The Dominican Republic’s Must Play Courses
A guide to some of our favourite courses in the Dominican Republic
With a warm & tropical year-round climate, gorgeous white sandy beaches, fantastic hotels & resorts to cater for every whim & desire, and a sizeable collection of the best courses in the Caribbean, it’s no wonder this is becoming a must visit destination for golfers of all levels looking to play some seriously incredible courses in the sunshine.
Here’s our thoughts on which courses stand out and are absolutely worth experiencing when in The Dominican Republic.
Located just 10mins from La Romana airport and less than an hour from Punta Cana Airport, this is easily accessible whether you are planning to stay in La Romana / Casa de Campo, or as part of a tour of the country’s incredible courses.
This renowned Pete Dye classic is reason enough to travel to the destination, a consistent resident inside the World’s top 100 courses & reportedly Pete’s favourite course. Assisted by his wife Alice & 300+ locals, Pete transformed the rocky wasteland, set alongside inspiring coral coastline, into one of the worlds most exhilarating golf courses.
The course itself routes between coastline and inland holes with 7 of the 18 holes running directly along the rugged coast. Whilst the breath-taking coastline holes are the star of the show, the inland holes themselves offer a superb supporting role. Aptly named Teeth of the Dog, this course has a bite as well as a bark and offers a brilliant and unique challenge for all levels of golfer, just choose your tees wisely.
Casa de Campo Resort & Villas is the rather impressive locale for Teeth of the Dog, as well as the 2 other Pete Dye’s designed courses of Dye Fore & The Links. An all-round world class facility and an incredible base for a golf break.
Please note, Teeth of the Dog is closed for restoration between mid-January to Mid-November 2025, we can’t wait to see the outcome!
Located just 20 mins south of Punta Cana Airport, this absolutely stunning course is part of the Jack Nicklaus Signature design. Opening in 2007 to rave reviews, the course has established itself as a must play when visiting the country, and potentially a contender for Dominican Republics best course, high accolade indeed when considering the competition!
With almost half the holes running alongside the stunning coastline, the course was designed to incorporate the natural topography of cliffs, beach and lagoons, and has been done so with epic results. The fairways are wide enough to forgive the odd errant shot, which is welcome given the location and the inevitable breeze that comes into play.
Playable, fun, challenging and visually stunning, all boxes ticked and a must visit for any avid golfer wanting to play the best courses in the Dominican Republic.
Residing in the heart of Punta Cana this is yet another fantastic course set alongside the stunning Caribbean coastline. Opening in 2010 and designed by the prolific & dramatic creativity of Tom Fazio, this is now the permanent host venue for the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Championship.
Access to the Corales course and its sister course of La Cana are reserved exclusively for members & their guests, or those staying on the resort at either the excellent Westin Puntacana Resort & Club or the exceptional Tortuga Bay.
The course itself is routed intelligently to incorporate the coastal holes at the end of each 9, with the 17th & 18th being as dramatic a finish to a course that you could hope for, playing directly alongside the rugged coastline this elevates what was already a remarkable course. A relatively open course with wide fairways create a playable & enjoyable round, but the large waste bunkers will keep you in check and fairly punish the wayward. Exceptional conditioning, a dramatic Fazio signature design & a truly dramatic finish to both 9’s ensure this will live long in the memory for those lucky enough to experience.
The sister course of La Cana is another excellent course incorporating the coastal setting with a strategic routing winding its way through surrounding villas and expansive waste bunkers.
Part of the impressive Casa de Campo complex, the Pete Dye designed Dye Fore course plays an understandable supporting role to Teeth of the Dog. However, this is a unique and challenging course & design in its own right and should not be overlooked when in the area.
Located in the northeast corner of the resort, the clifftop setting offers stunning coastal views alongside dramatic elevation changes. The varieties in elevation are incorporated in the design to ensure club selection is not straightforward, through in some wind and you’ll need to choose wisely. Stunning vistas, deep canyon holes to the Chavon River, split fairways, exceptional conditioning and some world-class par 3’s, all elements come together to provide a course punches it way out of the shadows of its sister course.