Being a single digit handicapper and a local I have had the pleasure of playing almost all of the courses on the Island. In order to properly advise golfers thinking about coming to the DR, I decided to rank my favorite courses (for purposes of this review I shall not include private courses such as the Santo Domingo Country Club and La Romana Country Club or the courses in the Bavaro / Punta Cana area which are very good, but I have not played significantly enough to comment upon).

Metro Country Club: Metro Country Club () is located in the municipality of Juan Dolio, between Santo Domingo and San Pedro de Macoris, built at the center of a development project. The course is rather short from the back tees, and does not present a difficult challenge in its design, apart from the fairways and greens being obnoxiously hard, therefore preventing any type of spin on the ball (the project does however have an Embassy Suites Hotel). Price: Fair

Guavaberry Country Club: Guavaberry, also located in the Juan Dolio area is a Gary Player design. I personally enjoy this course which is significantly more challenging than the nearby Metro Country Club course. Guavaberry is of normal length but possesses a design where players must work the ball in order to take advantage of the shorter holes. All in all is pretty good course and is offered at a good price for the quality. Price: Fair

Las Lagunas: Located in the outsides of Santo Domingo, las Lagunas is considered the national course, due to its administration by the Dominican Golf Federation. This course is a real challenge due to its length. The layout is also very different from most of the course in the Island which are resort type, ocean courses. Las Lagunas is built on a wet area making everything seem extremely green. If in Santo Domingo, this would be a highly recommended course before tackling any of the more famous courses. Price: Bargain

Playa Dorada: I use to play the course often growing up. The course is a Robert Trent Jones Sr., design, but has been significantly altered over the years. Although it has been altered, and not particularly kept as it should be, any true golfer will appreciate the design and find certain holes rather difficult. Price: Currently overpriced.

Playa Grande: Considered the Pebble of the Caribbean, also a Trent Jones Sr., design. Having played some of the more famous courses in Hawaii this course really stacks up well. I have never seen a more scenic course anywhere in the world. The course plays well for all levels of play due to its five different tee boxes. The wind is a real factor and can toll up to 10 shots on any given day. The only bad thing I can say about the course is that it is tucked away in the northern part of the island, where the closest airport (Puerto Plata) is over an hour drive away, however it is well worth the time. Price: Somewhat overpriced but really worth it.

The Links (Casa de Campo): The Links Is the easiest course in the Casa de Campo resort. It is a rather short course, but presents large undulating greens. As a Casa de Campo course there is not much anyone can criticize about its maintenance or the staff organizing it. In my opinion the course is a good warm up for the other two courses in the resort. It may also prove to be very enjoyable for juniors and women. Price: Expensive

Teeth of the Dog (Casa de Campo): This course is world renown and speaks for itself. Truly one of Pete Dye’s masterpieces. The greens have all been redone and are playing well. I personally love playing here and find that although it is really tough from the championship tees; its design permits players to bail on almost every hole. Price: Expensive

Dye Fore (Casa de Campo): The course is a monster. The only course I have played that remotely resembles this course may be Kapalua Plantation in Maui. From the tips this course is virtually unplayable unless you are close to a scratch. I personally play it from the gold tees (7,400 yds) however I take a beating every time. The greens are all elevated and cut very short. One must truly be in top form or scores may get out of hand. If you like a challenge I would really recommend the course, however if you are looking for a relaxed round you might prefer one of the other courses that are less difficult. Price: Expensive

Bonus Course:

we have played this course between 2000-2004, and again january 2006.we take our own golf clubs from uk for a three week holiday, normally playing three times per week.this time we played once, then put them back in there flight bags.cost has gone up 50% from 2004, green fees are now 75 us plus 12% tax = 87 us, you either take two caddies ( 15 us each + tips ). or one buggie 20 us and one caddie and tip, which we did.total cost was over 225 us dollars.

Played Playa Grande course Jan 20th, 23 and 25th. Incredible course. Nothing like it in the US, though the guys I played with...from Sacramento, said Pebble Beach was similar...except this course was better...more vistas, cliffs, forced carries, blue water...you name it.

Review written by Jim, from Edmonton (February, 05) about says it all. However, I would add a few things.

