Playa Grande Golf Course

The verdict

Playa Grande has one of the highest concentrations of oceanfront golf anywhere. Robert Trent Jones routed it along a stretch of cliff between Rio San Juan and Cabrera and completed it in 1997, but for years it slid into disrepair. The estate brought in his son Rees Jones, the renowned restorer of US Open venues, to rebuild it from the ground up, and the course reopened in 2016 with new greens, sharpened bunkering and the sea views finally framed as Trent Jones intended.

Twelve holes play along or toward the Atlantic, and the run of clifftop par 3s is the headline, exposed to the trade wind with the surf breaking far below. The course rewards the player who can flight the ball down and commit to a line over nothing but ocean. It is a bucket list round and a counterweight to the resort golf of the east coast, set on a wilder, quieter shore where the drama comes from the cliffs rather than the crowds.

The holes worth the trip

The sea holes define Playa Grande. The clifftop par 3s are the most photographed, played across the edge of the land to greens perched above the Atlantic with the wind swirling off the water and almost no bailout on the seaward side. The smart play is often a club more and a target safely inland of the flag, trusting the ground to feed the ball toward the hole.

Rees Jones widened the playing corridors and rebuilt the greens with subtle internal movement, so the course is fair from the right tees yet exacting when the wind is up. The par 4s curl along the coastline so the tee shot that hugs the cliff opens the best angle in, and the inland holes thread through sea grape and palm as a breather between the exposed stretches.

It is a walk and a round to savor slowly, with a caddie who knows how the wind moves over the cliffs. Playa Grande is firm, fast and elemental, and on a bright day with the trades blowing it is as good as Caribbean golf gets.

Where to stay nearby

The natural base is the Playa Grande estate itself, an exclusive enclave of villas and a boutique hotel above the same shoreline as the golf, with a private beach club and a quiet, design led feel that is a world away from the all inclusive east coast. Staying on the estate is also the most reliable way to secure tee times.

Playa Grande pairs well with the north coast and a longer Dominican tour. Build a few nights here for the clifftop golf and the calmer Atlantic shore, then move down to the east coast to add the resort courses of Punta Cana and Cap Cana and the legendary Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo for a complete island week.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Playa Grande.