Casa de Campo Resort & Villas

It's an overused term certainly, but Teeth of the Dog, one of Pete Dye's earliest courses, is certainly a bucket-list course. With a half dozen holes right on the ocean and some of the best par 3s in golf, playing the Teeth is a special experience. Yet, even with the difficulty of some of these ocean holes, Teeth (despite its name) remains very playable, with plenty of room off the tee. But yes, you do have to be precise on these par 3s, particularly the shortish 5th, where there is no room for error.

Pete Dye didn't design all that many courses outside the U.S., but his best ever may very well be in the Dominican Republic. Teeth of Dog is a sublime routing from his early days in design that is simply one of the most enjoyable 18 holes on the planet. The ocean is revealed halfway up the third hole, and seven holes hug the ocean. None are better than the little 5th, which is better than the island green at TPC Sawgrass by a mile.

Don't let the name fool you: Teeth is actually one of the fairer Dye designs I've ever played, even if there are a few intimidating shots.

Corales and Punta Espada are the other two super-premium courses in DR. I'd rate Teeth 1a and Punta Espada 1b. Each are totally different and must be played.

The driving range was rebuilt and expanded recently to make way for a top event, and the resort recently opened a brand new beach club.

Also, this is one of the better breakfast buffets: open air overlooking the course with all sorts of goodies to choose from. Be sure to save time for it in the morning.

There are a lot of things to love about Dye Fore, but perhaps the most important is the sheer contrast compared to the Teeth of the Dog.

Each nine is distinct. The Chavon nine is my favorite. Its most dramatic holes hug 300-foot cliffs that tumble to the jungle and river below. The views from the Marina nine are completely different. Its best holes sweep downhill with vistas extending to the sea. The third, newer nine is solid, but not nearly as scenic.

Even though I'm not a fan of every hole on Dye Fore, I gave it five stars for two reasons: 1, I liked it more than the first time around, and 2, to balance out my earlier four-star review from a few years ago. It's probably a 4.8-star course. It's so good that it's unfair to call it a secondary course, even if that's essentially its place at Casa de Campo.

Sure, there are older courses in the Caribbean, but this iconic track put tropical golf on the map for most Americans. Even Pete Dye himself admits this might be his best work. The seven Caribbean Sea holes invigorate the senses, while forcing you to hit quality shots.

As one of his earliest solo designs, Teeth has a gentler side, despite its name. There are no railroad ties, crazy greens or random pot bunkers, characteristics that Dye made famous on his more treacherous modern designs. With the lone exception of the famous and fabulous par-3 fifth hole, there's always a bailout. Wind off the water and numerous elevated greens keep scorecards honest.

It's got an entirely different feel than the more modern seaside layouts in Punta Cana - Corales, La Cana and Punta Espada. That classic look helps the Teeth of the Dog stand alone above the crowd.

One of Pete Dye's best courses anywhere requires a bit of determination to get to, but once there, you'll be glad you did.

Most known for the "seven holes created by God", this seven hole stretch is remarkable. Rarely will you play holes that are so close to the water. With par 3s where the green is basically a peninsula in the ocean.

If I were to only play one course in the D.R. this would be the one.

This course will let you see the best of playing inland and right on the edge of the island, where it meets the sea. It is a beautiful place, well taken care of. Be mindful of really fast greens that usually run towards the water on the seaside holes.

You will have very few tree obstacles while trying to get to the greens, the biggest problem I came across was trying to get my ball to stay on the green once I got it there. It will challenge your abilities and you'll definitely enjoy playing it.

The Links proved to be challenging for me, an 18HCP weekend golfer. Although the course does not require the player to be very precise on every golf shot, strong winds made me struggle a lot with distance. The greens made me think before hitting each putt. Playing this course will be a great experience for anyone who is playing this game just for fun.

Pete Dye created Teeth of the Dog in 1971 as the first of four courses he designed at the popular Casa de Campo Resort. There are “seven holes created by God” said Dye indicating he only created the other eleven. The course plays along the sea’s edge and is ranked number one in the Caribbean and 43rd in the top 100 courses worldwide by Golf Magazine…for all the right reasons.
When the golf course was being built, a large crew of Dominican laborers did most of the heavy, back-breaking work. Very little heavy machinery was used during construction, so the workers had to use shovels and pick-axes to break apart the rock to create the routing. Much of the golf course is built on coral rock that is very sharp and caused cuts to the feet, hands, arms and legs of the workers. The workers would comment that the rock was like the "teeth of the dog." When the course opened in 1971, it was officially called "Cajuiles," which is the Spanish word for the cashew trees found around the property. However, it has always been called Teeth of the Dog by the locals. Eventually, since everyone already referred to the course by its nickname, the decision was made to officially change the name to its current, iconic name. The Spanish name for Teeth of the Dog is Diente del Perro…kind of sounds better. Playing the tips of this course offers a slope and rating of 75.9/145 with the forward tees having a 68.7/124.

The Links is the odd-course out at Casa de Campo. While clearly a solid and fun resort course, it's not of the same caliber as Teeth or Dye Fore. Even though water threatens on the back nine, it just might be the most playable Pete Dye design ever built. It's got a nice collection of dog legs, although wide fairways don't require too much precision. It's probably best to play the Links as a warm-up round, otherwise playing it after the Teeth or the Dye Fore might feel like a letdown.

Playing the Chavon-Marina loop of the Dye Fore makes for a fantastic day of golf almost on par with the Teeth of the Dog. The views from several tees on the Marina nine are special. So are the dramatic holes of the Chavon nine that play along 300-foot cliffs above the Chavon River. The newer Lagos nine that opened in 2011 provides perfectly good golf, but it still feels like an afterthought, hidden well beyond the driving range. It was empty the afternoon I played it. The Dye Fore is a good 10-minute shuttle ride from the main resort, so build a half-hour into your schedule before and after the round just to be safe.

With seven holes directly along the rocky shore, Pete Dye's iconic Teeth of the Dog has a way of tempting golfers to take on the Caribbean Sea without a life vest.
The first four holes serve as a warm-up to the first stretch along the water, holes 5-8. The par 3 fifth hole is pure evil from the 137-yard blue tees. The narrow green squeezed tight by a wrap-around bunker looks so tiny compared to the expansive backdrop of the sea. The seventh green looks much bigger but so does the ocean carry from the 188-yard blue tees. The sixth and eighth holes - two strong par 4s - require two of the boldest tee shots of your life. Golfers must flirt with the shoreline to find the fairway or bail out right, leaving long approaches into difficult greens.
Many of the inland holes of the back nine are solid, but they can feel like filler until you return to the sea. Birdie isn't out of the question from the 334-yard blue tees at no. 15, although the approach is fraught with peril. The 181-yard tee shot (blue tees) on No. 16 over a seaside inlet can be especially terrifying if the wind kicks up. No. 17 - the no. 2 handicap at 377 yards from the blues - completes the magical and memorable tour of the shore.

Played this course twice when visiting Casa de Campo. During the off-season, the place is absolutely dead. Teeing off in the afternoon, you might be the fifth person to play all day. As a result, many of the courses are closed in the off-season. When I was there, the lakes and cliffs 9 holes were open (there's a bay 9 hole as well). The lakes side is newer and a pretty good flat 9, but you feel a little bit like you're in the middle of nowhere. The cliffs 9 holes was absolutely stunning with many river views and the fear of losing your ball off the end of the world. Only downside was that the greens are very different between the two areas. The range is up by the lakes course and features grass tees and plenty of room.