If Riviera lacks anything, it’s not architecture. The entire course—designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. “Billy” Bell in the 1920s—remains a museum for the highest strategic ideals developed during the Golden Age, with nearly every hole presenting a singularly distinctive puzzle with unfolding solutions. Situated in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Riviera features everything from a long Redan par 3, to a bunker in the middle of a green, to one of the most exciting drivable par 4s in the world.

As our long-time Architecture Editor Ron Whitten says, “The secret to its appeal is its options. Every hole at Riviera offers opportunities to exercise strategies and tactics, to assault or resist, to gamble or play smart.” No hole better encapsulates this idea than the famed drivable par-4 10th, where setting up the proper angle to attack the green is often the difference between making a birdie or bogey.

It’s these strategic options, Whitten says, that have helped Riviera earn the universal admiration of tour pros. The architectural merits are not lost on our course-ranking panelists, either, as it is one of just 21 courses to be ranked in every Golf Digest national course ranking since 1966. Click here to see a comprehensive review of Riviera, as well as an exclusive drone tour narrated by Whitten.

Though Riviera is private, if you’re planning a trip to Southern California, check out our collection of the Best Courses You Can Play in Los Angeles. It’s all part of our searchable course database, Places to Play, the new hub for Golf Digest courses content, complete with experts’ opinions and star ratings.