1) Caddies: I used two different caddies. The first, who was very friendly and spoke pretty good English, took me for a sucker at the end..we played only 7 holes, got rained out by a monsoon on the most beautiful hole one can imagine...171 yard, par 3 , number 7 --over a cliff, forced carry to a green with the cliff jutting in. Fabulous. I really liked the caddie, and at the end made the mistake...after only 7 holes..of saying, "is thie ($15) enough? He said, $10 more." I, stupidly, paid him. On the one hadn, one can't blame him...here some dumb gringo was basically offering to give him about double what he usually made, for 18 holes, so who can blame him. On the other hand, I thought there would be some honour, even among thieves, but not the case with this guy. Sadly, when I returned he came over like a lost friend (who can blame him?) and assumed he would cash in again. I said, no thanks, "You are too expensive." He knew exactly what I meant, and made himself scarce. I felt sad because I had really enjoyed the round with him..until the end. My next round, with Antonio, 22 year oldm gracious but more talkative as the round went on..and very knowledgeable about the course, was much more appreciative of what I paid him..and I eventually, after two rounds with him, gave him 6 irons, as I had a newer set on order back home. William..who caddied for a partner..is also a fabulous caddie.

2) The place is somewhat disjointed, as other reviewers have commented upon. One must remember that you are in DR and on their time...once you do that, and relax a bit, you find they will get you out as soon as possible, and the press or make a big deal out of it is not in ones best interests. Besides, the more relaxed one is, the better one plays. Virtually all the people at the course try and make your stay their pleasant, and will try and accommodate you...so don't be uptight..remember this is a holiday place, not a business deal.

3) The beauty is astounding. If you get a blue sky day, be sure to take your camers. The views will be unforgettable. I had my digital and took about 100 photos of the course, maybe more. I was not disappointed. Play early, as the wind (cabreeae) whips up pretty good the later you play, and the out of towners (the next closest resort, Bahia Principe Rio San Juan is about 25 minutes away, arrive closer to noon. Then it gets busier and more complicated to get on withoug waiting...and waiting...a bit. The guys I played with from Sacramento, John and David , had both played and/or walked all the beautiful courses along the California coast (Pebble, Spyglass, Cypress Point...) they said this course outshone them all in beauty..though Cypress Point is tough to beat when combining difficulty with beauty. ONe great thing, among many, about this course is, as Jim from Edmonton noted, the playability is built into the course...as long as one chooses the right tee box..anyone can have a great time here. The Gold tees, 700+ yards, are not to be tampered with, except you will want to try a couple of them to see if you can clear the carry...but the blue tees, 6600 or so, are fine..as are the whites...6200...each will provide a challenge. They also have a shorter tee, as well, so anyone can play...but remember to play with respect for the other golfers on the course...as otherwise it does get a bit slow. Our rounds were 5 hours... even with a cart.

4) I have played Teeth of the Dog, in La Romana, DR (Pete Dyes course, ranked 35th or so in the world)...this course is better. Better views, overall, and better conditioned. The Punta Cana course, in Punta Cana, is terrific...but this course, again, is better. As Jim noted, go there quickly..as the rates will only go up. I thought $95 or $60 for twilight (plus obligatory $15 for caddie) was a very fair rate...considering the rates will only go up, and likely sooner rather than later. It was clear from the play and the number of Asian golfers present...this course has been "discovered," and the days of cheap rates are in the past. But, at $95 (if you stay at the Playa Grande Resort, which the course is built around, is very fair...even the $135 for non-resort players isn't bad.

The course is, quite simply, as breathtaking a course as one will find. Having played teeth of the Dog, in la Romana, rated 36or 37 in the world, I was interested in comparing this course. their is, simply, no comarison. this course wins..hands down. ok, to be fair, Teeth of the Dog has 7 fabulous holes along the ocean; this course, Playa grande, has 10 holes..along the water, with another 6 holes with views of the water..so only 1 or 2 holes with no water access..view or on the water. Each hole is interesting, with variety ..the key to interest and quality ..being paramount. I played with David and John from Sacramento..they had played all the carmel courses, including Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, they felt this was more beautiful than any of them, though Cypress was perhaps as spectacular. Now, keeping in mind, both Pebble Beach and Cypress Point are rated in the top 10 in the world, well, that gives you an idea of what awaits you here. The rates have, not surprisingly gone up..and the Asian golfers have definitely discovered this course. Rates are still very acceptable considering the world class level of the course. $135...if one plays before 3 and is not staying at the Playa Grande Resort (adjacent to the course), $95..if one is staying there. After 3 pm the rate goes down about 40$, and no cart is included. The pro shop and starters are not up to snuff, in some respects, but they are very accommodating...and appreciative of the business. If you are in a hurry then you perhaps should either A) Come early or B) Choose another course. If you want breathtaking views, a well manicured and interesting course,...then you won't do better than this course.

