South Florida – A Tale of Two Courses

Just like the 500 mile side trip last month to play Bay Creek Palmer in Virginia, after spending a few days in Hilton Head with our son Rob’s family, we made another 500 mile side trip for more Top 100 golf.  It was time to head to Miami to play the Trump National Doral Blue Monster (#61 on Current Rankings) and Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne (#79 Last Ranked 2003).

Although the purpose of this site is to discuss the golf courses, it is sometimes hard not to let the other factors surrounding the courses influence you and how you feel about the course.  At Doral, the accommodations, clubhouse and landscaping were pristine.  The stay was nothing short of a first class experience and since we were there in the summer, the rates were more reasonable than I was expecting.  The Trump branding was nothing short of overkill though as the Trump name was everywhere, even on the bottom liners of the waste baskets.  There were some negatives as well that I tried not to let influence my judgment of the course but that is difficult to do.  When I play any course, the surroundings play a very large role as I am looking for an experience that brings as much relaxation and serenity as possible to that round.  There were several items that took away from this experience that unfortunately the resort cannot control.  First, the heat and humidity the day we played was oppressive.  Second, the greens had just been aerated and sanded about a week before we arrived and were slow and bumpy.  I can handle this type of maintenance item but we should have been told before we hit the course and the regular rates should have been discounted.  I guess they thought the summer rate of $210 was enough of a discount.  Third, as you may have seen on television, the landing pattern for the Miami Dade Airport is directly over the course and the planes come in very low every three to five minutes.  That is 50 to 60 planes in the four hours we were on the course and it certainly does not add any serenity to the round.   Finally, this is south Florida and you are dealing with a flat course with no other views except for the very majestic clubhouse.  Okay, with those negatives out of the way, how about the course itself?  Gil Hanse did a very nice job on the 2015 redesign and it is truly a great test of golf.  You can see that it was designed for better players and for tournament golf,  for the average amateur golfer, it is a stiff challenge even from the correct set of tees.  It is known for the many water hazards which are located on 15 of the holes, but the bunkering is perhaps even more of a challenge.  The fairway bunkering on most of the par fours give you little option except to hit driver and to be sure you hit it straight. The two short par fours, numbers 11 and 16, are very interesting, I liked the par fives, and the par threes were quite stout.  Once on the greens, your challenge continues as they contain many interesting contours.  At 6,334 yards from the white tees, it has a slope rating of 139 so you know the difficulty before teeing off.  The most forward tees played 5,463 yards and are definitely too long for most ladies.  I am sure Doral feels that if you think the Blue Monster is too much for you, they have the Red, Gold and Silver courses that you should be playing.  I can agree with this but all golfers want to test themselves on the most famous of the offerings.  All in all, I would have to say it is a great golf course, but with apologies to Donald and to Golf Digest, Trump National Doral Blue Monster is not a Top 100 Public course on my personal list.  There are too many negatives and it is just not a very interesting site.  There are many other more pleasurable courses to play for much less money.  You will have to be your own judge on this one.

Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne is another story altogether.  It may not have the history or pedigree of Doral Blue, but it did host a Senior PGA Tour event from 1987 through 2004 and included in its list of winners are Lee Trevino, Gene Littler, Larry Nelson and Gary Player.  This is a 1972 design by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge and is a municipal course operated by the Miami Dade Parks and Recreation Department.  Although just across the Biscayne Bay from Miami, it seems a world apart.  A much more serene setting than the mainland, this day was a very relaxing experience.  The staff was very friendly and helpful, especially the starter Nick, who placed our twosome out on the course ahead of the two foursomes that were immediately ahead of us.  This allowed for a pleasurable three hour and 15 minute round despite the heat.  The pro shop, locker rooms and restaurant are all very nice, especially for a municipal course that is 45 years old.  The course conditions were very good and the greens were smooth and rolled nicely.  As you move from hole to hole, your interest is peaked as there is wonderful variety in the design of Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne.  Holes 3, 6, and 12 are wonderful par threes that are situated among an abundance of water, number 7 is a very interesting dogleg right that is completely fronted by water and I really enjoyed holes 10 and 11 as well.  The white tees which play at 6,326 yards, have a slope rating of 138, so you can see that this lay out presents a challenge.  However, because of the variety in the hole design, the views of the bay and the Miami skyline and the great abundance of wildlife, this course is a real pleasure to play.  The forward tees, which most ladies will use, play at 5,192 yards and has a slope rating of 133.  Adding some forward tees to bring the yardage down to 4,800 to 4,900 yards would make for a more enjoyable round for most ladies.  Currently Crandon Golf may not have all the ingredients to bring it back into the Top 100 Public courses in the United States, but it is certainly on my list as one of the most enjoyable you can play.    My wife and I are very glad we made the trip to Key Biscayne.