Trump National Doral: Blue Monster
Miami, FL • Public
Stephen Szurlej
Overview
The linchpin of the famous four-course complex previously known as Doral Golf Resort, the Blue Monster had hosted a PGA Tour event annually from 1962 to 2016. The fearsome layout was designed by Dick Wilson in 1962 and set the template for the modern south Florida course with lakes galore, deep bunkers and greenpads elevated above the fairways for drainage and aerial target golf. Several questionable renovations in the 1990s and early 2000s moved it away from the original Wilson look, and the design was lost for a period of time. Always intended to be a course presenting shot-making demands for good players, the Blue Monster was given added bite by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner through the creation of new slopes and ridges on several holes and the excavation of new lakes on the par-3 15 and drivable par-4 16 to add more excitement to the finish. But they wisely left the legendary 18th nearly untouched. Why mess with history? The changes were completed shortly before the PGA Tour took the course out of its annual location.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked for 22 years from 1969-'90.
Highest ranking: 77th, 1985-'86.
100 Greatest Public: Ranked, 2003-'04, 2013-'14, 2017-'24.
Highest ranking: 56th, 2003-'04.
Previous ranking: 87th.
2023-'24 ranking: 82nd.
Best in State: Ranked 18th, 2015-'16. Ranked 24th, 2017-'20. Ranked 25th, 2013-'14. Ranked 27th, 2021-'24.
2023-'24 ranking: 27th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Solid Florida golf course. Well-maintained, and can be a real challenge from the back tees."
Read More2025
Review
“The Blue Monster has a number of really exceptional Par 4 and 5 holes where the lakes and bunkers are positioned well for players to take on additional risk near the hazards and get rewarded. The greens are well oriented to receive the shots from the proper spots. A number of the inland holes do feel quite homogenous with tight fairways flanked by bunkers playing to large greens. The par 3's are a relative weak spot with 4 and 9 playing almost identically, and the 13th is a fairly monotonous long par 3. Overall Doral's hazards and large greens create a unique and challenging golf experience"
Read More2025
Review
“A well conditioned course that is more difficult than most public courses."
Read More2024
Review
“Good resort course with smalless greens for this type of course. Water, sand, good condition. Flat course."
Read More2023
Review
“Very good golf course, that is built for a ball striker. Course is always in good shape and plays long."
Read More2023
Review
“The famous Blue Monster Course at Doral was originally designed by Dick Wilson but has undergone numerous changes through the years including a recent renovation by Gil Hanse. The course was a fixture on the PGA Tour for many years and it's not hard to see why as it is long and very difficult. The name recognition, excellent firm, fast conditions, and difficulty are the Blue Monster's strengths, but it does lack in variety with a dead flat terrain, water on nearly every hole, and bunkers everywhere. There's also not much risk/reward nature to the layout, as many of these holes besides perhaps the 11th and 17th require brawn and accuracy without much strategy. There are some very good holes out here like the 18th, a fearsome 473 yard par 4 with water down the left the entire way and difficult carry to the green. At over $400 in peak season, Doral is very expensive but is worth a play as one of Florida's better public courses."
Read More2023
Review
“Challenging course with water to eat bad shots. Rough grown out making it even more difficult from off the fairway. Greens great shape and pure rolling. Similar feel to many of the par 4s with distances and bunkering."
Read More2022
Review
“Expensive for what you get but one of the better public options in the area especially if you can get a package deal. Some fun holes and great conditioning"
Read More2022
Review
“The Blue Monster doesn't carry a lot of surprises -- it is a test of golf with a lot of water hazards to catch poorly struck or thought-out shots. It is fun to play a course that I grew up watching on TV, but it isn't really a great golf course beyond the history."
Read More2021
Review
“Prototypical Trump. The resort feels like a machine cranking people through the turnstile. The course is well designed, but also feels like most other Florida courses (flat, palms, bermuda). The price tag is hefty ($450). If the cost doesn't bother you and you're in the area, you'd probably enjoy the course. If you're looking for a unique experience, this is probably not your place. Feels about as corporate/commercial as you get in golf."
Read More2018
Readers
Collection of reviews from our readers
_Credit Dave Burk.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.406.271.suffix/1668111742331.jpeg)
There are no readers reviews yet. Be the first to write a review.