Which is better: Riviera or Los Angeles Country Club? Our raters debate

What’s in a number?

GOLF’s new ranking of Top 100 Courses in the U.S. is exactly that: a list of the best courses in the country, arranged in numerical order, “1” being the best.

Sounds straightforward. Hard figures, hard facts. But as anyone who follows the rankings knows, while the roster itself is cut-and-dried, the thinking behind it is not. It reflects the views of our course raters. Keen-eyed and well-traveled, these folks know their stuff. But ultimately what they’re offering are their opinions. Which brings us back to the question at the top.

What’s in a number? Or, put more directly, what makes one course “better” than another that happens to be ranked lower?

To provide a deeper understanding of the considerations behind the rankings, we’ve been asking our raters to take sides in a series of “Which is better?” debates: a comparison of courses meant to shed light on how our panelists think about design. We started last week with a discussion of two Top 100 public-access courses, Pebble Beach and Pacific Dunes. This time around, we’re looking at a pair of prestigious private courses, the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club and Riviera, ranked 10th and 14th, respectively, on GOLF’s new list. Which is better? Read on.

LACC North is better!

This debate is like choosing between your favorite child. I would not have envied George Thomas if he were posed this question, especially with how markedly different but excellent both these courses are. That said, the North Course at LACC is a personal favorite and would be my choice if I only had one round to play.

For me, the case for LACC starts with its scale. It’s long and wide (though exacting), and it navigates unexpectedly dramatic elevation changes. The Angles Army rejoices here — you are confronted with a variety of shots in the prevailing firm conditions, which allow balls to find the full breadth of the property and thus presents a myriad of looks into geometrically creative greens.

With its size and variety, you are also playing thoughtful golf, with choices required at every turn: To challenge the drivable but menacing 6th; to take on the draw second shot from a hanging lie on the par 5 8th; to go after the front-right pin on the delicate 15th. And on. From start to finish, the course calls on your mental and physical sharpness.

Riviera has marvelous charms and quirk (I love the bunker in the heart of the 6th green), as well as plenty of teeth (the stout par 3 4th and the par-4 14th, for example). But I’m not sure every hole plays today as originally intended, including the shrinking of the (theoretically) drivable 10th green and the sticky kikuyu in front of the par-3 4th, which prevents the use of the Redan-esque slopes. — Will Davenport

Riviera is better!

This is a hotly contested question in Los Angeles golf circles. But I prefer to put it in a global context. To my mind, what separates the courses — both George Thomas designs that have proven to be major championship-worthy — is the number of holes that could be considered among the great holes in the world. In that head-to-head, Riviera gets the edge.

Let’s start with the 1st hole at Riviera, which Arnold Palmer called “the greatest starting hole in golf.” The tee shot is an exhilarating and frightening way to start your day. The 2nd is a beauty and a beast, and a perfect follow-up to the “Getaway Hole” opener, which Thomas often employed. The 4th features the first Redan ever built on the West Coast. Ben Hogan said it was “The greatest par 3 in America.”

The 6th is the par-3 with a bunker in the middle of the green, with spectacular shaping to get you around that trap if needed. It’s my favorite strategic green anywhere. The 9th is a fantastic par-4 that works back toward the clubhouse, with options to play boldly or safely off the tee. The 10th? It’s often considered as the best short par 4 in golf. 

The beat goes on throughout the back nine, on the 15th (long par-4 with a fabulous double-plateau green); the 16th (diabolically small green on a par-3 ringed by amazing George Thomas bunkers); and the 18th — one of the finest finishers in the game — was just lengthened to 498 yards, uphill, restoring Thomas’ original tee angle. All the legends have walked this finishing walk.

The other holes at Riviera are excellent in their own right. There’s not a weak one on the property. But the above holes stand out. 

As for LACC North, the great holes in the world for me would be 2, 7, 8, maybe 11, and 17. The rest are a combination of good to very good. Tally the scores in this rarefied air of top 15 golf courses, and Riviera wins the match for me. — Michael Robin