Robert Trent Jones Sr. left one of his most celebrated legacies on Puerto Rico's northern coast, and the East Course at Dorado Beach is widely considered the crown jewel of that work. Designed in the early 1960s as part of the Rockefeller family's vision for a world-class Caribbean resort, the East Course quickly earned a reputation as one of the finest resort courses in the Western Hemisphere. It hosted the World Cup of Golf multiple times, and its stretch of oceanside and lagoon-framed holes remains among the most photographed in the game.
Dorado Beach sits about 30 miles west of San Juan, where the Atlantic trade winds are a constant and consequential presence. Coconut palms, bougainvillea, and mangrove-lined water hazards define the landscape — lush tropical vegetation that makes the course feel both exotic and intimate at the same time.
The East plays as a true championship test: long carries, strategic bunkering, and RTJ's signature risk-reward par 5s demand course management. But the beauty of the setting makes every difficult decision feel like a privilege rather than a punishment.
