Riverside Golf Course opened in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project, built by federal labor on a bluff above the San Joaquin River in northwest Fresno. The ground had already seen golf: a nine-hole private club built there in 1926 by local farmers went bankrupt during the Depression, and in 1938 golf professional Grant Halstead pushed the City of Fresno to take the property over and hire William P. "Billy" Bell to design a full 18. Bell, George Thomas's collaborator at Riviera and later the designer of Torrey Pines, delivered the course Fresnans still call Big Muni.

On the course

Par 72 stretches to just over 6,600 yards from the back tees across gently rolling ground that is genuinely rare in the San Joaquin Valley, and you seldom get a level lie. Tree-lined corridors are expansive in places and pinching in others, and the main defense is a set of very small greens guarded by classic Billy Bell bunkering. The 424-yard 10th drops from the bluff toward the river canyon, the 206-yard 15th ranks among the area's toughest par 3s, and the 469-yard par-5 18th dangles a closing birdie.

Who it suits

From the start Riverside was built by the public, for the public, and priced for the public, and it still plays that role: it hosts the Fresno City Championship and remains one of the Central Valley's most walkable full-length layouts. Reviewers say conditions under recent management are close to as good as they have ever been, though weekend pace can drag on a crowded tee sheet. It suits golfers who like shaping shots into small targets, and anyone curious what Depression-era municipal golf got right.

The practice complex is a genuine asset: a 30-stall driving range with grass and mat stations, fully lighted for evening sessions in the Valley heat, plus two chipping greens, a practice bunker, and two putting greens. Individual lessons, lesson series, and clinics are available, with a pro shop on site. Pick Riverside for classic golden-age architecture at a municipal price.

Architect: William P. Bell · Opened: 1939