William P. Bell, whose early works included Bel-Air
Country Club and
Riviera Country Club, designed the original eighteen
holes in 1946.
As they stood at the foot of the great Valley Oak, Billy
Bell stated,
"This is a great site for a golf course." The sandy soil
and gentle
rolling terrain allowed Billy Bell to create yet another
classic.
Architect Robert Muir Graves whose work includes Sea
Ranch and
Black Butte designed the River Nine. After many years
of
negotiations with government officials and
environmentalists over
the plight of the valley elderberry long-horned beetle,
this 150 acre
combination of riparian habitat and golf course was
constructed in
1996.
In 1998 architect John Harbottle, who has overseen
reconstruction
efforts at Los Angeles Country Club and Stanford Golf
Course
design, supervised reconstruction of all tees, greens
and bunkers on
William Bell's 18-hole layout. Harbottle also redesigned
the #9 Bluff
hole in 2002.