Preface:
Was told that American investors from Florida had just purchased the course. They tried to buy the hotel too but were rebuffed and plan to build their own hotel/resort at or near the golf course. No way to tell what this will do to the rates in general or the current preferred rates for Occidental Allegro guests. I would expect some improvements in course operation.

Overview:
The course is built on a plateau 100 ft above sea level. The shore/cliff line meanders in and out irregularly, creating a series of inlets & peninsulas. Leave your ball scooper at home, if you hit one in the ocean it is 100 foot straight down drop. 10 holes moulded directly along the cliff, 7 others with views of the ocean. A few of the holes encircle the Occidental/Allegro resort. Lots of stunning views & some forced carries.

4 sets of tee boxes: Red: 4507 yards, eliminates most forced carries. My wife usually plays the forward tees but she found these too short.
White: 5750 yards,
Blue: 6344 yards,
Gold: 7085 yards (you need to be really long to play these)

Subtle elevation changes which will often impact club selection. If you are used to playing at a higher elevation like I am, you almost have to club up to allow for the "sea level" factor. On the more difficult holes there is usually a "bail-out" side or landing area but this will create difficult approach angles/chips. Wind was variable in the 8 rounds I played, experienced from all directions except inland, some days dead calm, other days moderate to strong.

Pricing:
Public $135US(includes powercart) + caddie fee $10US/twosome + tip
Allegro guests: $95US(includes powercart) + caddie fee $10US/twosome + tip. $65US(inlcudes powercart) twilight rate 3:00 PM, caddie not required.
Lighted driving range $6US/large bucket, Rentals about $25US

Caddies:
Mandatory until 3:00 PM, I believe a local economic development initiative to provide jobs. 131 caddies in the association, they are given rounds on a rotating basis. Some had pretty good english, most did not so you had to rely on universal golf terms & gestures. Some were better at reading greens than others. If you had a caddie you liked from previous play, you could request him when you checked in as long as he hadn't gone out already or didn't come in that day because he didn't expect to get a round. First couple of rounds you paid the caddie fee in the proshop and were given a card which you then handed to the starter. After that we were told to just pay the caddie fee directly to the caddie. Some people said they were tipping $5US/golfer which seemed to be sufficient. We liked our caddie so requested him everyday & tipped $10US/golfer, he was very appreciative. One couple we were paired with did not have a caddie. They said they didn't like caddies and bitched loud & long enough that they let them go without one.

Maintainance:
The tee boxes and fairways were very well maintained for the most part. Greens were in good shape but a little on the slow side (except when you had a downhiller it seemed to run away from the hole). When we played there had been a lot of recent rain, fairways were quite soft so you got no roll on tee shots. Approach shots to the greens were sticking like lawn darts. A couple of holes were having some trouble with seawater blowing up onto them & killing the grass. Powercarts were allowed on the fairway if it wasn't too wet.

Management:
It didn't seem to matter what tee-time you had, when you showed up you were basically put in line & the starter "fit" you in. As my wife and I were a twosome they seemed to want to wait till another twosome showed up they could pair us with before sending us out. Understandable but we did have specific times booked. Usually the wait was not very long. Each day they used a "cross-over" starting some groups on #1 & some on #9. This seemed to work fairly well & didn't appear to cause any delays. A couple of rounds about 4 1/2 hrs, most around 5 hrs & one was close to 6 hrs. When we were their they started some repairs to a couple of the on-course washrooms, changed the caddie fee procedure & I was told they were going to set up their own web-site with capability of booking tee times. Nice 19th hole with fairly typical golf course food and a BBQ going, prices reasonable.

