 4, 6, 14 and 16. (Starting holes / Par-3 holes)[4]
  • The 2018 firsthand account links lost strokes to automatic driver selection and unfamiliar kikuyu lies; it supports checking landing positions and the actual lie rather than copying club choices. (0:16:55–0:18:23)[5]

Sources

  1. 2026 U.S. Women’s Open Course Tour: Flyovers of Every Hole at Riviera Country Club — USGAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwVslv8sGAc
  2. Hole-by-hole guide to Riviera — The Genesis Invitationalhttps://genesisinvitational.com/news/hole-hole-guide-riviera/
  3. Riviera Golf Club — course history — The Riviera Country Clubhttps://www.therivieracountryclub.com/golf-club
  4. Major similarities — The Genesis Invitationalhttps://genesisinvitational.com/news/major-similarities/
  5. Playing The Riviera Country Club — The 19th Hole Golf Show / Golf News Nethttps://audioboom.com/posts/7052694-playing-the-riviera-country-club