While in south Florida a few days ago on a trip for a corporate client, I had a few “empty” hours in my schedule and decided to pay a visit to the Doral Golf Resort and Spa.
Upon arrival, I was met by the resort Head Golf Professional, Cory Head, and was afforded a complete tour of this incredible facility – a golfer’s paradise complete with five (count ’em, five) PGA Championship courses including the infamous Blue Monster.
For those of you who have never been, especially if you are an avid golfer, go … but before you do, here are some things of interest that Cory shared with me during our tour of the resort.
In 1959, Doris and Alfred Kaskel found 2,400 acres of swampland in an undeveloped area of West Miami. Wishing to create a South Florida retreat for friends and family, the couple combined their names to form the Doral Hotel and Country Club.
At the time, there were others who did not share their vision.
The Miami Herald labeled the purchase as Kaskel’s Folly.
Today, in addition to the Doral Golf Resort & Spa (a Marriott Resort), the land is now home to U.S. Southern Command, five of the top ten Hispanic corporations in the U.S. and several Fortune 500 companies.
The resort opened its doors in 1962, welcoming golfers with a clubhouse and three golf courses: the Blue Monster, the nine-hole Red and the Par-3 course.
That same year, the Kaskels hosted the Doral Country Club Open Invitational, Florida’s first PGA event and the wealthiest tournament to date with a total purse of $50,000.
Included in the field of competitors were legends of golf including Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, at 22 years old – in his rookie year.
The Blue Monster golf course has been an annual stop on the PGA Tour since 1962.
Keeping with the times, the Kaskel family added the Saturnia International Spa Resort in 1987 to further enhance guests’ experience.
The spa became an overnight success, and has since been consistently ranked one of the top spa destinations in the United States.
Today, The Spa at Doral is housed in a $50 million facility providing a wealth of beauty and wellness treatments for guests.
In 1991, the Kaskel family hired Jim McLean as the director of Doral’s golf schools. McLean moved to Doral permanently in 1993 and established the Jim McLean Golf School as one of the world’s top teaching facilities. In 2008, McLean signed a 10-year contract with the resort to retain the flagship location of the acclaimed Jim McLean Golf School at the property. Today, the Jim McLean Golf School is recognized as one of the top golf schools in America.
In 1994, KSL Recreation Corporation purchased the Doral Hotel and Country Club, reopening in May that year as the Doral Golf Resort & Spa.
The property completed a $30 million transformation including a redesign of the golf courses by Raymond Floyd and the addition of the Blue Lagoon aquatic recreation area in1999, which features multiple pools, slides and waterfalls.
In 2000, Doral added another eighteen holes to the property with the creation of the Greg Norman-designed Great White Course. Featuring a desert-scape design, a new style for South Florida, the course features “The Shark’s” trademark crushed coquina shell bunkers and small, target greens.
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