Hole-by Hole:
Yardages and distances indicated would be from the blues:
#1 & 2. warm-up holes. A couple of inland mid-length par 4s.
#3 the fun begins, par 3 210yds, cliff on right from tee thru the green. Hit it pure or bogey (or worse)
#4 par 5 493yds. Curving dog-leg right, cliff on right from tee to green. Green is tucked back onto a little peninsula which makes going for it in 2 a very long forced carry.
#5 inland par 4, stated yardage is 394 but it plays a lot longer, need to really smoke your drive here
#6 inland par 5 511yds, nothing too special, has a shared green with #2
#7 yikes, par 3 171yds, cliff on left at tee and cuts in front of green, forced carry to front edge of green.
#8 straightaway par 4 360, cliff on left from tee all way around back of green.
#9 sharp dogleg left par4 370yds. Forced carry tee shot over inlet minimum 180 yds. The more you bite off on the tee shot, the shorter your approach
#10 inland par 4 344yds, sharp dogleg left
#11 inland par 3 171yds. Wind often a factor.
#12 Great par 5, only 440 yds dogleg left but forced carry teeshot over inlet. Again, the more you bite off the closer you are to the green. Can be reached in 2 but you better be straight and have your yardage exact. Once you're over the inlet with your teeshot, the cliff is on the left the rest of the way & a sink-hole behind the green will eat anything long.
#13 Par 4 364 yds, sharp dogleg right which plays a lot longer than yardage. Cliff on left from tee to green. Once you turn the corner of the dogleg you get a view of Playa Grande(the beach). Some salt-water issues around the tee-box and on the left side of the fairway up to the corner of the dogleg.
#14 Sweet little par 3 158yds. Still with a great view of the beach, cliff on left wiht forced carry on the left 2/3 of the green.
#15 Long straightaway par 5. 555yds. Green heavily guarded. The only hole that is not cliff-side or having some kind of view of the ocean.
#16 par 4 345 yds, approach shot to elevated green
#17 par 3 168 yds. shooting from inland to peninsula green. only mistake you can make is be short. huge green, at least 80 yds deep. pin placement can vary club selection from short iron to a fairway wood. This is a gorgeous hole but salt-water issues are playing havoc with the green.
#18 S-shaped par 5 556yds. Cliff on right from tee thru green with inlet jutting in front of the green making any attempt to go for it in 2 a heroic effort.

This golf course is incroyable.
I played on the blue, which is a good challenge.
I paid 60. $US including the 18 holes, the cart and the transportation from the Baya Principe Hotel to the golf course.
On site, I paid 7. $ for the caddie plus the tip at the end of the game.

I had 2 good caddie: Adam and Benito (84 years old)
They both know very well the course and give you right information on where to hit the ball and where to putt.
Caddies also drive the car, clean your clubs after every shot and clean your golf shoes after the game.

I played all 5 games around 7:00am to avoid the very hot temperature of the afternoon.

The golf course was not crowdy at all. 2 games I was alone on the golf course.

The landscaping is terrific. 10 holes close to the ocean, with palm trees on every fairway. We have nice golf courses in Canada, but not blue sea and no palm trees.

This was our 4th year in a row visiting the DR and of course the Playa Grande course.

We managed to get in 4 rounds with 3 rounds virtually having the whole course to ourselves Monday to Friday. If you are going to golf on a weekend, check to makes sure their is no "locals" tournament on. You will not be able to play thru and expect up to 6+ hours for a round.

The course itself is a beautiful as the photo's and hype indicate. The holes are not very long (unless you play from the golds) but the wind turns a par 4 into a real challenge, even from the whites.

We payed $69.00 USD per round including cart. Caddie is an additional 300 pesos. Starting May 1, the cost of a round of golf and cart dropped to $45.00 USD.

There are 200 caddies vieing for work throughout the year. They are picked on a rotational basis, unless you have golfed their before and liked the caddie you had. You can ask for a personal caddie by name or number with no issues. Some are very good and some are just there for the money. The more experienced caddies are assigned the lower numbers. I use #1 who's name is Lula. He as well as many of the other senior caddies know the course and the greens amazingly well. October to January is the courses busiest time, February to September you could find yourself the only ones on the course. Be sure to take a camera as the scenery is Fantastic!!! Throw an umbrella in your bag, a sudden shower will soak everything in very short order. They usually last about 10 minutes but are very intense. The course itself shows no effect of these occasional showers. Tipping of course is a personal thing but it is also the caddies only extra income (the course keeps 50 pesos from the 300 charged) 250 pesos is equal to about $5.00 USD. Not much to live on.

