Why golf here
The Dominican Republic has more than two dozen courses, more than any other Caribbean country, and several are among the best-ranked in the world outside the US and the UK. The two great clusters sit on the southeast coast: Casa de Campo near La Romana, where Pete Dye built Teeth of the Dog in 1971, and the Punta Cana and Cap Cana area, which added Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio designs in the 2000s. The north coast has a smaller but dramatic set of clifftop courses near Río San Juan and Puerto Plata.
What sets Dominican golf apart from a Florida or Arizona trip is the combination of oceanfront holes built on coral rock, warm winter weather, a caddie culture that has disappeared from most US courses, and resorts that let you play two or three different championship courses without getting in a car. What surprises Americans is the cost structure: the famous courses charge prices similar to Pebble Beach or TPC Sawgrass, and the 18% ITBIS tax (the Dominican sales tax) is often added on top.
Different from home
Green fees at the top resorts are quoted in US dollars, and many quote before tax. Read the rate sheet for "+ ITBIS" or "tax included." A $450 fee becomes $531 with tax, before the caddie.
The main courses at a glance
| Course | Area | Designer | Access | Published fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teeth of the Dog | Casa de Campo, La Romana | Pete Dye | Resort and villa guests | $450 hotel guest, $550 villa or other registered guest, plus tax |
| Dye Fore (27 holes) | Casa de Campo | Pete Dye | Resort and villa guests | $350 / $450 plus tax |
| The Links | Casa de Campo | Pete Dye | Resort and villa guests | $275 / $350 plus tax |
| Punta Espada | Cap Cana | Jack Nicklaus | Open to visitors by tee time | On the club's current rate sheet; includes cart, caddie, range and tax |
| Corales | Puntacana Resort | Tom Fazio | Resort guests and booked visitors | Ask the resort; among the priciest rounds in the region |
| La Cana (27 holes) | Puntacana Resort | P.B. Dye | Resort guests and booked visitors | Ask the resort |
| Playa Grande | Río San Juan, north coast | Robert Trent Jones Sr. | Limited; call ahead | Ask the club |
Rates change each season and are subject to change without notice. The Casa de Campo figures above are its published rates per 18-hole round; for the others, get the current price in writing when you book.
Casa de Campo: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore and The Links
Casa de Campo is a 7,000-acre resort on the edge of La Romana, about 1 hour 45 minutes east of Santo Domingo and about 1 hour from Punta Cana by road, with its own airport (LRM) next door. It has three Pete Dye courses and more golf holes than anywhere else in the country. See La Romana and Bayahíbe for the rest of the area.
Teeth of the Dog
The course that put Caribbean golf on the map, routed along the coral shoreline so that several holes play directly over the water. The name comes from the sharp coral rock that lines the coast. It recently reopened after a complete restoration, and it is still routinely ranked the number one course in the Caribbean. Wind off the sea is the main defense; the par 3s along the water can play two or three clubs longer in the afternoon. Expect a pace of about 4 hours 30 minutes.
Dye Fore
Built high on the cliffs above the Chavón River gorge, next to the Altos de Chavón artists' village. The views over the river and the marina are spectacular, the course is long and exposed, and it often plays harder than Teeth of the Dog. Caddies are required here too.
The Links
An inland course with lakes and rolling fairways, and the least expensive of the three. It is the best place to warm up on day one or to play a second round in the afternoon. Caddies are optional, though the club recommends one.
Who can play
Casa de Campo's courses are for registered resort guests only. That includes hotel guests and guests in the resort's private villas, who pay the higher rate. You must show your resort ID at check-in, or the higher rate applies. If you are staying elsewhere in La Romana or Bayahíbe, ask your hotel whether it has an arrangement with the resort, and ask Casa de Campo directly before you plan around it.
Published rates
| Course | Hotel guest | Villa or other registered guest |
|---|---|---|
| Teeth of the Dog | $450 | $550 |
| Dye Fore | $350 | $450 |
| The Links | $275 | $350 |
Per person per 18 holes, plus 18% tax. The fee includes the round, the driving range, bag storage and a shared cart. A non-golfing passenger riding in the cart pays $50 plus tax. Children under 17 may not drive carts.
Save money
Casa de Campo's Unlimited Golf package includes preferential rates on Teeth of the Dog along with meals and drinks. If you plan to play four or more rounds, price the package against room-only plus individual green fees. Replay rounds on the same course the same day may be available at a lower rate, but only on the day and subject to space.
Caddies at Casa de Campo
- Required on Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore; optional on The Links.
- Fees are paid in cash directly to the caddie, and the published fee already includes the tip: $50 for one player, $50 for two players, $100 for three or four players sharing a cart caddie, and $100 per bag for a walking caddie who carries.
- You can request a caddie in advance through the golf office or simply go to the caddie master when you arrive.
