The news only gets better for acclaimed golf course designer, Gil Hanse.

Two days after Hanse Design was awarded the contract to design the 2016 Olymic Games host course in Brazil and Hanse was handed the job of redesigning the ‘Blue Monster’ course at Doral and host venue for this week’s WGC – Cadillac Championship in Miami, Florida.

Hanse was on hand when Donald Trump, in the company of his wife Ivanka and son, Erik made the annoucement in the Media Centre at Doral.

Gil Hanse, Donald adn Ivanka Trump at the annoucement Trump has won approval to purchase Doral and 'Hanse Design' will carry out the redesign of the course. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

It was known Trump was intending to purchase Doral and he revealed the transaction was approved in the courts last Friday and will be officially confirmed on 1st June, 2012. 

“We think that Doral has just tremendous opportunity, it’s a tremendous location, 800 acres right smack in the middle of Miami, and we look to make this one of the great places anywhere in the world for golf,” said Trump.

“It needs a lot of work.  It’s a little bit tired and that’s okay, and we are going to do something special.

“We are going to put probably in excess of $200 million into the deal to bring it back to a level that even Doral has never seen.”

Trump then disclosed it was the unanimous decision of both his wife, Ivanka and his son, Eric to appoint Hanse to oversee the redesign work.

The Pennsylvania-based Hanse first burst into international golf course design when he designed the now much acclaimed Craighead course at the Crail Golfing Society in Scotland.  It was Hanse’s first design project in Europe and it helped lead to Hanse winning the honours to design Castle Stuart at Inverness and host this July to the Scottish Open.

And then the news only got better for Hanse when on Tuesday his design company was given the rights to design the golf course that will see golf return to the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janero in Brazil.

Trump explained his reasons why choosing Hanse.

“About a month ago, I was looking; and everybody wanted it, I will tell you, there was no dirt that the wonderful architects, many of whom are friends of mine‑‑ but we, Eric and Ivanka and myself, decided that we wanted to use Gil,” said Trump. 

“We hired Gil Hanse and his firm, and they have already come up with plans that are absolutely amazing; respecting the course and respecting the great tradition of Doral, very much respecting it, and I think that was important to Gil.  I know it was important to Gil.

“So we are really thrilled with what he’s come up with, and I think you’re going to see something that will be as good as there is anywhere in the world.”

It means that Doral will no doubt shut down after next year’s 2013 WGC – Cadillac Championship for Hanse to go to work on the course.

“One of the things that Gil pointed out to me, and it became obvious very quickly is that the Blue Monster is on 320 acres,” added Trump. 

“There’s so much land, and there are no houses.  There are courses and courses; and when you have houses up and down the fairways, you’re never going to have greatness.  There are no houses, and yet you’re in the middle of Miami and it’s the only place that can do something like this.  So you have 320 acres.

“So when Gil was looking at it in terms of moving greens, moving holes, moving tees, there’s so much land, which also makes it a great tournament course.  But we had 320 acres, knowing that you need 170 or 180 to build a great course; we have much more than that.

“When you see his plan, I think you’re going to really be I am prettied.  I think he’s done an amazing job.  He’s been working on it for a couple of months, him and his firm and I think you’re going to be very impressed.”

And with Hanse winning the 2016 Olympic Games host course from the likes of Jack Nickaus, Gary Player, Peter Thomson and Greg Norman, Trump displayed a certain sense of humour in saying of Hanse:  “I want to congratulate, my friend here, I’m glad I chose him first. 

“In fact, without my choosing him he would not have gotten the Olympics.  (Laughter).

“They relied on me, believe me.  I’m only kidding‑‑ meeting a little true.  (Laughing).”

Trump then handed the microphone to Hanse who continues to be on ‘cloud nine’ since Tuesday’s Olympic Games announcement.

“Thank you, Donald.  We are tremendously thrilled about the opportunities here at Doral,” said Hanse.

Donald Trump in usual mode at the WGC - Cadillac Championship. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

“As Donald mentioned, it’s originally a Dick Wilson golf course and I think he’s one of the most underappreciated architects, certainly of his time and maybe in all of golf architecture.

“So what we did is we wanted to look at the plans, really sort of understand, digest what he had tried to accomplish here and how that has changed, how things have deviated from the plan; what was pertinent relevant to today’s game, today’s players, and then take that and sort of incorporate it into our own design thoughts, etc.

“It would not be accurate to call it a restoration.  It’s really not.  It’s a renovation, because we think we are obviously making some significant changes to golf holes, but I think within the spirit of Dick Wilson, we’ll try to recapture some of the stylistic elements.  We’ll try to recapture some of his exciting green shapes, hole locations.

“We’ll try to create a golf course will angles are relevant again and where it’s important to get to a proper side to score as opposed to just hitting it as far as you possibly can.  I think if you talk to a lot of the players, that seems to be the strategy or lack thereof on this golf course now is to try to overpower it.

“If we can do some things that can hopefully enhance the interest and character in the course, that’s really our first and foremost goal.”