The course is a "must play" even for weekend golfers. Clubs can be rented but are a mismash of several brands and types so you are better to take you own, you will be glad you did.

The Playa Grande course is in Rio San Juan which is about 90 minutes from Puerto Plata. If you are going to hire a taxi, try to find others to share the fare with.

All I can say is WOW! This is one amazingly beautiful golf course. With 10 holes playing along the water (and not just water, we're talking 100 foot cliffs), the views do rival that of Pebble Beach. With that said, the course itself was okay. The greens and tee boxes were in good shape but the fairways were a little rough. Quite a bit of rain had fallen both the previous week and early in the week that I was there and it looked like the grounds crew had not had a chance to groom the fairways due to the dampness. I would say that the course rates on par with a semi-private club or an upscale public links course but, the incredible views more than made up for any deficiencies.

The course is fun to play from both the blue and the gold tees with each set adding its own challenges. I played from the blues the first day and found myself hitting a lot of driver/wedge combos into the greens. The par 5s were reachable in 2 with good tee shots. If you're going for it on #4 (which your caddie will guilt you into), your second shot is all carry over the ocean and the cliffs. The course is completely different from the golds. The par 3s alone average 200 yards and with the winds coming off of the ocean, there won't be much going for it on your par 5s.

This should not be mistaken for Pebble Beach but it was a lot of fun to play. The course is short but certainly not a push-over. The greens (indeed the whole course) are standard Bermuda. This is the grass you normally see on municipal courses in South Florida, not the fancy, hard-to-maintain hybrids that the expensive resorts use now. The greens hold well and putt true. Nothing great but nothing to start you cursing and throwing your putter. The fairways are sparse in places but generally a decent lie is nearby if you are willing to play winter rules.

Three holes have tee shots that are visually intimidating. You have to thread your tee shot through a narrow opening to a very wide fairway. 2, 5, and 7 are like that. You are tempted to use an iron on each tee. The 1st hole requires a precise lay-up off the tee to avoid the water and the bunkers. The 8th, the only par 5 has the widest fairway this side of number 1 at St. Andrews but the approach to the green has absolutely no margin for error whatsoever. Only once did we experience any crowding and mostly we had the place entirely to ourselves. They sell a package for $180 that includes green fees for 72 holes with cart and clubs, if you didn’t bring your own. I did not play with the rental clubs but they looked to be high quality knock-offs. That is still a little bit high for what you get but it is much more reasonable than the standard 18 hole rate.

I was staying at Breezes for my Wedding and five of us had decided to play three rounds of golf. Before going down we contacted Go Golf at www.tee-off-times.info

They make arrangements to pick you up at your hotel and drop you back as well as setting up your tee times. They did an excellent job and were on time all three days!

We decide to play two courses Cocotal and La Cana (Punta Cana)

Cocotal cost $110us and La Cana cost $140us both included transportation by Go Golf. Cocotal has 27 holes but we only played the same 18 twice. The course is long and it is very well looked after. The greens were in mint condition. We played from the white tees the first round and the blue the following round. It was not very busy so we finished our round at just over 4 hours. La Cana course is even nicer with holes running along the ocean. The many traps are a killer due to very hard packed sand. Getting out of them can be very difficult.

They offer a caddie but mine was not very good. I knew I was in trouble with him on the first hole he forgot to pull the flag. He had no idea what club I needed and he was very hard to understand.

If you are staying at Paradisus Punta Cana Resort and your primary interest is to play golf at Cocotal Golf & CC, here are some tips to avoid confusion and delays, especially if you are part of a group and you mix foursomes each day.

First, be sure to get advanced tee time reservations for your group before you leave by calling the Cocotal Golf & CC directly, not the resort. You will have to provide a credit card.

Second, in order to play as part of the all inclusive package, you must get individual golf vouchers at the customer relations desk in the resort lobby for each person, each day, for each tee time. A reserved tee time is required. It is best to do this the afternoon before playing or earlier.

