Teeth of the Dog

The verdict

When Pete Dye arrived on the south coast of the Dominican Republic in the late 1960s, the land was raw coral and scrub above the Caribbean. With a local crew working the rock by hand, he built a course that hugs the sea for seven holes, a string of oceanfront par 3s, par 4s and par 5s that play along, over and beside the water with the trade wind always a factor. Teeth of the Dog opened in 1971 and almost immediately ranked as the finest course in the Caribbean, a position it has rarely surrendered.

The name comes from the sharp coral that lines the coast, said to resemble a row of teeth. It is a par 72 of around 7,471 yards that anchors Casa de Campo, one of the great golf resorts of the Americas, with two more strong Dye courses alongside it. The seaside holes are the draw, but the inland holes are no filler, and a round here in the firm Caribbean wind is a serious test wrapped in a holiday. For sun, sea and a genuinely world class layout, few trips deliver more.

The holes worth the trip

The course saves its drama for the holes on the sea. The par 3 fifth and the par 3 seventh play directly over inlets of the Caribbean, all carry and nerve with the wind off the water, and the par 4 eighth runs along the coast with the ocean down the entire right side. The closing seaside holes on the back nine, the par 3 sixteenth and the long par 4 holes either side of it, send you home with the water in play and the breeze deciding club selection on every shot.

Dye's design asks for control rather than raw length. The fairways tilt toward trouble, the bunkering is severe in the Dye style, and the small, firm greens reward the player who flights the ball and respects the wind. Take too much on across the corners of the sea and the coral will swallow your ball; play the percentages and the course gives you a chance.

A caddie is part of the experience here and well worth taking, both for the local knowledge of the wind and for reading greens that are subtler than they look. Play from a tee that lets you enjoy the seaside carries rather than fear them, and Teeth of the Dog becomes one of the most memorable rounds in golf.

Where to stay nearby

Casa de Campo is a vast resort in its own right, with hotel rooms, villas and a marina village, so the simplest and most reliable plan is to stay on the property. That gives you priority tee times across the three Dye courses, a caddie programme, and the run of the beaches, restaurants and the Altos de Chavon village built into the cliffs above the river.

For a wider Dominican trip, La Romana pairs naturally with the resorts of Punta Cana to the east, around 90 minutes away, where another cluster of strong courses makes a full golf week. La Romana's own airport, on the resort's doorstep, takes seasonal international flights, with Punta Cana the larger gateway.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts at Casa de Campo and across the Dominican Republic.