East Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club in Puerto Rico is looking better than ever

DORADO, Puerto Rico -- A restoration by Robert Trent Jones Jr. over the past 18 months has breathed life back into Dorado Beach Resort & Club's East Course, the star of the resort's four original courses designed by Jones' father, RTJ Sr.

Dorado's East Course has a storied past. It opened in 1958 and expanded to 18 holes in 1966. Chi Chi Rodriguez worked here in the early 1960s before his World Golf Hall of Fame career. He beat Doug Saunders in a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf event held at the course in 1964. It has also hosted the 1963 Canada Cup and eight Senior/Champions Tour events.

The renovation added length to the 7,192-yard course, repositioned bunkers and restored RTJ Sr.'s signature runway tees, and put new grass -- ultra-dwarf Champion Bermuda -- on the greens. Most important, the clearing of trees and undergrowth has made the course more playable with wider fairways, and it added a scenic element that was missing: The ocean is now visible from 15 holes.

A $12-million Watermill water park, a new fitness and wellness center and the plush Plantation Resort Residences are complete, but the highly anticipated opening of the Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, will take the destination to new heights. The 115-room hotel, five-acre spa, beach club, and more residences and villas are scheduled to open in December 2012.

Dorado Beach Resort - East golf course - hole 4

The par-5 fourth hole on the East Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club is named the "Z" hole because its reverse Z-shaped fairway zigzags around two water hazards.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort - East golf course - hole 9

The ninth green on the East Course at the Dorado Beach Resort & Club rests near the ocean.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort - East golf course - hole 14

On the East Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club, the par-5 14th falls downhill, then climbs to an elevated green.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort - East golf course - hole 6

The par-4 sixth climbs to an elevated green on the East Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort - East golf course - hole 3

Bunkers litter the par-4 third hole on the East Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort & Club - West beach

Rocks break the pounding surf to create a beautiful, swimmable West beach at Dorado Beach Resort & Club.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort - Plantation Resort Residence

A Plantation Resort Residence, which is available for rent at Dorado Beach Resort & Club, shimmers in the setting sun.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort - Sugarcane golf course - hole 10

A golfer plays the 10th hole on the Sugarcane Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club, while a young playing partner watches nearby.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Dorado Beach Resort & Club - Water Mill

Dorado Beach Resort & Club's Watermill, made to look like an old Puerto Rican sugar mill, is a popular spot for weddings and parties.

Courtesy of Dorado Beach Resort & Club

Dorado Beach Resort & Club - pool

The Watermill water park at Dorado Beach Resort & Club is filled with fun for children with a lazy river and more.

Courtesy of Dorado Beach Resort & Club

Dorado Beach Resort & Club - fitness center

The Dorado Beach Fitness and Wellness Center at Dorado Beach Resort & Club is another new amenity for members and guests.

Courtesy of Dorado Beach Resort & Club

Dorado Beach Resort - West golf course - hole 7

The green of the par-3 seventh on the West Course at Dorado Beach Resort & Club sits near the ocean. There are plans to move it even closer.

Courtesy of Dorado Beach Resort & Club