The Signature Golf Holes at Dominican Republic's Top Golf Courses
By Brian Weis
The Dominican Republic boasts over 25 championship golf courses, with seven courses featuring 86 coastal holes. Teddy De Lara, President of TARGET Marketing Consultants and the organizer of the DR Golf Travel Exchange, echoed, "The Dominican Republic has more championship golf courses and seaside holes than any other Caribbean destination. The D.R. should be on every traveling golfers' bucket list".
If you need inspiration for your next golf vacation, look no further than the signature golf holes at these top golf courses in the Dominican Republic.
Teeth of the Dog - Hole #5
Perennially ranked as the #1 course in the Caribbean, Pete Dye's Teeth of the Dog Golf Course at Casa de Campo features six seaside holes (hole #5, #7, #8, #15, #16, and #17). Anyone of these holes rightfully deserve the signature hole designation, however the hole most talked about by golfers is the first hole played along the seaside.The short par-3 firth hole, ranked 3rd easiest on the scorecard, requires a well struck short iron/wedge to stick the green. If you do not hit your tee ball on the green it will be by far the hardest hole you play during the round.
Yardage: Par 3
Black: 169 Yards
Gold: 158 Yards
Blue: 139 Yards
White: 120 Yards
Red: 69 Yards
Teeth of the Dog - Casa de Campo
La Romana, Dominican Republic
866-860-5472
www.casadecampo.com.do
Punta Espada Golf Club - Hole #13
Punta Espada Golf Club at Capa Cana, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, is named after the bluffs backdropping the par-3 13th hole. The coastline resembles a "sword tip" jutting out into the sea, hence the name Punta Espada. Nicklaus dubbed this hole the signature hole on the property.
Yardage: Par 3
Black: 250 Yards
Gold: 223 Yards
Blue: 174 Yards
Red: 108 Yards
Cap Cana - Punta Espada Golf Club
Punta Cana Dominican Republic
809-469-7767
www.puntaespadagolf.com
IBEROSTAR Bavaro Golf Club - Hole #8
IBEROSTAR Bávaro Golf Club has been ranked by TripAdvisor.com as the second best golf course in Punta Cana. The Bavaro Golf Club is home to the Copa del Rey Tournament, the only Dominican tournament approved by the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Spain. The signature hole features a star-shaped green resembling the IBEROSTAR logo. Golfers will be grabbing their sand wedge if they fail to hit the green as the putting surface is surrounded by Caribbean sand. This hole is one of the more memorable inland holes in the D.R.
Yardage: Par 3
Black: 187 Yards
Blue: 166 Yards
White: 148 Yards
Red: 103 Yards
IBEROSTAR
Higuey, Playa Bávaro,
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
http://golf.iberostar.com/en/punta-cana/golf-courses/iberostar-bavaro-golf-club
The Lakes - Barcelo Golf Course - Hole #18
In 2010, P.B Dye redesigned this championship golf course that traverses through a lush mangrove forest, with 25 inland lakes and 122 strategically positioned bunkers. Yes you read that right, you will play 18 holes around 25 inland lakes. It should come to no surprise on how they got the name of the golf course. If you have any balls left in your bag, the finishing hole has the chance to steal them all. Off the tee, a long force carry over water is required. Your second shot will be just as intimidating with a green surrounded by water and pot bunkers. If you par the hole, relive your victory in the clubhouse bar. Celebrate the feat with the local beer - El Presidente!
Yardage: Par 4
Black: 360 Yards
Gold: 306 Yards
Blue: 277 Yards
White: 252 Yards
Red: 252 Yards
Barceló Bávaro Beach Resort
Carretera Bávaro KM 1
Punta Cana / Higuey
Dominican Republic
http://barcelobavarogolf.net
DYE Fore - Hole #12 (Chavon Nine)
One of the most beautiful inland golf courses in the Dominican Republic is Pete Dye's masterpiece, Dye Fore. The property features three distinct nines - The Marina, The Lakes and The Chavon. As their name implies each course plays along a distinct part of the Casa de Campo Resort. Some argue that the Chavon 9 is the most scenic, as the the opening holes run atop the cliffs of the Chavon River. Golfers are not the only ones flocking to area with cameras in hand. Filmmakers have found the river, the cliffs and views very photogenic. The Chavon River's film credits include Jurassic Park (1993) and Apocalypse Now (1979).
The Par 3 12th Hole gives golfers the first dramatic look at Chavon River flowing into sea.
As a side note: Dye Fore is one of four golf courses in the world where you can stand on a tee box and see a major river, mountain range and ocean.
Yardage: Par 3
Black: 235
Gold: 214
Blue: 180
White: 170
Revised: 02/26/2019 - Article Viewed 11,456 Times
About: Brian Weis
Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.
As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.
Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.
In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.
On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.
Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.
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