Trump National Doral is basically a golf factory. You pull up to the valet, and it feels like a massive machine designed to process golfers at peak efficiency. Most people show up with one goal: playing the Blue Monster. It's the famous one. It’s the one with the history. But if you’re actually a decent sticks player or just someone who enjoys a round that doesn’t feel like a four-hour punch in the gut, you need to talk about the Red Tiger golf course.
It’s the dark horse of the property.
I’ve walked these fairways enough to know that while the Blue Monster gets the TV time, the Red Tiger is where the real fun happens for the average low-to-mid handicapper. It was redesigned by Gil Hanse back in 2015. Hanse is a genius. He’s the guy who did the Olympic course in Rio and the renovation at Pinehurst No. 4. When he took over the Red Tiger, he didn't just move some dirt; he completely changed the philosophy of the layout.
The Red Tiger golf course isn't just "the other course." It's a strategic masterpiece that uses small greens and tricky angles to mess with your head instead of just relying on raw length.
Why the Red Tiger golf course feels so different from typical Florida golf
Florida golf is often boring. It’s usually flat, swampy, and lined with houses where retirees watch you shank your drive into their screened-in porch. Red Tiger avoids almost all of that. Because it’s tucked inside the Doral resort complex, you don’t have those tight out-of-bounds stakes on every hole. It feels like an oasis.
The course is named after Jackie Gleason. Yeah, The Honeymooners guy. He was a fixture at Doral back in the day, and they called him "The Great One," but the course eventually took on the Red Tiger moniker to match the predatory theme of the other layouts (Silver Fox, Golden Palm, and the Monster).
What Hanse did here was brilliant. He gave it a "New England" or "Carolinas" feel in the middle of Miami. How? By using style cues that mimic classic course architecture. You’ve got these rectangular tee boxes that look sharp and old-school. You’ve got bunkering that isn't just white sand splashes but actual hazards that dictate how you play the hole.
Honestly, it’s a shot-maker's course. On the Blue Monster, you just hit it as hard as you can and hope you don't hit the water. On the Red Tiger, you're constantly thinking. "Do I take the 3-wood here to stay short of the bunker, or do I try to thread the needle?"
The greens are tiny. Compared to the massive surfaces on the other Doral courses, these feel like postage stamps. If you miss the green, you’re not just in a bunker; you’re facing these tight-lie collection areas where you have to decide between a flop shot or a bump-and-run. Most people fail the test. They get cute, blade it across the green, and end up with a double bogey on a hole that’s only 340 yards long. That’s the beauty of it.
The "Short" Course Myth
Let’s look at the scorecard. From the tips, it’s roughly 6,400 yards.
People see that number and laugh. They think they’re going to tear it apart. They think it's a "patsy" course. They are wrong. Because it’s a Par 72, those 6,400 yards are distributed in a way that makes the Par 4s feel plenty long and the Par 3s feel incredibly dangerous.
Water is everywhere. It’s Miami, after all. On the Red Tiger golf course, water comes into play on 14 holes. Fourteen! But it’s not always a forced carry. It’s usually hugging one side of the fairway, tempting you to flirt with the edge to get a better angle into the green.
The Strategy of the Fifth Hole
Take the 5th hole, for example. It’s a Par 5. It looks gettable. But the way the bunkers are tiered, if you try to go for it in two and you’re slightly off-line, you’re looking at a sandy nightmare. It’s a hole that demands respect. You have to play it like a three-shotter unless you’re a pro-level ball striker.
The course forces you to use every club in your bag. I’ve had rounds there where I hit more 7-irons and 8-irons into greens than I did on the Blue Monster, simply because the layout rewards precision over power. If you can’t control your spin, these small greens will reject your ball like a bad liver.
Comparing the "Big Three" at Doral
People ask me all the time: "If I'm only there for a weekend, which one do I play?"
- The Blue Monster: Go here if you want to say you did it. It’s expensive, it’s hard, and it will probably hurt your feelings. It’s a bucket list item, but is it "fun"? Only if you like losing a dozen balls.
- The Red Tiger: This is for the golf purist. It’s the "thinking man's" course. It’s usually in better shape than the others because it gets slightly less foot traffic than the Monster.
- The Golden Palm: This one is a monster in its own right. Very heavily bunkered, very difficult. It’s a great test, but it lacks the charm that Hanse injected into the Red Tiger.
