Doral Golf Resort & Spa, a Marriott Resort, is gearing up to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2012. We have achieved many milestones throughout our history and here are some highlights:
From Kaskel’s Folly to Marriott’s Portfolio
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, many others did not share Kaskel’s 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 many legends of golf including Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus at 22 years old in his rookie year on the Tour.
The tournament has had a series of sponsors over the years withstanding the tests of time and change from the Eastern Airline (which re-routed planes to fly over the event), Ryder Systems, Genuity, Ford and now CA. 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.
In 2004, Doral Golf Resort & Spa joined CNL Hospitality and became a part of the Marriott portfolio of sixty prestigious worldwide resorts.
Celebrating Legendary Moments Then & Now
Throughout nearly five decades, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, a Marriott Resort, has hosted scores of famous guests including Tiger Woods, Jackie Gleason, Joe Namath, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Greg Norman to name a few. In 1968, the resort headquartered the Republican National Convention’s Florida delegation for Richard Nixon, himself a frequent visitor to Miami.
In tribute to these legends of the past, the Marriott unveiled the Legends Ballroom in 2007; the $25 million, 60,000-square-foot facility which can accommodate up to 2,000 guests. Consistently raising the bar of excellence to further enhance the guest experience, the resort has invested over $100 million throughout X years.
Laying the groundwork for the property’s golden jubilee in 2012, Doral is currently putting the finishing touches on a $16 million top-to-bottom transformation including:
- New golf course, The Jim McLean Signature Course, added to championship fairways roster
- $5 million renovation of The Spa at Doral
- Bossa Nova lobby bar, Latin-inspired steakhouse, featuring a new executive chef
- Partnership with the PGA Tour’s TPC to rename the Blue Monster: TPC Blue Monster at Doral
- Enhancement of The Great White and Gold golf courses with TifEagle greens
“We are constantly looking for ways to provide amenities and services that will appeal to our current and future guests,” said Mark Jeffrey, general manager. “We have an illustrious history to live up to and want to make each year at Doral surpass travelers’ expectations.”
Come and create your own Doral experience while becoming a part of our history!!
