On December 5, 1492, Christopher Columbus set foot in the new world he’d left Spain to find when he stepped ashore on a tropical island he’d later name La Española—now called Hispaniola. Today, the Dominican Republic is the most popular tourism destination in the Caribbean, with golf travelers especially eager to experience its charms.
The D.R., which occupies the easternmost five-eighths of the island, is home to the strongest set of golf courses in the Caribbean—highlighted by the three stellar courses at the lavish Casa de Campo resort, the acclaimed Playa Grande course on the island’s north shore, and the three other standouts in the Punta Cana area. We’ll start our tour there.
STAY: Puntacana Resort—Punta Cana
Getting to Punta Cana from the U.S. is easy. Several major airlines offer direct flights from a host of cities, including New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Miami, St. Louis, and Detroit. Wherever you arrive from, you’ll be welcomed to a modern vacation destination teeming with activity. The area’s beaches are the biggest draw, but the guests at its many resorts also enjoy eco-adventures, shopping, exploring the local dining scene, and stepping out at lively nightspots like Nexus and Coco Bongo. Golfers will want to stay at the Puntacana Resort, which will provide access to its two excellent golf courses. This sprawling resort offers your choice of three hotels—or you can opt to rent a villa. I recommend staying at the Westin, an intimate property which sits just steps from the powder-soft Playa Blanca Beach and offers everything a sun-seeker could want. Equally importantly, it puts you just a short shuttle ride from both of the resort’s golf courses, La Cana and Corales, each of which take you right to the edge of the Caribbean and are equal parts scenic and challenging, especially when the trade winds kick up.
PLAY: La Cana Golf Club, Puntacana Resort—Punta Cana
The La Cana course at Puntacana Resort is a P.B. Dye design comprised of three nines—Tortuga, Arrecife, and Hacienda—and any combination of these nines will be enjoyable. Fourteen of those holes present dramatic water views, with four running along the beach. Tortuga and Arrecife take you closest to the water, but the Hacienda nine (the newest of the three) offers equally compelling golf. For a warmup round off the plane, or a bonus second round as the sun sets, La Cana is perfect. You’ll encounter lakes, waste areas, white-sand bunkers, and greens (many elevated) that call for precise approach shots. Standout holes on the Tortuga course include the 154-yard par-three 5th, whose green sits just a few steps from a rocky stretch of shoreline; and the dogleg-left, 326-yard par-four 7th hole, which runs toward the water before jogging left toward a tiny, two-tiered green. On the Arrecife course, memorable holes include the 394-yard par-four 8th, which runs right along the beach to a green guarded tight on the left by the bright blue sea; and the 574-yard par-five 9th, reminiscent of the finishing hole at Pebble Beach, where you end your round needing to carry a drive over an extensive waste area and avoid no less than 13 bunkers en route to the oceanfront green.
PLAY: Corales Golf Course, Puntacana Resort—Punta Cana
The resort’s Corales course is a clifftop Tom Fazio design that features even more length, captivating sea views, and drama than its La Cana sibling. Site of the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Championship (won in 2024 by Billy Horschel), it stretches to more than 7,600 yards. Seven of its 18 holes averaged over par when the pros came to play in 2024, but amateurs not teeing off from the tips will find the course to be challenging but fair. The fairways are generally wide, and there’s a good amount of elevation change for an island course. After a series of solid opening holes, you reach the sea at the green of the par-five 7th hole. At the 8th, both your tee shot and your approach shot must carry coral-lined inlets as the frothing Caribbean does its best to distract you. The same is true at the do-or-die 9th hole, a par three that can stretch to 200 yards and is guarded by water both short and left. Corales’s back nine culminates with even more drama. The 214-yard 17th, toughest in the 2024 championship, plays uphill right along a cliff’s edge to a boomerang green well-guarded by sand. You finish with a reverse Cape hole that bends to the right around a deep cove. Deciding how much of the dogleg to cut off with your tee shot is just one of this hole’s challenges, as its multi-contoured green makes players pay attention right up to the last putt.
STAY: Westin Puntacana Resort & Club—Punta Cana
After golf, the Westin’s a great place to unwind, relax, and recharge. From the moment you arrive back at the open-air lobby, you’ll feel all the stresses of modern life drift away on the warm, Caribbean breeze. Many of the resort’s 200 modern rooms offer ocean views, and all overlook the extensive pool complex, which is just a few steps from the beach and Arena Beach Club—which is the perfect place to enjoy an ocean-view lunch or dinner. Other dining options at the Westin include the Brassa Grill, a chic, contemporary steakhouse offering Candela charcoal-grilled steak and seafood specialties (plus amazing craft cocktails), and their pan-Asian restaurant, Bao, where the long list of shareable options include expertly prepared Nigiri, Sashimi, and Maki sushi choices, mouthwatering rice and noodle dishes, dumplings, salads, and Bao specialties like braised short ribs and roasted pork belly. It’s the kind of resort hotel where you’ll truly want for nothing.
