Global Getaways - The Dominican Republic, by Margaret Swaine

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GOLF GETAWAY

by Margaret Swaine Columnist and Author

If you’re a golfer, winter in Canada means mostly you don’t play or you fly away to a golf getaway. One of the best warm weather places to whack that dimpled ball and enjoy other pursuits is the Dominican Republic.

The DR (Dominican Republic) is my favourite island for golf in the Caribbean for the diversity and excellence of its courses and resorts around them. Located on the eastern part of Hispaniola Island shared with Haiti, it’s the oldest European settlement in America. Years ago it set on establishing itself as a premier golfing vacation destination, as well as host for major tournaments in the Caribbean.

At least seven of the DR’s courses have consistently been in the top tier of Golfweek Magazine’s Top 50 courses in the Caribbean and Mexico. These include Punta Espada which was number one on the 2018 list, Teeth of the Dog in the third spot and Los Corales where the 2018 PGA Tour was held last year, ranking tenth. The DR’s courses have at last count 86 sea-facing holes and 39 ocean-side along with lush tropical inland fairways. Famous golf course architects Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Rees Jones, Gary Player, Tom Fazio, Nick Price, and Greg Norman have all designed for the island.

The island’s golfing tradition began at Casa de Campo in 1972 and at the Amateur Golf Championship held there in 1974. Pete Dye was the designer of the famous “Teeth of the Dog” course, consistently rated among the finest courses on the globe. Dye said at the time that he actually laid out only 11 holes of Dientes del Perro (its Spanish name) because God created the other seven on the Caribbean Sea. Also within the resort community of Casa de Campo, Dye designed The Links, which plays homage to the classic British Isle courses and later the 27-hole Dye Fore with its challenging cliff side holes.

One could easily argue this resort on the southeast coast by the town of La Romana pretty much has it all. If I could only pick one spot for my winter golfing vacations, this would be it. Set on 7,000 private acres of verdant land, it’s edged by the Caribbean Sea on one side and the winding Chavón River on the other. The property’s so large guests are given personal “carritos” (modified golf carts) to tour around. I spent an hour driving in one direction one day and never got to the end of

the property. It boasts those 63 holes of the Caribbean’s best golf, multiple tennis courts, three private sandy beaches, seven outstanding restaurants including the new Minitas Beach Club, a marina, hundreds of stations for trap, skeet and sporting clay shooting and an equestrian centre that offers trail rides, lessons and even polo.

To top it off, there’s a spa with rooms like a private sanctuary. These individual spaces have private patio gardens, hot and cold plunge pools, steam room, sauna, private shower, toilet, change room and therapy bed. They are like your own tropical apartment where you can wander around naked while enjoyed the pools in the garden area - open roofed to enjoy the sun but walled in for privacy – and the steam and sauna. www.casadecampo.com.do

All the famous all-inclusive resorts are found in Punta Cana, including Excellence, Dreams, Bahia Principe, Iberostar, Paradisus, Secrets and Hard Rock. The beaches which stretch for 60 kilometres along the east coast of the Dominican Republic are actually a string of nine pristine beach areas that run all the way from Playa Uvero Alto - about an hour drive north of the Punta Cana airport - to Playa Juanillo in Cap Cana which is half an hour to the south.

Punta Cana is also a golfer’s destination, with 10 courses located all along the strip. To add to the fun, there are luxurious marinas, fine dining and some of the country’s top spas, including the first of two Six Senses in the Caribbean. Those staying at the Cap Cana’s resorts have access to Punta Espada, the oceanfront course by Jack Nicklaus that has been a regular venue on the Champions Tour. The Nicklaus design boasts eight holes playing either alongside or over the Caribbean Sea, and another five with ocean views.

Vacationers at the Amanera Resort can tee it up at the Playa Grande Golf Course, the first golf operation of the Aman hotel corporation. Opened in 1997, the Playa Grande Golf Course is not only the last course Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designed, but considered among his best. All 18 holes overlook the Atlantic Ocean, with many played directly oceanside. Many say it’s evocative of Pebble Beach, at least visually. www.aman.com/ resorts/amanera

Honoring his father’s legacy, world-renowned golf architect Rees Jones recently redesigned Playa Grande to challenge golfers of every skill level. On the new layout, the last five holes are played on the edge of the ocean.

Robert Trent Jones also created the championship course of Playa Dorada, which is surrounded by a multitude of lodgings that are all part of the popular Playa Dorada Resort Complex near Puerto Plata in the north. Golfers play alongside resorts’ pools, beaches and buildings. Opened in 1976, golf here is an easy swing along a relatively flat course with wide fairways and generous greens.

When you need a break from golfing there are lots of other activities on the island. One recommendation I have is the Marinarium Marine Park and Aquarium. An excursion here sets off from the company’s Cabeza de Toro base for a half day of snorkelling and marine encounters in a unique off-shore marine park. You’ll ride in comfort on a two deck glass-bottom catamaran to the marine park, a 40,000 square metre area where you can swim with the stingrays and nurse sharks. Then pull out your iPhones as you cruise by the coast of Cabeza de Toro and Bávaro. When you reach what they call Paradise, you can relax in waist deep waters of Bávaro’s natural pool with your favourite cocktail in hand. http://www.marinarium.com

A half day outback safari will give you a good taste of the country without losing too much golf time. You’ll pass by local plantations and villages on your way to visit a typical Dominican home and enjoy some of that aromatic Dominican coffee with them. Stop at a rum shack to check out the local rums, cigars, vanilla and coffee. You’ll visit a local arts and crafts centre where you’ll learn how the palm woven hats and baskets are made. Your last stop might be a secluded beach or depending upon the tour, a sugar plantation. www.outbackadventuresdr.com

The largest beach handicraft centre in Punta Cana features what you’d expect. Rows of stalls selling t-shirts, inexpensive jewellery, rather garish Haitian paintings, wood carvings, sarongs and the like. The most fun items to buy here are cheap cigars and Mamajuana, a local drink made by soaking rum, red wine, and honey in a bottle with tree bark and herbs. Rumoured to be an aphrodisiac, it’s also said to have medicinal properties. Its taste varies depending upon who’s made it and what roots and barks they have used.

There are lots of other adventures to enjoy on the island but for a golfer the courses are the big draw. I’ve played the most renown of them and ones such Teeth of the Dog, Playa Grande and Punta Espada remain etched in my memory as some of the most spectacular in the world…with far better weather conditions than the famed links of the British Isles.

Punta Espada Golf Course

Casa de Campo Lounge

Teeth of the Dog Golf Course

Punta Espada Golf Course

Punta Espada Golf Course

Playa Grande Golf Course

Casa de Campo Restaurant

Playa Dorada Golf Course

About Margaret - Margaret Swaine has visited over 125 countries writing about the good things in life such as wine, spas, restaurants and fine hotels. She spent over two decades as the wine and drink columnist for both Toronto Life and Chatelaine magazines and 16 years writing features and wine and culinary travel columns for the National Post under the titles “Wine Picks” and “Forks & the Road”. She has been a restaurant columnist for Toronto Life, and the Toronto restaurant critic for Gault Millau’s website gayot.com. She has covered spas for Best Health Magazine in her column “Paradise Home and Away”, golf for ScoreGolf and Fairways and the ski scene for SkiPress. Her current bi-weekly column under the banner “Global Gourmet” for www.travelindustrytoday.com focusses on culinary travel.

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