Caribbean, islands in the stream

Casa de Campo’s most famous golf course, the Teeth of the Dog is celebrating it’s 40th birthday but is still ranked as the number one course in the Caribbean and 43rd in the top 100 courses, worldwide, by Golf Magazine. Pete Dye´s classic Teeth of the Dog attracts the best professional and amateur golfers in the world. "The opportunity to carve out Teeth of the Dog was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Pete Dye wrote in his book, Tricky shots such as a devilish dogleg and signature Dye obstacles captivate the world´s best.

The Teeth of the Dog golf course is the only golf course in the whole world to boast 7 holes which skirt the Caribbean sea – an aspect which makes this golf course unrivaled on beauty as well as challenge. Built entirely by hand, With the help of some 300 local residents which worked two long years, Pete Dye and his wife Alice transformed this overgrown rocky wasteland virtually by hand, into one of the finest golf courses in the world.

The Teeth of the Dog opened in 1971 with 6,888 yards and a par 72-layout and suddenly set the bar for a new generation of golf courses in the Caribbean islands. To date, few courses have matched the oceanside splendour and fabulous design features of this magnificent layout. The short, challenging and exquisite par-3 5th, is one of the Teeth's most photographed holes, with its seemingly postage-stamp green surrounded on three sides by the azure waters of the Caribbean. This gem of a par-3 starts a run of four oceanside holes, all of them immensely scenic, any one of them capable of giving your score a serious bite. The par-3 7th provides as scenic a spot to tarry a while as you'll find anywhere in the golfing world. On the back-nine the oceanside stretch embraces the par-4 15th, par-3 16th and par-4 17th.

If the prevailing sea breeze is blowing, drawers of the ball may need to hit out over the ocean to see their ball come back from right to left onto dry land. With the greens hanging out over the ocean, all three of these holes demand top quality approach shots. When not alongside the seashore and its jagged, teeth-like coral rocks, the course assumes a calmer, more resort-style persona, although Dye's prodigious mounding and bunkering around the often elevated greens will continue to emphasis great approach work and an excellent short-game.

Greens and tees have been redone with Paspalum grass this summer and look and play fantastic.
Fairways and rough is still Bermuda grass. The 1st cut of rough can really grab your ball and it's no easy shot from there.

The most spectacular holes:
Hole 5, Par 3 176 yards: The wind comes off the ocean and will send your ball left to right. If you play it safe and aim right you will be stuck high up on a hill and faced with a chip that funnels your ball into a sand trap -- or even worse, the jagged coral on the beach. The ideal shot sails partially over the ocean and lands softly on the green.

Hole 6, Par 4 500 yards: very long, If you don’t have a big drive this hole will make you pay.

Hole 7, Par 3 229 yards: This hole is a bad practical joke by designer Pete Dye. This is where Teeth of the Dog bites down on you hard -- 229 yards from the back, with a left-to-right wind that can shift in an instant and knock your ball down into the blue water.

Hole 16, Par 3 204 yards: The par 3 at Teeth of the Dog will allow you to play that slice that you are so proud of. If the wind is strong you can hack away and the right-to-left wind will escort your ball onto the green some 200-plus yards away.

17° Caribbean Golf Classic - 2012, MAY, 23th/27th

Non-golfers visitors will dabble with sailboats,big game fishing, polo, swimming pools, 13 tennis courts,horseback riding,skeet shooting and fill a lot of funny days. The best inner restaurant of the resort is the “Tropicana”,outdoors and located round two of the 15 swimming pools. Specialties are grilled and roast meat. The resort is immersed in 280 HA of tropical garden and golf carts are available to move around.
Incomparable is a walk, Mexican aperitif and dinner at the beautiful “Marina de Casa de Campo”, an Italian project inspired by famous Sardinian town Porto Cervo : luxurious fishing boats and pleasure crafts and the restaurants of the “Piazzetta”, in Portofino style.

Just two km. out you’ll find “Altos de Chavon”, a colonial village built in 16th century Spaniards style; high on a hill, has golden-stones houses and an astonishing view of the Chavon river (here have been shooted movies such as Apocalipse now and King Kong). Altos de Chavon is also known as the “Artist village” that are hosted three months for free while staging their exhibitions and shows.
Beaches are not particularly nice: artificial, open to currents and waves ,but you can organize very easily a pretty trip to Saona, Catalina and Catalinita islands.

Back to the Caribbean golf