Since opening in 1971, the oceanside Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo Resort and Villas in La Romana, Dominican Republic, has consistently been rated as one of the top 50 golf courses in the world for its breathtaking views and white-knuckle challenges. But now, as part of the resort’s 50th anniversary celebration, the iconic Pete Dye design is being modernized under the direction of Jerry Pate Design in an extensive restoration that will take nearly one year.
I had the opportunity to visit Teeth of the Dog seven years ago and saw it in all its glory, playing holes that back up tight against the ocean, staddle alongside cliffs and are carved from the rugged rock and coral of the Dominican coastline. Seven of the holes have come to be known as the “Heaven 7,” because Dye used to say, “I created 11 holes and God created seven.”
But when I was there in April, I saw a course that was entirely under restoration, with the grass gone from all the tees, fairways and greens and only sandy brown soil in its place. The work, which began in January, with a scheduled reopening of the course next December, will be primarily cosmetic, featuring a complete reseeding with Pure Dynasty paspalum, considered ideal for a coastal course. In addition, three inches of sand will be added to the fairways before planting, the surrounding edges of the greens will be returned to their original size, and greenside bunkers will be expanded with enhanced faces for a more dramatic appearance.
Gilles Gagnon, the senior director of golf sales as Casa de Campo, said the course was overdue for a restoration.
“It got rundown a little bit and was not in the condition the ownership wanted,” he said. “It was time to go back and put down grass that would grow easily in the Caribbean. It was very difficult to keep the fairways in good shape and still have a little bit of cushion under them, the bunkers were settled in and took away the framing of the holes, and the greens got smaller. But in terms of the course itself, we’re not doing anything to change it. It will still be iconic; it’s just going to be in good shape.” More