Notes on Dorado Beach Hotel Golf and Tennis Club -- Feb. 9, 1991

Course Name: Dorado Beach
Location : San Juan, Puerto Rico
Length/Par : 7,014 yards / 36-36-72
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Built in: 1958
JNUG Adaptation : Bill Permenter
Difficulty : Moderate


Inspiration : I fell in love with the layout while reading
about it in the "New World Atlas of Golf."
I had reproduced it before on my Macintosh
with another golf program.


Comments about the course:

This was a very difficult course for me to reproduce. The problem was the
lack of good looking tropical palms and other plants for JNUG (the palm
tree that comes with the program is rather ugly, to say the least).
After about six weeks of work and only six holes finished I almost
discontinued the project. I attempted on two occasions to draw my own
palm trees. These attempts met with disaster. However, I was, I think,
successful in editing one of Jay Johnson trees into that big gangling
looking tree with the hole in it. It serves its function well, I think.

I then downloaded Scott Chesney's new Hawaiian course. In this great
course he has again drawn beautiful foliage, two of which are excellent
looking palm trees. I thought that my troubles were over, and I
immediately started to replace the JNUG palms with Scott's. But still
something did not look right, and I then went back to the original JNUG
palm, and alas, for some strange, unknown reason I had grown fond of
the original JNUG palm. I then pressed on, and after three months I
have developed one of my favorite layouts.

Overall I'm very pleased with the course, and here is a short summary:

1) Easy hole to start with. Left fairway bunker can give you trouble,
but you should birdie the hole.

2) Nice par five that your can reach in two -- if you keep out of the
fairway bunker. Watch that big palm on the right on your second shot.

3) Easy par 3.

4) Nice looking drive -- hole plays fairly easy.

5) A rather boring par 5. Watch the fairway bunkers close to green.

6) Drive off the tee is very similar to the previous hole. I should
have done something about that. Fairway bunkers do not exist in real
life, but I felt that they were needed as framing bunkers.

7) To me, an interesting hole with all the palms around the green.
Not bad.

8) Long par 3 over water with a big green. Not much excites me here.

9) This is where the golf course starts as far as I'm concerned. This
is a fabulous driving hole, and a great second shot.

10) In my opinion, the back nine at Dorado Beach is one of the best in
the world. It begins here with a great par five along the beach.

11) Maybe the toughest hole on the course, but I like 14 better.

12) The only breather on the back nine.

13) One of the great par fives in the world. You are not as close to
the palm on the left as it seems. I have driven over the water, and
have reach the green on my second shot with as little as a seven iron!

14) Has become my favorite hole on the course -- I just like the way
it looks!

15) The beginning of four great finishing par 4s. The second shot
here is one of the best on the course.

16) An all around strong hole.

17) Maybe the hardest drive on the course.

18) A great finish to a brilliant back nine. I like the foliage around
the green, and also the green itself.


Conclusion:

Again, I would like to say that I'm very pleased with this course, and
I'm sure that it will be a favorite of mine for a long time. I hope
that you will find pleasure in playing it too. Also, I would once
again like to thank both Jay Johnson and Scott Chesney for their
brilliant art work -- their objects are the best around!


Erratum:

Because of a problem uploading (file too big) I had to send my "Deane
Hill" to Jay Johnson for uploading. In the course description he says
that it is a "public links course," this is not true. It is a Country
Club. It was my fault for not telling Jay and I apologize for the error.


May you always bust par,

Bill Permenter
4210 Pineville Lane
Spring, Texas 77388
(713) 353-6227

Next: Treasure Clay -- a "Nicklaus-Permenter" fantasy design.