Your Golf Travel - Extraordinary Golf Experiences - Flipbook - Page 10
or global affairs, but the 45th President of the
United States is big news—and not of the fake
kind either—when it comes to golf in this part
of the world. As owner of the Trump National
Doral, he has sunk $200m since he bought the
famed resort for $150m in 2012, transforming
it into a luxurious 800-acre golfing playground
where no fewer than five 18-hole golf courses
compete for your attention, as well as a host of
five-star facilities.
experiences, a sumptuous spa, and plenty of
swimming pools to lounge by and soak up the
Florida sunshine.
Of course, all visitors will want to tackle the
beast that is the Blue Monster, the iconic
venue that hosted a PGA Tour event for 55
consecutive years between 1962 and 2016, and
if you like a bit of self-flagellation of the golfing
kind, then by all means be our guest.
Jack Nicklaus, who skippered the US team
that year, was brought into redesign the course
some years later, and he toughened up the
closing stretch considerably, giving rise to the
last four holes being nicknamed ‘The Bear Trap’.
The resort boasts four other courses—Palmer,
Fazio, Squire and Estates—so, like Trump Doral,
you could comfortably spend a few days here
without ever playing the same hole twice.
Gil Hanse’s stunning redesign in 2013
resulted in the course being lengthened and
strengthened in equal measure. Playing 7,608
yards off the back tees, it has been heavily
bunkered, even more heavily watered, and
boasts ankle-deep rough, so if you like golf on
steroids, then this is it.
For a bit of light (though not easy) relief, a game
on either of the resort’s Red Tiger and Golden
Palm courses is also highly recommended.
Both are typical Floridian layouts, featuring
acres of water, copious numbers of white sandy
bunkers, and a high quota of island greens.
As ever, Trump doesn’t stint on the après-golf,
with the resort, which offers over 650 deluxe
rooms, boasting a wide range of gourmet dining
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Staying with the tour venue theme, the PGA
National Resort & Spa, located further up the
coast in Palm Beach, is home to the PGA Tour’s
Honda Classic, with its Champions course
having also hosted the Ryder Cup in 1983,
where Europe lost out by a single point.
Returning closer to Miami’s northern city limits,
golfers should consider fitting in a game at
JW Marriott Turnberry Miami, formerly known
as Turnberry Isle, which boasts two 18-hole
courses. The showpiece Soffer course has
hosted several LPGA events, and following
its redesign by Ray Floyd several years ago,
presents a typical Florida challenge of water
hazards and vast greens.
For those looking for something a little more old
school, a stay at the recently renovated Biltmore
Hotel, located a few miles west of downtown
Miami, has much to recommend it. Opened
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Clockwise from Left:
Miami Skyline at Sunset;
Miami Harbour;
Trump Doral.