Norman Softens Up His Course In Florida
Greg Norman must be mellowing.
At 50, he's still intensely competitive and fiercely opinionated, but, if you want to see his compassionate side, tee it up at the first hole of the Great White Course at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami.
Norman, 50, took his design team back to the Great White Course to tame its ornery edges. Call it an act of mercy.
Norman was back Tuesday for the official opening of a gentler, kinder version of his original Florida desert design that opened five years ago. That's not to say this course has turned into a pushover. On the contrary, with small greens and lots of water, it's a stern test -- just not as stern as before.
"We came back here and took a good, long, hard look at it, and we saw we needed to do some work on the bunkers," Norman said. "They were a little too penal. We also recognized the prudence of putting more grass on the golf course."
Outside Doral's famed Blue Monster, the Great White is the resort's highest-profile test. CNL Hotel & Resorts, Doral's owners, invested about $1 million in the refurbishing of the white course. While there's still a desert-style philosophy with crushed coquina framing all the holes, Norman added more grass. He also took the penal depth out of the pot bunkers, making them considerably shallower. The sixth and 15th holes were softened.
Eric von Hofen, Doral's director of grounds, says about 17 acres of new sod were planted. There's more fairway to hit now. The course originally included 220 bunkers; 93 remain.
At 50, he's still intensely competitive and fiercely opinionated, but, if you want to see his compassionate side, tee it up at the first hole of the Great White Course at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami.
Norman, 50, took his design team back to the Great White Course to tame its ornery edges. Call it an act of mercy.
Norman was back Tuesday for the official opening of a gentler, kinder version of his original Florida desert design that opened five years ago. That's not to say this course has turned into a pushover. On the contrary, with small greens and lots of water, it's a stern test -- just not as stern as before.
"We came back here and took a good, long, hard look at it, and we saw we needed to do some work on the bunkers," Norman said. "They were a little too penal. We also recognized the prudence of putting more grass on the golf course."
Outside Doral's famed Blue Monster, the Great White is the resort's highest-profile test. CNL Hotel & Resorts, Doral's owners, invested about $1 million in the refurbishing of the white course. While there's still a desert-style philosophy with crushed coquina framing all the holes, Norman added more grass. He also took the penal depth out of the pot bunkers, making them considerably shallower. The sixth and 15th holes were softened.
Eric von Hofen, Doral's director of grounds, says about 17 acres of new sod were planted. There's more fairway to hit now. The course originally included 220 bunkers; 93 remain.
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