Beyond that, be aware that the pro shop can only manage one tee time per credit card payment. Therefore, when you present the voucher with credit card at the pro shop to check in and pay for a cart, pay individually (one cc swipe for each person) unless both (ie player and spouse) have the same tee time. . If you put more than one person’s charges on a card, the pro shop will record that both parties are playing at the same tee time. The name on the voucher must match a name reserved for that tee time at the golf club (even if it’s not yours). Because the yellow receipts (aka sign–up slips) which identify tee time are used by the Caddy Master and his team to prepare the carts, mismatched names/tee times can cause confusion.

Finally, bring bottled water from the resort & fill the cart cooler with ice to keep it cool.

Cocotal is a nice course and you should enjoy it. Expect a lot of wind and plenty of roll, especially downwind. Hit it straight or you might be hitting out of hard sand flats through palm trees.

At the beginning of our last week Stephan told me that the Punta Cana golf course was re-opening so we booked a time on opening day and played . We arrived at Punta Cana golf course and were able to sneak out as a two-some a head of a number of 4 somes so we had a very enjoyable round as we were the 1st off the Tee. The course is awesome we took a caddy (Guzman) and it was an incredible round, if you get the chance you really do want to play this course. there are 3 holes that play along the ocean and the views are breath taking remember to bring your wind game because the trade winds blow and can make a 2 club difference on most shots.

We played Punta Cana (the second time)the day before we left and joined a couple of guys from Boston (Ernie & George) the weather was even better and it is always fun to play a nice course a second time with friendly people like Ernie & George.

We paid $149.00 to play the 1st time and I 'm not sure what happened but the second time everyone but me paid $100.00........In the clubhouse Wifred (our driver from Go Golf ) asked that those paying cash pay him $149.00(which I did) while the other 3 guys in my group paid by credit card and were charged $100.00 I unfortunately didn't find this out until after the round.....next time I'll pay by credit card.

Overall Stephan runs a pretty tight operation, if you plan on playing give him a call you can get his number from Debbie's website.

Alfred has some photos of the resort and the courses and I am sure he will post them soon .watch for them!

Every half hour the shuttle takes you to the Guavaberry Golf Course from Coral Costa Caribe designed by Gary Player. If you miss a bus, dont worry take the next one. The shuttle takes about 15 minutes to get there and you go through Juan Dolio which is quite poor and you will see part of the local life. Lots of scooters zipping about. The course is fantastic with wide generous fairways but you do have to play the wind quite carefully. We played 36 holes nearly every day but were absolutely sun baked at the end.

Recommendations:
Drink lots of water and slap on that sunscreen.
Tip the caddie master/starter and the main guy (Rafael) who is in charge of the carts. When there are crowds there you get your stuff first.

You will find guys selling Titliest Pro V1s for a $1. Buy as many as you can afford cause back home they are about $65/dozen. For them, it is huge.

We played individual scores for the first 18 and then switched to best ball matches in the afternoon. Great fun as there is team work involved.

There are three golf courses near Casa del Mar. Teeth of the Dog ($232), The Links ($145, and Dye Fore ($203). Twilight rates start around 2:30 or so and cost a little more than half price. We couldn’t get on Teeth of the Dog on the day we wanted, so just to be sure we got in a game we went to Dye Fore. Our Air Canada rep sent us to the VIP tour desk because she said they could get us a better deal than she could. These guys got us 10% off the green fees and covered the cost of the taxi. Club rentals were $45 or $50. The two righties in the group had brand new sets of Calloways. The club had to go find some leftie rentals, and I’m not sure what shed they dug them out of. They were still Calloways but they were from a different generation, and my set was missing both the driver and the putter. That might have been a blessing in disguise because I hit the three wood off the tee better than I usually hit a driver. Ended up costing $US900 plus whatever I gave the caddie. The course was pretty nice but I was maybe expecting more spectacular. The front nine flowed along some very expensive residences while the back nine followed the banks of the Chevron River.

I don't think that your reviews are genuine, because we just finished playing TOTD and it was very disappointing. The course was under repair [irrigation installation], but even in areas not under repair the fairways were like a poor muni course. The layout is uninspired. The ocean holes are pretty but fairly typical. The greens were tiered and undulating but varied greatly the amount of grass [and propably type] so were extremely difficult to putt. I would call TOTD a strong resort course when in shape; now thourgh, very dissappointing.