Brennans Caddy Report-Nissan Open

After a fun week last week at Pebble Beach with some great company, it is time to put the pro-am behind us and get back to the regular routine of pro golfers only and no celebrities.  I really enjoy the variety of celebrities and the great people we get to play with at Pebble, but I am not sure I can say the same for a lot of the players. They have to be very patient and really stay focused, as there are so many distractions the past few weeks. It is now time to move down to sunny southern California and the Nissan Open, which has to be one of my favorites as we have had a lot of success there.
 
Located in Pacific Palisades which is just outside of Los Angeles, California, the golf course is located in a very affluent area.  It is right around the corner from the famous Bundy Ave, which OJ Simpson made so famous. I will never forget my first year at this event when I stopped by Bundy Ave and saw where the incident occurred.  I am sure the entire incident was a huge distraction to everyone in the area because it is quite an exclusive and expensive area!

Riviera Country Club is one of the few remaining old fashion country club courses. Unlike other courses, this course does not cater well to fans. It is very similar to Shaughnessy G&CC in Vancouver, B.C., or Hamilton G&CC, which has hosted the last two Canadian Opens. It is a very narrow course that is well defined by some of the biggest trees I have ever seen! The greens are not very big and require precise approach shots in order to score well. It also requires the players to hit all of the clubs in their bag, from long irons into par 4's to some shorter irons on a few holes.  In my opinion, a good course ensures that players use all the clubs in their bags.  There are too many courses out there that never allow a golfer to test their longer irons.  I believe that the Riviera is one of the best courses on the tour, not just because we have won here, but because of the qualities I have mentioned. 
 
The first hole at Riviera is very unique.  It's a rather short par 5 that has a very elevated tee shot. The tee is located in a congested area on the top of the hill, which is also right next to the putting green.  It is a tee shot that is difficult as you are looking down to a very narrow fairway, and with the elevated tee it makes it that much more difficult. If you can get the ball in the fairway, it is a reachable par 5 and one of the easier holes on the course, so you want to take advantage of it.  Number 4 is a long par 3 that plays 235 yards and with some wind it can be a three wood! It has a much undulated green and keeping the ball on the proper side is important. As with most courses that are near the ocean, there is always a gravitational pull towards the water, which means the ball always tend to go that way. This is very important to know because the shots towards the water play shorter and the shots away play longer.
 
Usually the toughest part of the course is on the closing few holes but that is not the case at Riviera.  The course is so well balanced that all of the holes are quite challenging. The 18th is one of the most famous holes out here because it is a very difficult par 4 and has some great stadium seating around the green for the spectators.  It is important to get the ball in the fairway so that you can use a mid iron to a green that is sloped from back to front, a must to keep the ball under the hole! Par is usually a good score on 18 and when the wind picks up it is that much more difficult.
 
One of the best parts about this week for me in LA is staying with my good friend, Brien Patermo. He is a friend of ours who went to school with Mike and has lived in this area for the last 10 years. As hard as it is being on the road, it's nice to have a good friend to hang out with. I really hope this will be good week and look forward to the next three weeks!

Thanks for reading!

Brennan