THE BLUE MONSTER RE-OPENS

By Torleif Sorenson on 2/6/14

The famous Blue Monster at Trump National Doral officially re-opened today, following a major reconstruction and redesign by architect Gil Hanse. Naturally, both Donald Trump and the tournament organizers have been trumpeting the re-opening on Twitter, but Golf Magazine's Joe Passov also offered his opinion:

If you're a fan of gorgeously sculpted bunkers, @TrumpDoral (Blue Monster) hits it out of the park http://t.co/zAbZ2SE4i3

— Travelin' Joe Passov (@joepassov) February 5, 2014

All finished here @TrumpDoral for today and the #BlueMonster looks amazing! Views of Hole 18 from our grand stands! pic.twitter.com/XVREeBQ7p0

— WGC-Cadillac Champ (@CadillacChamp) February 5, 2014

.@realDonaldTrump hitting the ceremonial first shot at the new @TrumpDoral #bluemonster course pic.twitter.com/5DGYYpBmKx

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 6, 2014

Mr. Trump's trademark pride and joy over the redesign was manifest in his arrival at the course via helicopter. But away from the glitz and glamour of the re-opening ceremonies, he offered these comments to Darren Heitner of Forbes Magazine:

"As there is in every industry, there is always room for improvement, but on the whole, I think the golf industry has done its best to fend off the economic struggles our country faces, thanks in part to developers like us who have the capital and the resources to put forth new properties and exciting opportunities for the consumers. And thanks in part to great players on the PGA Tour, who are exciting for viewers to watch.

"One of the major changes we implemented on the Blue Monster was raising various aspects of the course to make it a better experience for the fans watching. Before our re-design, there would be 25,000 people following Tiger Woods up the fairways, hoping to see him sink a putt — and they couldn't see a thing because the course was so flat. Improving the fan experience was just as much of a priority for us as anything we did, and I think the more course owners and Tour executives put fans first, there will be a surge in ticket sales, merchandise sales, sponsorship dollars, etc.

"We are so proud of our influence in the golf industry and hope to continue to make a positive impact in this space as we experience more growth and success. Golf can be a great business if you have great courses in great locations."

The course will be on display during the WGC-Cadillac Championship March 6-9. The tournament will be televised by Golf Channel and NBC Sports.

As for this writer, I would love to have the chance to play there, mainly because of the course's reputation, but also because it was architect Gil Hanse who did the redesign.


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Images via Twitter