The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, FL is being restored. Operating under the City of Coral Gables for several years, the course has suffered from lack of funds and management apathy. The Ross gem, located in old Miami, was far from polished.
About one year ago, the Biltmore Hotel took over the management and operation of the course. Pumping $1.5 million in refurbishing costs into the course has resulted in a swift polishing for the Biltmore Hotel Golf Course, which first opened in 1930.
One of the most significant changes to the course was the removal of St. Augustine grass in the rough. St. Augustine grass is typically used to sod the yards of Florida homes, but it’s unwelcome on a golf course. 10 acres of this grass were replaced with Bermuda, enhancing the playability and esthetics dramatically.
“It looks better to the eye and it’s allowed us to shape the fairways and have a primary cut of rough,” said Head PGA Professional Jason Epstein. “The fairways going back over the years were very wide – 40 or 50 paces – so by putting in the Bermuda grass we can better regulate the course.” Epstein also added that they’ve “…totally overhauled our (maintenance) equipment with all new equipment, which makes a world of difference for the grass.”
The original design, like many of those from Donald Ross, featured over 200 bunkers. Many of those were replaced by grass bunkers in the 1950s to soften the course and speed up play. The course features atypical Ross greens – unusually flat – but flat. The typical “Ross false fronts” exist; so too the “inverted saucer” sides.
The Biltmore Hotel has also added the John Pallot Golf Academy. Pallot, a long-time PGA Professional, is one of the game’s premier short-game instructors. Pallot, in fact, once recorded a round of 18 one-putt greens at the nearby Riviera Country Club. That’s missing a lot of greens, folks!
Epstein hopes to refurbish the greens to their original shapes and sizes and to increase the overall yardage another 200 or 300 yards (the course is currently 6,700 yards). Epstein feels the added length will protect the course from the long hitters in the annual Junior Orange Bowl Championship, one of the nation’s most prestigious junior events.
While today’s young stars tour the course, Epstein fondly remembers the past as well: Babe Ruth played here frequently, as did New York Governor Al Smith and PGA stars Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen. Johnny Weissmuller, prior to his role as Tarzan, was Biltmore’s swimming instructor. Gangster Al Capone called the Biltmore home on occasion. The Al Capone Suite (officially called the Everglades Suite), in fact, remains the hotel’s most requested room.
Built in 1926, the Biltmore has more than lived up to developer George Merrick’s vision for a great southern Florida hotel. Now that the golf course matches the spectacular hotel, it’s an impressive combination.