A Weekend With The Blue Monster
Once a year, myself and 19 others head out on our annual golf trip. The trip began 12 years ago in Lindale, TX, with rounds at Twin Lakes (RIP) and Garden Valley. The original version was 10 people, most of which went to high school together. Since the first year, the trip has grown and evolved to bigger and better destinations, including Redstone (now Golf Club of Houston), Barton Creek, TPC Scottsdale, Pinehurst, and just last weekend, Trump Doral in Miami.
Having never been to Doral, or Miami for that matter, I was excited to see what the property was like. Many make jokes about Trump’s use of the word “luxurious” when referring to his properties, so I was interested to see if this resort lived up to the hype.
As the cab pulled out of the airport, the resort showed to be only about 20 minutes away. Proximity to the airport is always nice when you plan to play on both Thursday after you arrive and Sunday morning before you depart. A few twists and turns later, down a busy thoroughfare, a line of large palm trees emerged. The trees being used almost as perimeter walls. An entrance in the distance with the unmistakable cursive writing “Trump National Doral”.
I was a little surprised to see how busy the area around the resort was. It wasn’t isolated at all. Right in the middle of plenty of hubbub. As the cab worked its way up to the main lobby, you could tell there was a premium on keeping the property tidy and beautifully landscaped. Flowers and palms lined both sides of the driveway, with the large pool area basically in the middle of everything.
The lobby was nice, but I wouldn’t call it overly opulent or gaudy. Marble floors, lots of nice art, and plenty of photos of old school golfers lining the walls basically everywhere you looked. From Gary Player, to Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. You knew you were in a place that was very golf-centric. All 20 of us were set up in the Bobby Jones Villa, although they had others named after famous golfers, each lined with photos of the player it is named after. The rooms were nice, but nothing special. Comfy beds, a bathroom, a TV which, in our room, wasn’t turned on a single time in four days. Pretty basic, but we were really just sleeping and showering in the room anyway. Most of our time would be spent on the course.
Thursday after arrival, we were set up to play the Red Tiger Course. This was a challenging track, with water EVERYWHERE (it quickly became apparent that would be the case all weekend). No. 5 was about as awkward and intimidating a hole as I have ever played. It reminded me of something from the bar classic Golden Tee. A hard-hooking dogleg left par-5 with a lake to carry. A good tee shot leaves a mid-iron in to an almost impossible green surrounded by water and guarded by bunkers. Yikes. One suggestion I will make, if you play the Red Tiger course, play it a couple tee boxes in. The 6-6-6 layout (6 par 3’s, 6 par 4’s and 6 par 5’s) made this one a bear. Although the par 3’s don’t read that long on the scorecard, with the breeze, all but a couple were playing at least two hundred yards. Not for the faint of heart. Several thumb-print greens make this one a tough putting track, but overall, it was a fun course.
Friday was Blue Monster Day. You’ve all heard of this course over the years and just how hard it can be. Luckily, as a group we decided to make this one a little easier on everyone and play from two tee boxes in. This turned out to be a wise decision. The course is tough, but overall, easier than I had anticipated. Again, there is an extraordinary amount of water, but overall, I didn’t feel this track was worlds harder than the others we played, although, for my money, no. 9 might have been the hardest hole we played all weekend. Remember, we were playing TWO tees in, and this one played into a hurting off the left wind to a peninsula green with water all along the right. I had to stomp a 3-hybrid to get there. It just caught the right side of the green and I managed to make a downhill two-foot-of-break slider to get out of there with a two-putt par. No. 10 is a long par five where you need to carry water off the tee and then thread a layup shot with a long iron. Driver-4-iron-sand-wedge resulted in the first of back-to-back birdies I carded on the Monster.
Of course, you’ve always heard what a nightmare number 18 is. For a long time, it played as the hardest hole on the PGA tour. Playing it from two tees in made this beast much more manageable. Although getting scared to death of the water and mailing one in the right palm trees rapidly negates playing it from a couple tees forward. A good drive would leave you somewhere around a six, seven-iron. Not terrible. I can assure you, not many short of a tour pro would want any part of this course from the tips. We had several in our group shoot over a hundred playing it from about 6,700 yards. It plays 7,590 from the tips. No thanks.
