Dominican Republic Takes the Lead as Designer Golf Course Paradise

Ask the avid golfer what makes the Dominican Republic (DR), with its 21 courses, the premier destination for the sport and they will likely say it´s the designers. No other Caribbean country features the caliber of internationally recognized golf course architects.

And the list is growing. By the end of 2006, DR´s golf trail will include: Pete Dye, P.B. Dye, Nick Faldo, Jim Fazio, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Nick Price and Robert Trent Jones.

The DR´s designer golf legacy began with the construction of two Dye courses –La Cana at Punta Cana Resort & Club (PCRC) by P.B. Dye on the east coast and Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo by Pete Dye in La Romana. While these two courses and creators share similar roots, the concepts are quite different. PCRC Golf Director Olivier Brizon describes La Cana as “a course with very good play rhythm.”

Golf courses have been popping up on each of the DR´s coasts over the past three decades including Guavaberry by Gary Player in southern Juan Dolio, Dye Fore by Pete Dye (the latest course at Casa de Campo) in La Romana, and Playa Grande and Playa Dorada both by Robert Trent Jones in the north.

This year is expected to be the most exciting year yet for the DR´s designer golf course scene. Set along the white sand beaches of the Punta Cana/Bavaro coast is Punta Blanca by Nick Price, located near the new Majestic Colonial Beach Resort.