PLAY: Punta Espada Golf Course—Punta Cana
A leisurely 30 minutes south of the Westin in tony Cap Cana lies Punta Espada Golf Club, a must-play Jack Nicklaus design where more than half of the broad-shouldered holes are within sight of the sea. Nine of those play right along the sea itself. After an opening par four that borders a waste area and towering wall of coral, the 600-plus-yard par-five 2nd hole takes you along a tidal inlet to the sea, with an infinity green that seems to be floating in water. Continuing, you’ll play shots over water, through canyons of coral, and betwixt and between palm trees, bunkers, and yawning waste areas to reach greens both large and small. At No. 10, your second shot on that tricky par four will need to find an island green surrounded by a wide sandy waste area. Almost every hole at Punta Espada could be considered a signature hole, but the uphill par-three 13th (stroke index 2!) is one that gets a lot of acclaim. Anything hit left will end up swimming in the Caribbean. Punta Espada’s finishing holes are especially strong: the long par-three 16th that plays toward the beach (and often into onshore winds); the gorgeous, dogleg-right par-four 17th, where you tee off across a bay hoping to find the fairway beyond; and the par-four 18th that plays right along the shoreline to a small green that’s just steps from the elegant clubhouse and 19th hole restaurant and bar. They’re all good tests and will make you earn your post-round beverage.
STAY: Casa de Campo Resort & Villas—La Romana
When you’re done having fun in Punta Cana, it’s less than an hour’s drive on a smooth, modern highway to the sprawling Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana. (You can also fly into La Romana, but fewer airlines go there from the U.S., and flights tend to be more expensive than the ones into Punta Cana.) In truth, labeling Casa de Campo a “resort “does it something of a disservice. It’s more like a world unto itself. Set on over 7,000 acres, with 63 holes of golf, a dozen restaurants, a beach club, marina, and much more, it’s a full-fledged playground for guests of any age. Upon check-in, you’ll get the key to your own golf cart, and from there, the world of Casa de Campo is yours to explore.
One of the newer additions to that world as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024 is the Premier Club, whose suite accommodations take Casa de Campo’s already high standard of luxury to a whole new level. These large, beautifully designed suites are the perfect place to bivouac during your stay, and include dedicated reception with exclusive bar and lounge areas where you can enjoy premium beverages and a unique selection of complimentary canapés and appetizers prepared by the resort’s executive chef. They’re luxurious and uber-comfortable—but not pretentious. Your other accommodations options include an Elite room or suite, one of the resort’s private casitas, or an even larger private villa. Whatever you choose, Casa de Campo’s accommodations and overall service standards are uniformly excellent.
The Premier Club suites are just a short stroll from another of the resort’s recently upgraded facilities: its new spa. Featuring more than 2,000 square meters of meticulously crafted indoor and outdoor facilities, The Spa at Casa de Campo is relaxation personified. The innovative hydrothermal circuit—encompassing a sauna, steam bath, vitality pool, cold water pool, thermal loungers, Kneipp Walk, and an outdoor pool—invites you to indulge in a full-on holistic wellness experience. The twelve luxuriously appointed treatment rooms offer a fusion of time-honored, hands-on therapies and results-driven treatments all backed by state-of-the-art technology. And it’s contained in an architecturally beautiful building that’s as welcoming as the smiling professionals who work there.
PLAY: Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas—La Romana
Casa de Campo’s newest additions are conveniently located within steps of the first tee of the resort’s most famous attraction, the Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog course. This course has long been rated as the No. 1 course in the Caribbean—and its scenic location is a chief reason why. Known as the “Heaven 7,” seven of its holes run right along the coral-ringed seashore. But everywhere, Dye’s genius for creating challenging—and downright fun—opportunities to succeed or fail are in evidence. After a pair of inland par fours to start your round, Teeth of the Dog starts getting interesting at the par-five 3rd hole, where your uphill approach shot to the shallow but wide green calls for both good judgment and precision. At the dogleg-right, par-four 4th, the course turns toward the water and culminates at a green where the Caribbean is now fully in sight. At a max of 168 yards, the par-three 5th brings that water into play and anything short or left will be swimming with the fishes. The 6th continues along the shoreline, and at 454 yards, it’s a tough two-shotter to a deep green sited right at the ocean’s edge. The 7th hole is another all-carry par three, this one stretching to 231 yards from the tips. It’s followed by yet another oceanfront hole, a 400-yard par four whose green is again just a few paces from the surf. You conclude the front nine with a par five that jogs back inland and presents a good birdie opportunity.
