Blue Monster

Few nicknames in American golf carry more weight than the Blue Monster. This is the Championship Course at Doral, a layout that carved out its reputation the hard way — by hosting the Doral-Eastern Open, later the WGC-Cadillac Championship, for decades and humbling virtually every great player of the modern era. Designed by Dick Wilson and opened in 1961, it earned its menacing name from the water that threatens nearly every hole, and from the color of the scorecards players used to walk away from shaking their heads.

The stretch run along the back nine, particularly the par-5 18th with its island-style green hugged by water on three sides, is as pressure-packed a finishing hole as tournament golf has produced. Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson — the winner's list reads like a hall of fame, and the course's demands explain why.

Miami brings its own intensity to the experience: the subtropical heat, the trade winds off the Atlantic, and the lush, manicured conditions that characterize South Florida's finest resort golf.