Global
Post
www.globalgolfpost.com
APRIL 16, 2012
F In many ways, I believe the royal
and ancient game is best enjoyed in
places like those, which is why I am
having so much fun playing in the
Dominican Republic, for the eastern-
most tip of this land has as many good
golf holes on the water as any on earth.
And I mean right on the water, so close
that even the slightest mis-hit goes into
the drink. It also helps that this Carib-
bean country on which Christopher
Columbus landed in 1492 boasts some
of the sunniest and most temperate
weather anywhere as well as a wealth
of first-rate designs.
I think of all that when I play the
Corales and La Cana courses at the
Punta Cana resort, laid out by Tom
Fazio and P.B. Dye, respectively, and
realize that five of the holes at Corales
hug the Atlantic Ocean as do four at La
Cana. The following morning, I venture
to the nearby Cap Cana resort to play
Punta Espada, and happily discover
that the Jack Nicklaus track there has
a total of nine holes on the water, all so
postcard-scenic and full of pleasure.
And then I find myself on Pete Dye’s
famous Teeth of the Dog course at
Casa de Campo, with seven golf holes
running along the jagged, coral coast
of the Caribbean, the waves sometimes
breaking so hard that sea water leaps
into the air mere feet from where I am
teeing my golf balls or lining up putts.
By my count, that’s 25 water holes
on four courses, and if you want some
perspective of what an embarrass-
ment of aquatic riches that is, con-
sider that water only comes into play
on four holes at hallowed Cypress A
Teeth of the Dog
a perfect day
LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC |
The Atlantic Ocean is only 30 yards
from my hotel room at Punta Cana,
so that is the first place I go when I
wake, for an early morning swim.
Fortunately, the Tom Fazio-designed
Corales golf course is not much
further away, and I head there after
some strong Dominican coffee and
a bowl of fresh tropical fruit. I savor
the seaside views of the inland holes
as well as the colorful swathes of
bougainvillea and hibiscus growing
throughout the property. Towering
groves of coconut palms sway gently
in the wind, and I fairly beam at the
pleasure of playing the holes laid out
along the Atlantic, Nos. 8 and 9 on the
front, and then 16th, 17th and 18th on
the back side.
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