Doral Golf Resort and Spa  

- Miami is a busy city in anybody’s book and not one where you’d think golf might be at a premium. But you’d be wrong. Set in 650 acres of golf courses, lakes, gardens and landscaped grounds lies an oasis of serenity within minutes of one of America’s busiest cities. For the golfer that means the Doral Golf Resort and Spa with its 5 golf courses, complete with Blue Monster. There are few golf resorts anywhere in America that offer the variety of play that’s possible at Doral, or the number of courses open to hotel gests.

The resort has awarded several accolades including the Successful Meetings Ace Award for Excellence in Golf Meetings and the Links Magazine (USA) Best of the South Award. Golf Magazine gave it the golf medal in its “America’s Best Resorts” awards. And in 2006, Travel and Leisure GOLF gave it the award for Best of Florida Golf Resorts. Impressive.

The Blue Course has even brought fame and wealth to some of the international stars of the PGA tour. At the same time, it has brought calamity to several others and a great golfing experience to all during the annual Doral-Ryder Open, one of the richest and most popular tournaments of the PGA tour.

The Blue Monster is the most challenging course at the resort and is the place where almost every great name in golf in the last 25 years has had a moment of glorious personal triumph. Noted for its length (plus winds that make it seem even longer) and a deceptively tough rough that swallows balls, Doral’s Blue Course also features two of the finest par-three holes in American golf (rated among the top 25 in the country) and one of the most difficult finishing holes on the PGA Tour. The par-72 Blue plays 6,597 yards with a rating of 71.6 from the regular tees and 6,939 yards with a rating of 73.2 from the tournament tees.

“The Blue Monster is a classic course and one of the finest in America,” says the golf pro. “We have recently restored the course to the original 1961 Dick Wilson design with some modernization to meet today’s golf standards. By doing so, we have brought even more challenge to the famed Blue Monster.”

Part of the challenge on the course is that you have to drive from the tees with everything from a two iron to a driver. And into the greens you have to play everything from a three iron to a sand wedge.

The opening hole is a par 5,533 yard relatively easy birdie. The goal is to reach the green in two but you need to watch out for the twin traps to the right, off the tee and those to the right, short of the green. For the second hole (par 4, 366 yards) you must stay on the fairway to play well. The placement of the tee shot plays a critical role on this hole. Because it is shallow, it’s difficult to hold the green with the second shot if it’s coming out of the surrounding tall grass or traps.

The third hole is one of the best holes on the course. On the par 4,402 yard third you must be long off the tee and drive the ball accurately as the lake is to the right and there is deep rough to the left. The green is close to the water on the right and there are traps to the left.

The sixth hole is one of the longest par 4 holes playing to 437 yards. There are traps to the left so the ball must be hit down the right of the fairway. The green is angled from right to left and there are traps to the front left and back right. The 8th is reachable in two if you are willing to gamble, and the drive is crucial. The green is surrounded by water on three sides and the green angles away from the player and slopes back to front and from right to left, with traps behind.

The 12th hole is the longest par 5 hole and one of the most difficult holes on the course. There are woods to the right and traps to the left. Should a player hit in either direction, he can’t lay up short and get his third shot on the green because it’s raised and surrounded by traps. The 15th hole (par 3 and 183 yards) is a fairly short par 3 hole. The green is raised and very shallow with a deep bunker in front and behind it. Club selection is at a premium here and you’ll be hitting into or across the wind.

The real difficulty with hole 17 (par 4, 426 yards) is hitting on the triple-level green some 60 yards in length. It is deep and long. The par 4, 437 yard 18th hole is one of the best finishing holes in golf. You’ll have to hit a perfect tee shot here because trees, water, rough and mounds surround the fairway while the green is long and the lake is close to the left with traps to the right.

The Gold Course, designed by Raymond Floyd features water on every hole, including the famous island 18th hole. This Gold course was recently renovated and included such improvements as the drainage on the course, redesigning greens to USGA specifications, rebuilding the tees, regressing the fairways and improving the irrigation system throughout the 18-hold layout. This tricky par-70 course plays at 6,361 yards with a rating of 69.0 to 70.6 and features 13 holes where water comes into play, including the island green finishing hole. This is a challenging yet playable layout.