Teeth of the Dog’s back nine begins with a gentle par four, followed by a straightforward par five, then a longer par four. Hole 13 ups the ante—a 200-yard par three that plays into the prevailing wind to an elevated green surrounded by an island of sand, it’s the kind of hole that separates the players from the tourists. At hole 15, you return to the sea with a short par four, as the water is in play both on your tee shot and your approach shot to a shallow green with a steep run-off behind. The water remains a factor on the 16th hole, a 187-yard par three with ocean all along the right-hand side and a green that’s as wavy as the water itself. Hole 17, a 400-yard par four, continues along the shoreline—slicers, beware! Finally, though the final hole turns back inland toward the clubhouse, it offers plenty of opportunity for drama, particularly on your second shot to the elevated green, which is tucked above a lagoon. It’s a strong ending to a course that, once played, will never be forgotten. Teeth of the Dog will be closed from Nov. 20, 2024 to Dec. 1, 2025 while it undergoes its first full upgrade since it opened in 1971. The entire site will be sand-capped, cart paths hidden, bunkers given new sand, and a new strain of paspalum grass seeded. You can expect this world-class course to emerge from its makeover as an even more exhilarating experience.
PLAY: Dye Fore, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas—La Romana
While Teeth of the Dog may get most of the raves, the three nines at Dye Fore would constitute the main attraction at almost any other resort. They’re that good. Dye Fore looks and plays like a links course—especially on the Chavón nine, where the holes sit high above a deep river valley and elevation changes factor into almost every shot. The Marina nine sweeps down from the resort’s Altos de Chavón Mediterranean-style village toward the shore and the extensive Casa de Campo marina, while the Lagos nine plays through somewhat flatter terrain, with lakes and lagoons factoring into many holes. As at Teeth of the Dog, Dye gives players a preferred place to miss on most drives and approach shots—something to pay close attention to if you want to avoid scores of the card-wrecking kind.
PLAY: The Links, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas—La Romana
The resort’s third course is called The Links, but that’s more due to its appearance, the design of its greens, and its occasionally stern bunkers than it is to the style of play it dictates. Tall fescue grasses line some of its fairways, but those fairways are generally wide. And though it can stretch to over 7,000 yards, it’s a second-shot course with well-defended greens that put a premium on hitting precise approach shots—the kind that will put pressure on your short game and putting. The Links deserves a place in the conversation with its siblings, and like them, it’s a ton of fun to play. It asks you to play smart, strategic golf from beginning to end.
The Rest of the Casa de Campo World
Golf may be Casa de Campo’s main draw, but it’s far from the only thing you should look forward to experiencing while you’re there. In addition to the Spa and other fitness/wellness facilities, the resort offers equestrian pursuits, racquet sports, a shooting sports center, swimming in both pools and the Caribbean, upscale shopping, and in the Altos de Chavón village, a 6,000-foot amphitheater that has hosted performers like Elton John, Sting, Placido Domingo, and many others. All that fun is likely to make you hungry, and Casa de Campo certainly doesn’t disappoint in that area. You’ll choose from no less than a dozen different dining options, ranging from the elegant La Cana restaurant in the heart of the resort to the several sumptuous options high in the Altos de Chavón village. You can breakfast at Lago, with the ocean in view. Have lunch at the Chilango Taqueria. Dine at the casually elegant Minitas Beach Club. And make different choices the next day. You won’t go thirsty, either. Whether it’s a post-round beverage at the 19th Hole overlooking the 9th green of the Teeth of the Dog course, a round of tropical craft cocktails at Coco Mar at the Minitas Beach Club, or a night of dancing and imbibing at the Genesis night club, your whistle will stay as wet as you want it to be.
PLAY: Playa Grande Golf & Ocean Club—Rio San Juan
The Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course at Playa Grande near Cabrera (updated and rerouted in 2015 by son, Rees), has been called the Pebble Beach of the tropics. The Atlantic is in view from all 18 holes, and the course boasts no less than 10 oceanfront holes set on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. The layout is bordered on the other side by dense jungle, and its par threes and finishing holes are particularly strong. At the par-five 14th, a dogleg right that plays toward the Atlantic, big hitters can go for the green in two, but always at the risk of missing left and finding the ocean. The 15th hole is a par three sited tight to the shoreline again, while the par-four 16th is another dogleg right where your approach shot must reach a green on the far side of a cliff. The par-three 17th is perched on a peninsula that juts out into the ocean (much like Pebble Beach’s 17th), and the finishing hole is a great risk/reward par five with the ocean once again very much in play. Playa Grande is private, but guests of the five-star Amanera resort can play it.
Last Words
If you haven’t visited the Dominican Republic, you’ll be happy to know that most of the people you’ll encounter at its golf resorts speak very good English. The major resorts are gated, too, so security is really not an issue. And while the D.R. has its own currency, the Dominican peso, U.S. dollars are accepted in many places—including as tips. The country has fully embraced tourism and caters to tourists. Its people are friendly, eager to help, and seem truly happy to see you. If you’re looking to play a variety of stunning courses in a place where the welcome is as warm as the temperatures, the Dominican Republic checks all the boxes.
