 Course
REVIEW
Course Review:
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Doral Director of Golf Michael Miraglia has seen his fair share of great golf courses, but he says Doral has a unique persona.
"The best attribute of the blue is great balance," he said. "You have long and short holes, long and short par threes, par fours and fives. You don't get beat over the head with five straight long par fours or two long par fives. "Why is it so hard? The bunkers are well position and the prevailing winds are always a factor. If you try to play this course too aggressive, it will bite you. If you look at players who have won (the PGA event on the Blue), they've been conservative, consistent players - Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Jim Furyk."
Indeed, the list of former champions is impressive. The event started
as the Doral Country Club Open Invitational in 1962 and switched to
the Doral-Eastern Open Invitational in 1970, when stars like Nicklaus
(1972 and '75), Lee Trevino (1973), Floyd (1980-81), Andy Bean (1982,
'86) and Tom Kite (1984) won titles. Interestingly during these years,
with Eastern Airlines as a sponsor, all of the airlines' flights to
and from Miami International Airport were rerouted to accommodate the
tournament, making it a much quieter venue than it is today.
In 1987, Lanny Watkins captured the inaugural Doral-Ryder Open, followed by more big names like Ben Crenshaw (1988), Greg Norman (1990, '93, '96), Floyd (1992) and Nick Faldo (1995). Norman set the current 18-hole course record with a 62 when winning in '90 and '93. His four-day total of 265 in 1993 still stands as a record.
But if you get the chance to battle the big Blue, don't expect to challenge either of those standards.
Although Doral plays like a traditional golf course, the design varies from traditional by starting both the front and the back nine with par-5s, while the front closes with a par 3 of 169 yards. The front nine is much more forgiving on the back, so get started early.
After a straight, 529-yard par-5, the second hole plays a generous 376 yards and could provide an early birdie. Flexing its muscle as a championship course, Doral's fourth hole, a par-3, plays a demanding 236 yards over water.
Holes No. 5, a 394-yard par-4, and No. 6, a 442-yard par-4, have undergone many changes in the restoration. The large fairway bunker on the left has been sliced into four smaller ones on No. 5. One fairway bunker has been removed on No. 6 and another moved closer to the fairway, while the two greenside bunkers have been reshaped.
Hole No. 8, a 528-yard par-5, is a beauty with water coming into play on both sides from 250 yards and in.
After the long, yet fun, 551-yard par 5 10th hole, which bends left around a lake the entire way, the 11th seems so friendly. Think again. Although the hole plays just 363 yards from the tips, seven bunkers await any mistake. There is little fairway on this hole. Instead a gigantic bunker sits in the middle of the driving zone. The 13th, a 245-yard par-3, might be the longest par-3 you'll ever play.
The sixteenth, which plays 372 yards, starts a rugged finish of three tough par-4s. It doglegs left, framed by bunkers on either side of the fairway, to an elevated green. There have been plenty of wonderful tournament memories occur on this hole. A plaque near the tee commemorates Bean's win in a playoff in 1986 and Floyd's dramatic chip-in to beat Nicklaus in a playoff in 1980.
The 18th, a 443-yard par-4, annually plays as one of the toughest finishing holes on the PGA Tour, because of its difficulty, the wind and the pressure to finish strong at such a prestigious tournament.
To escape with par, players need a solid drive to the middle of the fairway, between a large waste bunker, home to several palm trees, on the left and four bunkers that climb toward the green on the right. The approach shot must carry a sliver of water fronting the green. Chances are you'll get wet from the majestic fountain in the middle of the water hazard while playing this hole, just don't let your ball suffer the same fate.
