Where to play in Puerto Rico

[Jim Franklin]

I am staying at the Wyndham Rio Mar. Anything decent nearby? Are the two courses at the Wyndham worth seeing?

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I played the courses at Dorado Beach when I was there - they were okay - but I'd probably leave the clubs at home on a return trip.

[Jim Franklin]

I played the courses at Dorado Beach when I was there - they were okay - but I'd probably leave the clubs at home on a return trip.

That is depressing. Maybe I will only play a couple of times, but I cannot sit on a beach for more than 10 minutes.

[Michael George]

Jim:

Go home and tell the wife that you are not bringing the clubs to Puerto Rico.  Would be worth the reaction alone!

[Carl Nichols]

Jim:

Not sure how far it is exactly from Rio Mar, but the recently reopened (and renovated) Dorado Beach East course -- about 25 miles west of San Juan -- is quite good (and, according, to Jay Flemma an effort to restore RTJ's original design philosophy).  It was definitely worth they three rounds I played in April . . . but I was staying in a house right there. 

There's a new course even farther west (maybe another 60 miles or so?) called Royal Isabela.  It looks like it's on an incredible site -- cliffs overlooking the Atlantic -- and gets very good reviews.  It's ultimately going to be private, but you can arrange to play if you're willing to get a tour of the property (or at least that was the deal in April).  I didn't make it over there, however, so don't have any insight.

PS:  If you search for Dorado Beach on GCA, there's a thread with a very funny story from Pat Mucci about the good ole days at Dorado Beach.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Kyle,

I always liked the West Course.

You also have to remember that the current East and West courses both took holes from the original 18 hole course and incorporated them into their course.

At one time, Dorado was probably the best course in the Carribean.

How were conditions when you played ?

[K. Krahenbuhl]

The conditioning left a lot to be desired when I was there - maybe it has improved.  If you needed some golf to get away then it would do the trick, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to play.

[Jim Franklin]

Jim:

Go home and tell the wife that you are not bringing the clubs to Puerto Rico.  Would be worth the reaction alone!

Can't do that.

[Jim Franklin]

Anyone ever play Trump International Championship course? Is that where the Puerto Rico Open is played?

[Carl Nichols]

The conditioning left a lot to be desired when I was there - maybe it has improved.  If you needed some golf to get away then it would do the trick, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to play.

Kyle:

When were you there?  Had the East course reopened? 

When we were there in early April, my brother-in-law played the courses close to the clubhouse -- Pineapple and Sugarcane I think were the names -- and said they were water-logged slogs. . . . and hot, because they aren't close to the water. In contrast, the East course was in great shape. 

[K. Krahenbuhl]

The conditioning left a lot to be desired when I was there - maybe it has improved.  If you needed some golf to get away then it would do the trick, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to play.

Kyle:

When were you there?  Had the East course reopened? 

When we were there in early April, my brother-in-law played the courses close to the clubhouse -- Pineapple and Sugarcane I think were the names -- and said they were water-logged slogs. . . . and hot, because they aren't close to the water. In contrast, the East course was in great shape. 

It was before they shut it down.

[Jay Flemma]

Dorado east was fun - not a huge GCA.com kind of course, but a nice tribute to Trent, Sr.  I hear that Bobby may redo the West course and that it will be phenomenal when it's done.  Emphasis on maybe, but it's possible...

[Carl Nichols]

Dorado east was fun - not a huge GCA.com kind of course, but a nice tribute to Trent, Sr. 

I agree with this, though other than Royal Isabela (which I haven't played), isn't Dorado Beach probably the best course on the island?

[BHoover]

If you have an opportunity to play Royal Isabela, it's a no-brainer.  The views from the cliffs alone are worth the trip.  When I played there in February, the wind was howling, the fairways and greens were firm and fast, and we had a blast.  The course was pretty difficult, but it was fun.  Along we played from the tips at almost 7500 yards, the layout is such that most of the longer holes play downwind and/or downhill.  It's not a walking course, which is the only drawback IMO.

I have a bunch of pictures on my iPhone, but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to upload them.

[Carl Nichols]

If you have an opportunity to play Royal Isabela, it's a no-brainer.  The views from the cliffs alone are worth the trip.  When I played there in February, the wind was howling, the fairways and greens were firm and fast, and we had a blast.  The course was pretty difficult, but it was fun.  Along we played from the tips at almost 7500 yards, the layout is such that most of the longer holes play downwind and/or downhill.  It's not a walking course, which is the only drawback IMO.

I have a bunch of pictures on my iPhone, but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to upload them.

Really wish we had made it to Royal Isabela -- just couldn't make it work with our schedule.

Also FWIW, Dorado Beach East is very walkable . . . except for the fact that the 1st tee is about 2 miles from the current clubhouse, and it wasn't completely apparent where you would leave the cart when you drive from the clubhouse to the first tee.  But once you're at the first tee, it's an extremely walkable course.

[John Gosselin]

My wife and I iwere down in March and we played 5 different courses. Bahia Beach was by far the best we played in terms of solid golf. Course had good variety and played firmer than the average resort course.