The course is low profile with moderate fairway undulations, strategic bunkering (there are 62 sand bunkers) and water in play on 16 holes and coconut, sabal, royal palm and fica trees framing many of the holes and greens that average 6500 square feet.

The opening hole on the Gold Course is a dogleg right with a generous landing area and a large, gently contoured green. A solidly hit straightforward mid-to-short iron will put you in good position for a birdie or par.

The second hole on the other hand is a tough birdie hole because the wind is directly toward the tee. The dogleg left hole has a fairly narrow landing area but affords you the opportunity to “bite off” the hazard to make the hole reachable in two.

The third hole, at 415 yards, is the first of the course’s three strong par 4 holes. Large bunkers frame the wide landing area and emphasis is placed on club selection for an approach shot to an elongated green bunkered on the right side with water on the left. The second par 4 at the 433 yard 5th hole requires a straight, but strong tee shot uphill. The three-tiered green provides one of the toughest challenges on the course. If you land your approach shot at front of the green with the pin in the back (or vice-versa) it will take a monumental effort to get down in two.

On the 417 yard 4 8th hole you have the double hazards of water and wind. If you’re too conservative off the tee and you keep your tee shot left to stay away from the water, you’ll have a long, difficult approach shot that sits on a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides.

The 579 par 5 11th hole is the longest on the course. Although it has a generous landing area it will still take three solid shots to arrive at the green even for the longest hitters off the tee. A fairly large contoured green with grass depressions discourages bump and run approach shots.

For the 173 yard 15th there are no gimme par threes. The wind generally blows left to right or in your face on this hole so take time to analyze conditions before stepping to the tee. Two large bunkers at left and right front of the green are just waiting to inhale miss-hits.

The large green framed by three bunkers on the 16th hole is the most elevated on the course while if the pin placement is on the left side of the 17th hole, the par 3 187 yard hole increases in difficulty significantly and brings the bunker into play. The finale on the famous 18th hole requires a tee shot to a tight fairway with bunkers and trees lining each side near the landing area, one of the toughest in the round. The approach shot is a 7 or 8 iron to a two tiered, island green. No room for error on this one – you must hit a dart to the green or you’ll end up wet. Par on this hole, however, will have you rejoicing at the 19th.

Doral also boasts a white and red course and an executive 9-hole par 3 course. These other courses are appealing for their setting in lakes and ponds lined with ficus, olive, palm and banana trees. The White Course, considered the easiest of the four, is often the first played by resort guests, playing 6,208 yards with a rating of 68.4 to 69.7 depending on which tees are played.

The par-71 Red Course, on the other hand, where water adds challenges on 12 holes, plays to 6,210 yards, with a rating of 67.7 to 69.9, depending on the tees.

The nine hole par three Green course is suitable for guests with limited time or for warm up and practice. In addition, the resort offers a lighted driving range, three putting greens, a complete pro shop and boutique, golf cleaning and storage, rental equipment and locker facilities.

Other facilities include the Doral Golf Learning Center. The Learning Center will work with golfers of all skill levels to improve their game, from the short game and swing to mental attitude.

Packages include the Doral Championship Golf Program featuring deluxe room accommodations, welcome cocktail, American breakfast, 18 holes of golf per day or one massage at the Spa, a golfer reception, golf clinic, club cleaning and storage and a bucket of range balls.

Non-golfers will appreciate the spa facilities with 44 treatment rooms, hydrotherapy, Jacuzzis, hot and cold plunge pools, saunas, sundecks and beauty salon. Other activities near or on the resort include fishing, children’s activities, bicycle rental, ball sports, jogging trail, game rooms and babysitting services.

Doral is only seven miles from Miami International Airport and within easy reach of the Ft. Lauderdale International and Palm Beach airports. Doral Golf Resort: http://www.doralgolf.com/