Tiger just teed off a moment ago and scored an eagle on the first hole! Looks like hes on the hunt for this win. Well see how he holds up.
Anyone every played this course? How difficult is it? Maybe we can convince Donald Trump to build a challenging course that’s suitable for persimmons with tall roughs! hehe Or at least more narrow fairways with thick stuff on the side, so no one can just spray it anywhere they want and still get on with a simple wedge/short iron shot out of so called “rough”.
One thing they do have that puts players to test on ball striking, assuming they are using irons and not hybrids are the long Par 3’s. Especially over water…
I played it with persimmon equipment almost 30 years ago the week after the Pro’s played it. Our college golf team was on Spring Break so we were lucky to play some nice tracks including Aronimink (Villanova’s course) on the drive back to school.
Anyway I thought The Blue Monster was very difficult test at the time. The wind was howling most of the day. I remember hitting driver into 13? on a Par 3 into a stiff wind and coming up short. Also, I think I spent more time in the sand than on the grass the whole day. I also recall that 18 was no big deal and hit a 5-wood off the tee & a 4-iron pin high.
The length was about perfect back then and the wind was its main defense
Wow, I think about 15-20 players today hit the water on the left off the tee at the 18th hole. Sergio completely missed the fairway and dropped in the water 10-15 yards from the edge of the rough. Several other top players landed in there today as well. Dustin Johnson made super sure he wasnt going in the water and hit the Camera Tower way right.
Im sure the wind has something to do with it, but is this what pro golfers fear? Going left? I know the cure! Angle hinge no roll swing with flat gear!
Sergio had 7 birdies today and finish with +3. Course must be rough out there…heh
i was there last year when Trump and his entourage were walking around …scoping out the place. We heard that he was thinking on buying…in a way i’m glad he did…it was pretty run down .I played it along with the white and Red course…geez i stunk! But then again that’s why i’m here1
From what I read, they’re tearing down the clubhouse and starting over, rebuilding the practice facilities, and making major modifications to a few holes. It will be interesting to see what the layout changes are. My guess is longer and wide open, but maybe not.
I played it around the mid-90’s on a “golf trip.” Speaking from the view of a mid-handicapper with a light experience playing a few great courses, Doral is super.
My group looked forward to the the Blue Monster and were not disappointed. We all scored slightly worse than our handicaps would have predicted, and found the course challenging but fair. It demanded all types of shots.
This is a good article about Dick Wilson, who also designed Cog Hill and many other fine courses. golfdigest.com/golf-tours-ne … 209sherman
It is interesting to note what Hogan said of his Pine Tree course… “The best course I’ve ever seen.”
As the article states, Wilson is very well regarded as an architect, on par with Robert Trent Jones, but had a bad drinking problem and this may have led to an early death. His has several proteges who have produced some fine courses…Robert von Hagge, Joe Lee, and Rocky Roquemore. Von Hagge, with Bruce Devlin designed a course that was one of my favorites…Lagoon Legend in Panama City, FL. I have also played some of Lee’s and Roquemore’s courses, and they all seem to carry the Wilson influence. They are challenging and fun.
In 1990 Greg Norman finished Doral with a 62 and foreshadowed what would happen to golf courses when someone combines great long driving and great putting. He then chipped in to win a 4 way playoff.
Here are some Doral highlites…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q74npNqOZO8[/youtube]
