Info
Riviera Country Club
Private (Club) - 18 holes
1155 Blue Road
Coral Gables, Florida
Miami-Dade County
33146
Website
Logo
Award for Best Picture
RivieraCC.com
Notes
In 1922, George Merrick the visionary of Coral Gables, started the Coconut Grove Golf and Country Club and hired golf architect William Langford to draw up plans for three 18-hole golf courses and two 9-hole golf courses.
One of the 9-hole golf courses that was built is now known as Granada Golf Course. The other 9-hole golf course never got off the drawing board. Two of the 18-hole golf courses that were built are now know as Biltmore Golf Course and Riviera Country Club. The third 18-hole golf course never got past the planning stage.
In 1924, the Miami-Biltmore Country Club is formed with George Merrick and Biltmore hotel maverick John McEntee Bowman, which took over the work done by the Coconut Grove Golf and Country Club on the two 18-hole golf courses. The Miami-Biltmore Country Club hired Donald Ross and he laid out the two 18-hole golf courses for the Miami-Biltmore hotel property.
In 1925, Donald Ross' layouts are revealed, and the golf courses are named Course No. 1 and Course No. 2 for the Miami-Biltmore Country Club, where Course No. 1 is also known as the North Course and Course No. 2 is also known as the South Course. By March 1925, 9 holes of the North Course are open.
On January 2, 1926, a 36-hole exhibition match is held to officially open both courses of the Miami-Biltmore Country Club. The south course has a layout of 18/6458.
In 1931, Henry Doherty leases the Miami-Biltmore Hotel and Country Club and on January 1, 1932, it becomes a member of the Florida Year-Round Club.
By 1933, the South Course is referred to as the Riviera Course, and Doherty decides not to use the Riviera Course during the 1933/34 winter season.
Hawley Russell, re-opens the Riviera Golf Course, as a 9-hole day fee facility on January 1, 1934. The Riviera Golf Course closes around 1936.
In 1938, Doherty buys the whole Miami-Biltmore property with the hotel and the 2 golf courses.
It appears that the Riviera Golf Course remains abandoned from 1936 until 1944, when the Doherty estate decides to sell the land holding the abandoned Riviera Golf Course for $50,000. Coral Gables Country Club is interested but can't raise the money.
In 1945, B.F. Smethurst, chairman of the golf committee of the new Riviera Country Club organizes a successful membership drive and by May 1945, has purchased the property from the Doherty estate. Charles Mahannah and William Merriam design the 18-hole golf course. The Riviera Country Club opens in late 1945.
In 1962, Dick Wilson designs a renovation project and the course is closed during the summer. The new layout is 18/72/6300.
In 1993, Brian Silva peforms a thorough Donald Ross restoration to bring the course back to its original design and had a layout of 18/71/6603.
In 2015, the course was redesigned by Kipp Schulties Golf Design.
Conceptual Plan for the 2015 Course Modifications:
The course is closed for renovations until December 2015.
2015 Renovation Videos
Course Area
Estimated Layout and Scorecard before 2015 renovations
Street View of Entrance
Google Maps
Bing Maps
History