2027 maintenance closures
Each course closes for maintenance on a rotating schedule between May and October, with discounted rates during those months. The published 2027 closures are:
- Teeth of the Dog: July 5–14 and September 20–26
- The Links: July 19–28
- Dye Fore Marina: May 31 – June 9 and August 2–11
- Dye Fore Chavón: June 28 – July 4 and August 30 – September 5
- Dye Fore Lagos: April 19–25 and August 23–29
Dates can shift; confirm with the golf starter before you book flights around a specific round.
Booking
Book tee times online at casadecampoteetimes.com, by phone toll-free from the US at 866-719-8883, or at the golf office in the Dominican Republic on 809-523-8115. Cancellations or no-shows within 24 hours are charged 100%.
Cap Cana: Punta Espada and Las Iguanas
Cap Cana is a gated resort and residential development just south of Punta Cana airport, about 20 minutes from PUJ. It has marinas, a beach club and several luxury hotels; see Punta Cana.
Punta Espada Golf Club
The first of the Nicklaus courses at Cap Cana, with eight holes that play along or over the Caribbean, including tee shots across coves of turquoise water. It hosted the senior PGA Tour in its early years and regularly appears on lists of the best courses in the Caribbean and Mexico. The fee includes the green fee, ITBIS tax, unlimited range balls, cart and caddie fee, plus a yardage book, tees and water on the course. Caddies are mandatory. Guests who book through the club's website get transfers included.
Las Iguanas
Cap Cana's second Nicklaus course. Access and rates for outside players have changed since it opened; ask the Punta Espada concierge or your Cap Cana hotel what applies this season.
Punta Espada posts its current rates on its website as a rate sheet image, and they change by season. Book at puntaespadagolf.com, by phone at +1 809-469-7767, or by email to the club concierge. Cancellations within 24 hours of the tee time are charged 100%.
Insider tip
Because Punta Espada's fee includes the caddie fee, you only add a tip. In practice golfers tip the caddie in cash at the end of the round, in US dollars or pesos; ask the starter what is customary this season so you are neither stingy nor wildly over.
Puntacana Resort: Corales and La Cana
Puntacana Resort, the original development that built the Punta Cana airport, sits just east of PUJ. It has two golf facilities with 45 holes between them.
Corales
Fazio's course runs past cliffs, coral reefs and the sea, and finishes with the "Devil's Elbow," a stretch of holes around a bay where the final drive carries over the water. Corales has hosted the PGA Tour's Corales Puntacana Championship since 2018; its dates have moved around the calendar, so check the PGA Tour schedule if you want to watch or avoid it. The clubhouse and the finishing holes are some of the best-looking in the Caribbean.
La Cana
P.B. Dye, Pete Dye's son, designed La Cana with 14 holes that have views of the ocean. The three nines let you play different combinations over a few days. It is more approachable than Corales, and a good second course for a week at the resort.
The resort does not publish green fees on its golf pages. Book through the tee-time link on puntacana.com/golf or ask about golf packages, which usually work out cheaper than paying per round. Ask about access for non-guests when you book, since tee times in winter go to resort guests and members first, and book well ahead.
Bávaro and the rest of the Punta Cana coast
If you are staying at one of the big all-inclusives in Bávaro, you can play good courses for far less than the headline names. Several belong to resort groups and give their guests discounted or package rates; see All-inclusives.
Iberostar Bávaro Golf Club
A flat, water-heavy resort course surrounded by the Iberostar hotels, with a large share of holes involving lakes. Iberostar guests usually get preferential rates; outside players can book.
Barceló Bávaro Golf
The course at the Barceló Bávaro complex, with many lakes and wide fairways. It is convenient for Barceló guests and one of the easier rounds in the area for high handicappers.
Cocotal Golf & Country Club
A 27-hole facility inside a residential community near the Meliá resorts, designed by the Spanish champion Pepe Gancedo. It is popular with visitors staying in villas and condos in Bávaro.
Punta Blanca
A Nick Price design near the Bávaro hotels, with lakes and mangroves. A good-value option when the big names are booked.
Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay
A Nicklaus design at the north end of the resort strip, with a few holes near the beach and dunes. Guests of the Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana get resort rates.
Green fees at these courses are a fraction of the marquee prices and vary with the course, the season, and on hotel affiliation, since guests of a partner resort usually pay less. Most include a cart; caddies are optional. Ask your hotel's golf desk for the current price, and compare it with the price the club quotes you directly.
North coast courses
Playa Grande
Ten holes run along cliffs above the Atlantic, and on a clear day it is one of the most dramatic places to play golf anywhere in the hemisphere. The course is part of the Playa Grande club and the Amanera resort, and access for outside players has been limited and has changed over the years. Call well ahead; do not assume you can turn up. See Cabarete, Sosúa and Río San Juan.
Playa Dorada
An older course inside the Playa Dorada hotel zone, with a few holes along the beach. It is relaxed, affordable and the obvious choice for a round from the Puerto Plata hotels or a cruise stop, if your ship's schedule allows. See Puerto Plata and Cruises.