The Red Tiger golf course feels more intimate. The fairways are closer together, but the landscaping acts as a buffer. You feel like you're in a private park.
One thing most people don't realize is that the Red Tiger is actually the most popular course for the members who live nearby. Why? Because they can play it in three and a half hours. They don't want to spend six hours watching a group of tourists from Ohio try to find their balls in the lake on the 18th of the Blue Monster. The flow of the Red Tiger is just better.
The Gil Hanse Effect: Why Design Matters
Hanse's work at Doral was about restoration and character. Before the 2015 renovation, the Red Tiger was... fine. It was just another resort course. Now, it has "teeth."
He used a lot of "mounding" to create visual interest. When you stand on the tee, you don't always see the bottom of the flag. This creates a bit of doubt. Do I trust the yardage on my GPS, or do I trust my eyes? Usually, the GPS is right, but the visual cues make you want to over-club.
The bunkering is also much more "rugged." It’s not the perfectly manicured, circular bunkers you see on TV. They have rough edges. They look like they’ve been there for a century. This gives the course an identity that stands out in the crowded Miami golf market.
What to expect when you show up
Look, it’s a Trump property. Love him or hate him, the service is usually top-tier. You get the GPS-equipped carts, the chilled towels, and the practice range (which is world-class).
The Red Tiger starts off relatively easy, but the back nine is where the scoring goes to die. The finishing stretch is particularly brutal if the wind starts whipping off the Atlantic—which it always does in the afternoon.
The 14th hole is a great example of the challenge. It’s a Par 4 that requires a very specific landing area. If you’re too long, you’re blocked by trees. If you’re too short, you have a long iron into a green surrounded by water. It’s a "gut check" hole.
A Quick Tip for the Greens
Don't get aggressive. Since the greens are so small, "center of the green" is a fantastic result. On the Red Tiger golf course, if you hunt pins, you will fail. The slopes are subtle but severe. A ball that looks like it’s going to stop three feet from the hole can easily catch a ridge and roll twenty feet away into the fringe.
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Is it worth the green fee?
Prices at Doral fluctuate wildly depending on the season. In the winter (peak season), you might pay $250+ for the Red Tiger. In the summer, when it’s 95 degrees with 100% humidity, you can get out there for under a hundred bucks.
Is it worth it?
If you appreciate architecture and strategy, yes. If you just want to take a picture of the famous Blue Monster leaderboard, then no. You play the Red Tiger because you actually like the game of golf, not just the "status" of the resort.
I’ve seen guys with 2-handicaps shoot 80 on this course because they didn't take it seriously. It demands focus. It’s a "sneaky" hard. It doesn't scream at you with 7,600 yards of length; it whispers at you with tricky lies and undulating greens.
Actionable Steps for Your Round at Red Tiger
If you're heading out to Doral soon, don't just wing it.
- Ditch the Driver on the Short Par 4s: There are several holes where a 220-yard shot is infinitely better than a 280-yard shot. Check the GPS for the "run out" distances on the bunkers.
- Practice Your Lag Putting: Because the greens are small, you won't have many 60-foot putts, but you will have a lot of 20-footers that break two or three ways. Spend twenty minutes on the practice green before you head to the first tee.
- Watch the Wind: The Red Tiger is more exposed than it looks. The "Tiger" name comes from the way the wind can suddenly roar through the corridors of the course. If it's a two-club wind, trust it.
- Play the Correct Tees: Just because you hit it 250 doesn't mean you should play the tips. The Red Tiger is most enjoyable when you're hitting short irons into those tiny greens. Move up one tee box and actually enjoy your day.
- Bring Extra Balls (Obviously): Fourteen holes with water. Don't be a hero.
The Red Tiger golf course isn't a consolation prize. It’s a legitimate, high-tier golf experience that arguably offers more "pure" golf than its more famous brother next door. It’s the course you play twice because the first time, it tricked you. The second time, you’re ready for it.
The next time you’re booking a trip to South Florida, don't just default to the Blue Monster. Give the Tiger its due. You’ll probably walk off the 18th green feeling like you actually played a round of golf, rather than just surviving a battle. Just remember to bring your short game; you're going to need it.
Stay below the hole on the 9th. Trust me on that one. If you’re above the hole, you’re looking at a guaranteed three-putt. That’s just the way the Tiger bites.