In the l920s, the Los Angeles Athletic Club was the quintessential sports club in America. Housed in a 12-story building at 7th and Olive Streets, its membership read like a Who's Who of American sport and business. According to Betty Lou Young in Our First Century (The Los Angeles Athletic Club 1880-1980), Frank Garbutt, the Athletic Club's VP, wanted a "chain of affiliated sports facilities throughout the Southland" with "yacht clubs and beach clubs along the Pacific shore, at least one club golf course and country home, a gun club, and satellite town clubs."
The Uplifter's Club, a club within the club, met weekly for lunch and other recreation. A ranch was created for relaxing and outdoor sporting activities, including polo and horseback riding. According to The Riviera Country Club (A Definitive History) by Geoff Shackelford, "The Athletic Club lent $20,000 to the Uplifters in 1920 for purchase of a 40-acre site in Rustic Canyon, an area situated between Santa Monica and a new enclave called Pacific Palisades. The facility eventually included a clubhouse, baseball diamond, racetrack, amphitheater, polo club, and bungalows for those desiring to live in the "countryside." (Said purchase was effected when the Methodist-sponsored Camp Meeting and Chautauqua Assn., who camped in Rustic Canyon, decided to develop the mesa areas further to the west, and which is today called Pacific Palisades.)
Historian Randy Young's Santa Monica Canyon (A Walk
Through History) explains that "the extension of Beverly (now Sunset)
Boulevard to the coast attracted Will Rogers and
his family, who purchased a sizeable ranch property in upper Rustic Canyon in
1926 and moved from Beverly Hills to this relatively remote spot. Will Rogers
fit comfortably into local life, participating in the Methodist-sponsored field
days in Pacific Palisades, becoming a member of the Uplifters, and strolling
down Rustic Canyon to visit Ballantynes restaurant and Doc Law's friendly emporium
in Santa Monica Canyon." (The post-war temperance movement and Prohibition
found local "imbibers" in Doc Law's notorious back room.)
"Most of the LAAC Directors were a part of the Uplifters, attending functions and using the facilities for outdoor recreation. It became a wonderful addition to the Athletic Club, which still lacked one amenity, a championship golf course."
The LAAC contacted Alphonso Bell, a multi-millionaire, who owned 22,000 acres of Westside property, and arranged to purchase a 640-acre site consisting of 200 acres in Santa Monica Canyon, and another 440 acres on mesas surrounding the canyon.
According to Our First Century, and The Riviera Country Club, William May Garland, Garbutt, Bell, and Robert Gillis (Santa Monica Mountain Park Company) all cooperated in working out the deal, and "John A. Vaughn, as real estate agent, agreed to assemble a syndicate, pay off the bonds, subdivide the mesa, sell the property, and donate the canyon acreage plus ten acres on the mesa to the LAAC for a golf course and clubhouse. The resulting Riviera tract was to be an exclusive community of gentlemen's estates - a zone of gracious home life and refinement, insulated against the ugliness of the commercial world and drawing inspiration from the old world homes and estates of Europe."
 |
| Lovingly restored 1935 Italian
Villa - Grand-scale 4-bedroom home with breathtaking entry foyer, wood-paneled
den with secret bar, charming breakfast room, large formal dining room
with signed mural (dated 1935). The home has ocean and canyon views, maids
quarters, laundry, original deco tiles, and elegant wrought-iron work. |
Opened for play in 1927, the Riviera Country Club golf course
became known as one of the most innovative and challenging layouts. Designed
by architect George C. Thomas, Jr., Riviera soon found itself ranked as the
third best course in America, behind only Pine Valley and Pinehurst #2. Today,
Thomas' design is still ranked among the best in the world and is often studied
by architects and students of the game.
