Major makeover for Dorado Beach
The East course at the famous Dorado Beach resort in Puerto Rico is currently undergoing a major makeover.
The course, originally designed in the Fifties by Robert Trent Jones Sr, is being reworked by the firm headed by his elder son. The RTJ2-led project is focused on tee adjustments for length and angle; significant pruning and removal of vegetation to highlight views of the Atlantic and to uncover course features; recapturing original green sizes and configurations, as well as restoring bunkers to their original style; some bunker repositioning; new areas of fairway to make the course more flexible for a wider range of players by allowing bump and run shots; and the revision of surface drainage patterns to allow the course to be played quickly after rainfall. Lake edges will be cleaned and reshaped. The lakes will also be enlarged to allow for more surface water storage. Selective tree pruning will allow more sunlight on turfgrass for healthy growth and better playing conditions.
Jones said: “It’s a treat to have the opportunity to refresh some of my father’s most notable work. I came to Dorado as a teenager when my father was working here and started to realise how exciting golf course architecture is. It was a formative moment at the very beginning of my career. To come back to this glorious location and revisit my father’s work is especially meaningful. We are extremely excited about our work here, as the course will have greater flexibility and playing conditions, and will enhance the natural beauty, just as my father originally envisioned.”
Management company KemperSports, which has run Dorado Beach since 2006, is overseeing construction, which began last September and is expected to last a year.
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