Casa de Campo: Caribbean Golf At Its Finest

Casa De Campo

Most tourists visit the Caribbean to enjoy the beaches, but some (in the know) also head there to play golf. And the most beautiful and challenging golf course in the entire Caribbean is at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. Built on 7,000 acres of ocean front property in the 1970s as a private retreat, it is today a welcoming golf resort of the unmatched beauty

and gracious amenities.

The resort is located in La Romana on the southeast coast of the country. Casa de Campo (Spanish for "Country House") is a Ponderosa-style, tropical seaside resort. Built by the late Charles Bluhdorn, Gulf+Western’s founder and CEO, the interior design is by one of his Dominican friends, Oscar de la Renta. After Bluhdorn's death, the Cuban-American Fanjul family (one of the world’s leading sugar merchants), bought Casa de Campo and opened it to paying guests. Without compromising the feeling of exclusivity, they’ve developed it into one of the most complete resorts in the region.

Casa de Campo’s golf has been internationally recognized for more than three decades. Golf architects Pete and Alice Dye have had a home at Casa de Campo since the early 1970s, when they guided 300 local laborers with machetes to blaze the Diente del Perro, (Teeth of the Dog, opened in 1971) through the jungle and along a rocky coast. The world's golfers flocked to the course after it served as a backdrop for the 1971 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It remains the only Caribbean course consistently in the world’s top 100 courses (often in the top 50). The Links Course (opened in 1974) and the members-only La Romana Country Club (opened in 1990) are inland layouts spiced with lakes. Dye’s newest course, the much-acclaimed Dye Fore (opened in 2000), skirts cliffs 300 feet (91 m) above the Chavón River, with views of the village of Altos de Chavón, distant mountains and the new marina. Dye is at work on another course on the plateau next to Dye Fore.

Casa de Campo has a modern, new 400-berth marina, complete with a shipyard with a 120-ton TraveLift designed by Italian architect, Gianfranco Fini to resemble Portofino. Surrounding this harbor are restaurants, shops, bars, and homes.

Located in two-story clusters surrounded by colorful gardens in the main area of the resort, is the oversized, newly remodeled chic hotel. Rooms offer private balconies, splendid views, and provide guests with easy access to the lobby, main pool and deck, Cygalle Healing Spa, golf pro shop and the Teeth of the Dog and Links golf courses.

A stay in a Casa de Campo villa is like having your own private hideaway, with the amenities of a world-class resort at your doorstep. Here is the perfect option to share time and space with family and friends, great for golf buddy escapes, and outstanding for business retreats. This taste of the high life can be surprisingly affordable. When you estimate the cost per person in your villa, you’ll find the price is similar to a regular room at many luxury resorts.

Learn more at www.casadecamporesort.com and plan a great golf excursion to the Caribbean.

Jim Weaver

GolfWiz Blog

Senior Travel Writer