Of the four courses we played, I would have to put the Saturday course, Silver Fox, at the bottom. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but it was almost as if architects tried to squeeze a course in the middle of a neighborhood. To begin with, the first tee is a good ten minutes by golf cart from the main clubhouse area. Not a big deal, but kind of a beating weaving your way through the property and trying to slow/stop to let other players on the different courses hit their shots. The Silver was tight, with water right on multiple holes. Not great if you predominantly play a cut that can occasionally balloon into a slice. There was also an island green (no. 7), which was a nice addition. Although I would venture to guess our group of 20 probably lost about 2 dozen balls there.
The Sunday round at Golden Palm was a bit of a wild card. I didn’t think the course was overly difficult from a setup standpoint, although I would have to say hole no. 8 was my least favorite design of the weekend. Water right, a pair of bunkers guarding a narrow landing zone. There was almost nowhere to hit the tee shot. Not a pleasant experience, especially on a day where the wind was howling to 35 MPH. More undulating greens, and yes, more water everywhere. It was a really tough test in the wind. One member of our group carries a 1.5 GHIN out at Maridoe, and only managed an 84. The course was playing that tough. So, it was a bit hard to gauge just how difficult it would’ve played in calmer conditions.
In addition to the golf, most of the group made their way to South Beach Friday afternoon. Several of us tried some authentic Cuban food and sucked down some mojitos. We walked past the Versace mansion, which has since been converted into a hotel. As a group we posted up at the News Café, which many will tell you is where Versace used to read the morning paper and have his coffee.
I’ll say this, South Beach was nothing like I expected it to be. It was like a Bourbon Street meets Cancun. Every place you walked by, there was someone trying to coax you in with promises of “happy hour until 7” or “two for one drinks until 8”.
Clearly the establishments are jockeying for any business they can in a hyper competitive area known for partying. Twice, we saw gentlemen walking around with a parrot on each shoulder, and at one point were treated to a magic show by one of the local derelicts. It was entertaining and all, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much cash he was taking off tourists from day to day. South Beach was a bucket list thirst quenched, but I doubt I would make it a point to go back.
Saturday’s post golf activity was a cabana at the pool. We were well taken care of by the staff, although the pool scene wasn’t necessarily hopping. We all caught some rays, had our fair share of drinks, a few of us went down the kiddies water slide, and then we prepped up for dinner at the BLT Steak located on property.
Given the amount of quality restaurants in the Miami area, it was crazy how few of them were willing to cater to a large group. The initial idea was Joe’s Stone Crab, but they won’t take reservations, and wouldn’t make any exceptions, even for a group of 20. Most places were similar. The BLT Steak would let us book a private room, but with some restrictions. Basically, the menu was pre-set. A sampler if you will. Which, don’t get me wrong, was very solid, but if I’m shelling out a couple hundred dollars for a meal, I would like to be able to pick what I’m eating. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but I still feel like the best meal I had all weekend was the authentic Cuban fare at Havana 1957 on Ocean Drive.
Overall, I rate this trip with some of our best. It was certainly unique in many aspects. In the end, the golf, the food, or the pool aren’t the real reason we do this every year. It’s for the chance to see old friends and make up for lost time. As we get older, it’s harder and harder to keep up with everyone. Careers, kids, other obligations slowly drift friends apart. Not by choice, but by necessity. It’s fun to see everyone and cut loose, even if it’s just for a few days. As the years pass, the golf and the accommodations are becoming less and less of a priority. The comradery and the opportunity to stoke the flames of a diminishing competitive fire become more and more paramount.
In the end, it was four days, 20 guys, four courses, a group low score of 74, and a group high score of 116, some good shots, and plenty of awful ones.
If you play golf, I recommend a buddies trip for anyone. If you don’t play, hell, take a cruise with some of your old friends, or meet for a weekend in Vegas, or just stay local and meet for dinner. As we continue to get older, what you’re doing and where you’re doing it becomes secondary. The laughs and the stories that result are what you’ll remember.