According to Jim Murray "the architect didn't need railroad ties or water or trick island greens to make Riviera a great track, all he needed was a road grader and a steam shovel. It was the first course to put in underground sprinklers with a shut-off valve. It was years ahead of its time in design and contouring. I once asked Tom Weiskopf if he didn't think Riviera's 18th hole was a "great finishing hole." Cracked Weiskopf, "There's 18 great finishing holes out there."
Hollywood celebrities have always been influential in Riviera activities. Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Katherine Hepburn, W.C. Fields and Howard Hughes played golf while Will Rogers, Spencer Tracy and Gary Cooper were among the famous polo players at the club's four fields. Robert Stack, Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor learned to ride at the equestrian center. In later years, James Garner, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Peter Falk were avid golfers at the Riviera.
Mr. Fairbanks helped bring tournament golf to Riviera in 1929 with the Los Angeles Open. Since then Riviera has hosted over 35 L.A. Opens. Ben Hogan won the Los Angeles Opens in 1947- 48 and Riviera was appropriately dubbed "Hogan's Alley." The 1983 PGA Championship saw Jack Nicklaus aced out by one stroke by Hal Sutton.
Films made at the Riviera over the years included "Pat and Mike" with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy ( featuring Babe Zaharias and member Jim Backus), "Follow the Sun" with Glenn Ford (life of Ben Hogan), "The Caddy" with members Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (featuring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby). The fairways can easily be recognized as English countryside in "Forever Amber" with Linda Darnell and Cornell Wilde.
From Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan to President Bill Clinton , from Douglas Fairbanks and Katherine Hepburn to Glen Campbell, Donald O'Connor, Peter Graves and Jim Garner, Pro/Celeb alike have made the Riviera their playground.
On May 3, l988 it was announced that the Hathaway family and its 300 shareholders in LAACO, Ltd. were selling Riviera for $108 Million to a Japanese real estate company. The Marukin Shoji Co., Ltd., acquired the Riviera in a two-step process whereby 49% was initially sold and in 1989 the remaining 51% was acquired. According to The Riviera Country Club, "Noboru Watanabe is now President of the newly renamed Marukin Corporation; his father is company Chairman. Noboru Watanabe is also President of Riviera Management, Inc. and oversees its operation. He first saw Riviera as a college student during L.A. Open and made it his lifelong dream to someday play the course. His dreams exceeded his initial desire as he became owner of the club in 1989."
Riviera Country Club Scorecard
Par 71
Course Ratings:
74.3 (Black Tees)
71.9 (Middle Tees)
73.9 (Front Tees, par is 74 for Women's Competitions)
For further information or a copy of the beautiful photo-history The Riviera Country Club (A Definitive History) @ $55. please contact: Merlee Konecki, In Charge of Membership (310) 454-6591.
Social Memberships are available. Social members are permitted to play golf and tennis twice a year paying guest fees and may additionally be a guest of a member a limited number of times. Twenty-six guest rooms are available to members.
THE RIVIERA TENNIS CLUB
Frank G. Hathaway, grandson of Frank Garbutt, took over the Presidency of the Riviera in 1948. He served as club President until 1976 at which time he became Chairman of the club.
Hathaway envisioned a modern tennis complex to meet the needs of a large membership and in 1963 the Riviera Tennis Club opened with eight courts and a 4,200 square foot clubhouse. The club has grown to 24 courts (22 lighted), including 2 clay, 2 ball machine courts (retriever systems), Tennis Grill, open 10:30 A.M. to 8 P.M. weekdays, men's and ladies locker rooms (optional), state-of-the-art gym available. Current (2005) membership fee is $15,000 (adult) for a family membership (including 2 children) monthly dues from $250 (one player) to $360 (4 players or more). There is a Social Membership for $3,000 with dues of $130 per month and a minimum food/beverage usage of $375 per quarter. Please call for other plans (310) 454-6591. The membership numbers over 650. All memberships include the ability to reserve hotel suites, use of Gym, the banquet and catering services, a tennis shop and golf shop.
Hours: 7 days / 7 A.M. to 9 P.M. (Sunday 7 P.M.)