Courses in Punta Cana, Punta Espada Golf Club golf course
Ranked · 7 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in Punta Cana

The eastern tip of the Dominican Republic has quietly become one of the Caribbean's best golf destinations, where Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio have laid out oceanfront courses against turquoise water and a PGA Tour event now visits each year. Pair the golf with all inclusive resorts and direct flights and the appeal is obvious. Here are the seven we rate most highly, ranked.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Punta Espada Golf Club, Hernesto Gonzalo, via Google

How we chose them

Punta Cana sells itself on white sand and all inclusive resorts, but for golfers the draw is the coastline. On the limestone and coral edge of the Caribbean, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio have built courses with holes that play right along the water, led by Punta Espada at Cap Cana, long rated the best course in the Caribbean and Mexico, and Corales at Puntacana Resort, which hosts the only PGA Tour event in the Dominican Republic. Those two are the headline rounds and the reason serious golfers come.

Behind them sits a deep field of resort courses, most attached to the all inclusive hotels of Bavaro and Cana Bay, that make Punta Cana such an easy golf and beach combination for groups and families. We weighed design quality, the drama of the setting, conditioning and how rewarding the round is for a travelling golfer, and we checked every designer and date we could at the time of writing. Green fees here are quoted by the courses in US dollars and move with the season. The verdicts and the order are ours. If you want this built into a costed trip, that is what our concierge does.

The ranking

01

Punta Espada Golf Club

Jack Nicklaus · Cap Cana · opened 2006

The best course in Punta Cana and long rated the number one in the Caribbean and Mexico by Golfweek, a Jack Nicklaus signature layout at Cap Cana with eight holes playing along the cliffs and coves of the Caribbean. The sea is a constant presence, never more so than at the par 3 13th, which carries across an inlet to a green on the rocks, and the conditioning matches the setting. It is the one essential round of any Punta Cana golf trip and a genuine bucket list experience.

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02

Corales Golf Club

Tom Fazio · opened 2010 · Puntacana Resort and Club

The home of the PGA Tour in the Dominican Republic, a Tom Fazio design at Puntacana Resort that opened in 2010 and hosts the Corales Puntacana Championship each year. Six holes run along the ocean, building to one of the most dramatic finishes in resort golf, the Devil's Elbow, where the closing three play hard by the cliffs and the 18th demands a forced carry over the Bay of Corales. Exclusive, beautifully presented and genuinely championship standard, it is the equal of Punta Espada for many.

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03

La Cana Golf Club

P.B. Dye · Puntacana Resort · 27 holes

The original course of Puntacana Resort and Club, a P.B. Dye layout of 27 holes across three nines, with oceanfront and lakeside holes and the distinction of being the first course in the Caribbean to use seawater tolerant paspalum turf. More accessible and more forgiving than its Corales stablemate, it is the everyday golfer's favourite at the resort, with several holes along the sea and reliably good conditioning. A relaxed, scenic round and the easiest of the marquee names to get on without a premium price.

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04

Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay

Jack Nicklaus · Cana Bay · par 72

A second Jack Nicklaus signature course in Punta Cana, this one inland at Cana Bay, a long par 72 of more than seven thousand yards carved through the Dominican landscape with paspalum turf, undulating greens and generous bailout areas. Attached to the Hard Rock all inclusive resort, with golf packages that bundle transport and on course food and drink, it is one of the most popular rounds with resort guests. A strong, playable Nicklaus test and an easy choice for golfers staying at Cana Bay.

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05

Iberostar Bavaro Golf Club

P.B. Dye · Bavaro

A P.B. Dye design set inland among the lakes and tropical vegetation of Bavaro, a demanding, well bunkered course with the architect's trademark bold shaping, mounding and water in play. It runs through the heart of the Iberostar resort complex, making it a convenient round for the many golfers based along Bavaro beach, and the layout has enough teeth to reward good players while staying enjoyable from the forward tees. A solid, characterful resort course and a regular on Punta Cana golf itineraries.

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06

Punta Blanca Golf Club

Nick Price · Bavaro

A Nick Price design in Bavaro, the former world number one's tropical course winding through palms, lagoons and native bush close to the resort strip. More about rhythm and placement than length, it is an enjoyable, well conditioned round that suits a wide range of handicaps and pairs naturally with a beach based stay. It rounds out the Bavaro options for golfers who want quality resort golf without the premium of the oceanfront names, and is easy to combine with the bigger courses to the south.

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07

Cocotal Golf and Country Club

Jose Gancedo · Bavaro · 27 holes

A 27 hole course in the heart of Bavaro designed by the Spanish architect and amateur champion Jose Gancedo, set among coconut groves and lakes within a residential and resort community. The three combinable nines give variety and the mature palm planting lends a lush, tropical feel, and its central location makes it one of the most convenient rounds for golfers staying along Bavaro beach. A pleasant, walkable resort course that completes a Punta Cana top list with golf close to the all inclusive hotels.

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Designers and dates verified June 2026. Green fees in Punta Cana are quoted by the courses in US dollars and vary by season; the oceanfront courses at Cap Cana and Corales carry a premium. Always confirm tee time availability and current fees directly before booking. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Check tee time availability.

Play the best of Punta Cana

Tell us which of these are on your list, the Nicklaus and Fazio oceanfront courses or a resort based golf and beach week, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times, transfers and all inclusive base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Punta Cana golf questions

What is the best golf course in Punta Cana?

Punta Espada at Cap Cana, a Jack Nicklaus signature course with eight holes on the Caribbean, is the best in Punta Cana and has topped Golfweek's ranking of the best courses in the Caribbean and Mexico. Tom Fazio's Corales, a PGA Tour venue, is the other standout.

Which Punta Cana course hosts the PGA Tour?

Corales Golf Club at Puntacana Resort and Club, a Tom Fazio design that opened in 2010, hosts the Corales Puntacana Championship, the first and only PGA Tour event in the Dominican Republic, famous for its clifftop Devil's Elbow finish over the Bay of Corales.

Are Punta Cana green fees expensive?

The oceanfront courses at Cap Cana and Corales carry the highest green fees in the region, quoted in US dollars and rising in the winter high season, while the resort courses at Bavaro and Cana Bay are more moderate, often bundled into all inclusive golf packages. Always confirm current fees directly before booking.

When is the best time to play golf in Punta Cana?

December to April is the dry, cooler high season and the most comfortable time to play, which is also the busiest and most expensive. The shoulder months of May and November offer good value with a slightly higher chance of a passing shower, and golf is playable year round.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers and dates verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.