Course: Cadillac Championship

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TPC Blue Monster at Doral has been a storied venue on the PGA TOUR for many years. Its newly resurfaced greens will provide a great test of golf for the best players in the world.

Address:
4400 NW 87th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178

Hole 1
Par 5 | 529 Yards

Many TOUR players will reach the wide, flat green on this par 5 in two and get off to a hot start. But the trees planted in both roughs will punish an errant tee shot.

Hole 2
Par 4 | 418 Yards

This short par 4 is another good birdie hole. Numerous past champions have taken advantage of the two relatively easy opening holes. Many pros tee off with an iron here as the fairway narrows to 24 yards between the bunkers. The right-fairway bunker has three grass islands, a trademark of the original Dick Wilson design. A new tee box, built in 2010, has added an additional 42 yards.

Hole 3
Par 4 | 438 Yards

Time to get serious. This may be TPC Blue Monster's most difficult driving hole. Longer drives find a wider fairway; so expect to see driver used off the tee. A miss right will find the lake, while a miss left will find deep rough or the tough fairway bunker. Approach shots must also be accurate. The sharp slope to the left of the green will bring extremely difficult recovery shots. This is TPC Blue Monster's only hole with no greenside bunkers.

Hole 4
Par 3 | 236 Yards

Always a pivotal hole in the tournament, this is the hardest par 3 on the golf course, though the 13th hole is 10 yards longer. Two deep bunkers guard the green's left side. Players can bounce a ball onto the green; however, any slight miss to the right will be water-bound.

Hole 5
Par 4 | 394 Yards

The left side of this par 4 is guarded by four small bunkers pitched into the hillside. The tee-shot landing area is quite narrow. The green is protected by five bunkers. Birdie is possible if you drive it long and in the fairway.

Hole 6
Par 4 | 442 Yards

This par 4 has a very wide tee shot landing area at the 225-yard mark while narrowing as players get closer to the green. The second bunker on the left squeezes the fairway, leaving only 33 yards to drive the ball. Always into the wind, this hole plays longer than its 442 yards. Look for back-left-corner pin placements.

Hole 7
Par 4 | 454 Yards

A new tee box, built in 2010, has added an additional 26 yards to this intimidating par 4. Palm trees at the right hand corner of this dogleg left block out drives right or through the fairway that end up behind them. Playing a draw from the tee is best. The position of the fairway bunkers gives average golfers more room to drive the ball. The left-fairway bunker, with its steeper lip, is more intimidating for PGA TOUR players. The green's left side slopes down to the left into a chipping area.

Hole 8
Par 5 | 560 Yards

On this par 5, the lake is very much in play for longer hitters. Numerous palm trees beyond the bunker on the right punish any bailout to that side. Many players go for the green in two, but to do so requires a long, accurate drive usually into the winter wind from the southwest.

Hole 9
Par 3 | 169 Yards

This is TPC Blue Monster's shortest par 3 but almost always plays into the wind or into a crossing left-to-right wind. The green is very quick. Putts from above the pin are especially tricky, being downwind and down grain toward the water. Leaving the ball under the hole is critical, allowing players to putt aggressively and maybe walk away with a birdie.

Hole 10
Par 5 | 551 Yards

This downwind, 551-yard par 5 plays shorter than the yardage. The two fairway bunkers on the right make the drive tighter and bring the water more into play. Longer drives find a narrower fairway. Big hitters will play a 3-, 4- or 5-iron on the approach. Any approach shot pulled left will find the lake. The sloping green is very narrow in back, making a back-left pin the most difficult to reach. Expect to see many birdies and a few eagles on this hole.

Hole 11
Par 4 | 402 Yards

This large bunker in the fairway's center gives players three distinct tee-shot options, a common Dick Wilson strategy. Most players will lay up with a 4- or 5-iron. Players can also drive the ball up to 280 yards down the left side. The better drivers will definitely hit driver here, leaving a short pitch. Look for a pin placement right behind the front bunkers.

Hole 12
Par 5 | 603 Yards

This is one of the PGA TOUR's longest par 5s, so don't expect many players to reach the green in two. Over 400 trees have been planted on the right side of this hole, making any shot from the right rough very intimidating. The enormous fairway bunker on the right stretches from 96 to 166 yards from the green. The parallel bunker on the left squeezes the second-shot landing area. As on the 11th hole, the front part of this green is raised, hiding front-pin locations and leaving players with an uneasy feeling on their approach shots.

Hole 13
Par 3 | 245 Yards

This is TPC Blue Monster's longest par 3. Making 3 here would please every player in the field. Well-defined bunkers guard either side of the green, but players can use the strip of fairway in front to bounce the ball onto the putting surface. The toughest pin placements are back left because the back of the green actually slopes away from the tee.

Hole 14
Par 4 | 460 Yards

Because it is usually downwind, this par 4 plays much shorter than its 460-yard length. Two fairway bunkers guard the right side of the tee-shot landing area. While many players can carry the first bunker on the left from the tee, the second bunker beyond it forces them to find the fairway. Two bunkers sit to the left of the green, while the right side of the green slopes to the right. The green is also dramatically narrow.

Hole 15
Par 3 | 175 Yards

On this par 3, the faces of the bunkers fronting the green and behind it are grassed down. The step-over spot in the fronting bunker is commonly seen in bunkers on courses in Scotland and Ireland. The very shallow green and the wind, usually coming from left to right, make choosing a club difficult. Even some of the world's finest players come up either short or long here. This hole is critical coming down the stretch of the Cadillac Championship.

Hole 16
Par 4 | 372 Yards

This par 4 swings from right to left. The fairway bunkers on the right side are small. The left-fairway bunker includes four islands and is completely grassed down. The wide fairway encourages players to drive the ball off the tee, bringing the bunkers and palm trees into play more often. The bunker complex around the green is a classic Dick Wilson design. The toughest pin placements are on the very narrow right side of the green, which slopes away from the fairway. Shots missed long will bound over this green, leaving an extremely difficult pitch back.

Hole 17
Par 4 | 419 Yards

The most unique thing about this slight dogleg right is the elevated green; it is 51 yards deep, a three- or four-club difference depending on the pin position. Usually playing into the wind or into a left-to-right wind, this par 4 plays considerably longer than 419 yards. Add on at least 15 yards if the pin is in back. A back pin placement also requires a shot over a deep and intimidating bunker guarding the green's left side. Classic-styled bunkers frame the entire putting service.

Hole 18
Par 4 | 467 Yards

In 2004, this infamous par 4 was ranked the most difficult finishing hole on the PGA TOUR. Since it usually plays into the wind or into a left-to-right crosswind, the drive is extremely tough. The fairway narrows to only 25 yards at the end of the lake but widens beyond it, so longer drives have a bigger target. Driving the ball into the right rough leads to a terrifying second shot to a long, narrow green whose entire left side is bordered by water. Smashing a drive down this fairway and then firing at the back-left Sunday pin requires real courage.