Near Santo Domingo and in the mountains
Juan Dolio, about 45 minutes east of Santo Domingo, has Guavaberry, a Gary Player design with a waterfall and coral-rock features, plus a couple of other courses that see more local weekend players than tourists. In the capital itself, the main courses are private country clubs that require a member or an introduction. In the mountains, Jarabacoa has a small course in a cool pine-forest setting. See Juan Dolio and Boca Chica and Jarabacoa and Constanza.
When to play
Golf season follows the dry season. December through April brings sunshine, steady trade winds, low humidity by Caribbean standards and highs in the low to mid-80s°F (28–30°C). This is also when rates are highest and tee times at Teeth of the Dog, Punta Espada and Corales fill weeks in advance, especially around Christmas, Presidents' Day and Easter week (Semana Santa, a big domestic travel week).
May through October is hotter and more humid, with afternoon showers. Courses offer discounted rates and rotate maintenance closures. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with the highest risk from August to October. See When to go for month-by-month weather.
Insider tip
Book the first tee times of the morning. You avoid the worst heat, the wind is lighter on the oceanfront holes, and you are back at the pool by lunch. On the east coast the trade winds usually build through the late morning.
Watch out
The sun is far stronger than in most of the US. Drink water on every hole, use high-SPF sunscreen and reapply at the turn, and wear a hat. Heat exhaustion on the course is common among visitors in their first days; see Health.
Caddies and course etiquette
Dominican caddies are often the best part of the round. Many have worked the same course for decades, read the greens well and know where the wind will take the ball. A forecaddie or cart caddie also speeds up play and finds balls in the coral and scrub.
- Mandatory or optional: mandatory at Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore and Punta Espada; optional at most other courses.
- Paying: at Casa de Campo the caddie fee includes the tip and is paid in cash to the caddie. Elsewhere, the caddie fee may be built into the green fee, and you add a cash tip at the end. Ask the starter which applies.
- Language: most caddies at the top courses speak enough English for golf, and many speak it well. A few words of Spanish go a long way: izquierda (left), derecha (right), cuesta arriba (uphill).
- Dress code: collared shirts and golf shorts or slacks for players and anyone riding in the cart. No T-shirts, denim, cut-offs, swimwear or tank tops.
- Pace: about 4 hours 30 minutes at Teeth of the Dog; resort courses can be slower in high season.
Different from home
Unlike at most US public courses, here you will rarely carry your own bag or ride without help at the top clubs. Plan the caddie fee and tip into your budget from the start, in cash.
How to book a golf trip
- Pick your base. For the most variety without driving, stay at Casa de Campo (three courses) or Puntacana Resort (45 holes), or base yourself in Bávaro and play Punta Espada, Corales and the Bávaro courses by taxi or transfer.
- Check access rules. Casa de Campo is guests only; Corales and Playa Grande can be restricted. Book your room before you book tee times.
- Book the marquee rounds first. In high season, reserve Teeth of the Dog, Punta Espada and Corales as soon as you have flights, then fill in the rest.
- Get rates in writing. Ask whether the price includes 18% tax, cart, caddie fee and range balls.
- Mind cancellation rules. The big clubs charge 100% for cancellations within 24 hours and for no-shows.
- Arrange transport. Taxis wait at the big resorts; Punta Espada includes transfers for website bookings. Rental cars work too; see Driving.
Clubs and luggage
Every major club rents sets, but quality and prices vary, and premium rental sets go fast in winter. Most US airlines count a golf bag as a standard checked bag if it is within weight limits; check your airline's rules and fees before you fly (see Flights). Bring more balls than you think you need: the coral and the sea take a lot of them, and balls at pro shops cost more than at home.
A sample golf week
- Day 1
Arrive La Romana
Fly into La Romana or Punta Cana, transfer to Casa de Campo, and play The Links in the afternoon to shake off the flight.
- Day 2
Teeth of the Dog
An early tee time on the main event, then lunch at the marina and dinner at Altos de Chavón.
- Day 3
Dye Fore
Play the Chavón and Marina nines above the river gorge, then a beach afternoon or a Toros del Este night game in La Romana in season (see Baseball).
- Day 4
Move to Punta Cana
Drive about 1 hour east to Cap Cana or Puntacana Resort. Rest day, or a catamaran trip (see Excursions).
- Day 5
Punta Espada
Nicklaus's oceanfront course, with an early start before the wind builds.
- Day 6
Corales
Finish on the Devil's Elbow, then fly home from PUJ the next morning.
Want help putting it together, including tee times and transfers? Our planners can build it with you through Contact, or try the Budget tool.
What trips people up
- Tax on top. 18% ITBIS on a $550 green fee adds $99.
- Guest-only courses. Teeth of the Dog is not open to day visitors staying elsewhere.
- Cash for caddies. Bring small US bills or pesos; see Money.
- Summer closures. Check the maintenance calendar before booking a June or September trip.
- Afternoon wind. Club up on the ocean holes, and keep the ball low.
- Overbooking a week. Five rounds in six days in the heat is a lot. Leave a rest day.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.