COURSE · RESORT · BUCKET LIST · TIER S
La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic · The Caribbean's Most Legendary Golf Course
Seven holes that God made, eleven that Pete Dye carved from coral and conviction — together they form the Caribbean's defining golf experience.
01 · Overview
~2 min read
Teeth of the Dog sits on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, where the Caribbean Sea meets a jagged coral shoreline that no landscape architect could have invented. Built in 1971 and ranked continuously among the world's top courses ever since, it is the course by which Caribbean golf — and much of Pete Dye's long career — is measured.
Construction began in 1969 when Dye arrived with over 300 Dominican laborers wielding machetes and sledgehammers to clear the coastline by hand. The course was then called Cajuiles, after the cashew tree, before the coral formations gave it the name that stuck. Dye later deflected full credit with characteristic wit, remarking that he had created eleven holes and God had created seven. The seven ocean holes — scattered across both nines — remain among the most dramatic stretches in the game, where the tee shot carries directly over the Caribbean and the line between brilliant and wet is a matter of club selection and nerve.
On the ground, Teeth of the Dog plays longer than its drama suggests it should. At 7,312 yards with a course rating of 76.0 and a slope of 145, the inland holes earn their difficulty through Dye's characteristic mix of waste bunkers, sharply contoured greens, and fairways that funnel the ball away from the intended target. The trade winds — persistent from the northeast through most of the year — add a dimension that does not appear on the scorecard. Club selection on the ocean par 3s at holes 5, 7, and 16 can swing by two clubs in the space of a single afternoon round.
Access is limited to registered resort guests and villa owners, which keeps the course measured and unhurried. A caddie is mandatory, and the resort enforces the rule without apology — the right local knowledge on the ocean holes is worth more than any yardage book. The course underwent its most thorough restoration in over fifty years beginning in 2025, with the work led by Jerry Pate Design. The greens, drainage, and turf were modernised while Dye's original coral architecture was left precisely where God and the architect intended it.
THE COASTLINE
Seven holes play directly against the Caribbean shoreline, carved from jagged coral rock that gives the course its name. There is no rough on these holes — only sea.
THE WIND
Northeast trade winds are the invisible hazard on every ocean hole. A two-club swing in wind speed can turn a wedge into a mid-iron on the same par 3 an hour apart.
THE BUNKERING
Inland holes are governed by Pete Dye's characteristic waste bunkers — wide, sandy, and unraked — that patrol fairway edges and penalise anything short of a committed line.
THE GREENS
Putting surfaces are undulating and firm, built to reject approach shots that arrive at the wrong angle. The slope rating of 145 is earned largely on and around the greens.
02 · The Holes
6 of 6 · tap any hole to watch creators play it
Six holes carry more of the course's weight than the other twelve combined — and the creator vlogs that prove it.
HOLE 16 · par 3 · 193y
Widely regarded as the signature hole on the course, this par 3 sits perched high above the Caribbean with seven bunkers ringing a shallow green. The tee shot carries over the sea; the wind decides everything else.
193 yards · Seven bunkers, one shallow green, the whole Caribbean below — the most photographed tee shot in the Dominican Republic.
HOLE 5 · par 3 · 168y
The first of the God-created seven, a short par 3 demanding a full carry over the Caribbean Sea to a tiny green. It announces the ocean stretch with an economy of fuss and a maximum of fear.
168 yards · The shortest ocean hole on the course, and in many ways the most concentrated dose of the Teeth of the Dog experience.
HOLE 7 · par 3 · 227y
The longest par 3 on the course and the most physically demanding of the ocean holes. The Caribbean frames the entire left side; a lengthy meandering bunker on the right offers cold comfort to anyone bailing out.
227 yards · At 227 yards from the tips into a stiff trade wind, it is among the hardest one-shotters in the Caribbean.
HOLE 15 · par 4 · 372y
After five inland holes on the back nine, the course returns to the sea through a jungle path, revealing a green site that is among the most photographed in Caribbean golf. The drama of the reveal is part of the design.
372 yards · The transition back to the ocean after the inland stretch is one of the great theatrical moments in resort golf.
HOLE 17 · par 4 · 431y
The final ocean hole plays directly along the rocky coral coastline, where the sea runs the full length of the left side. Anything drawn or leaking left does not come back. A measured, slightly open fade is the correct play.
431 yards · The last ocean hole asks the same question the first did — aim left and trust yourself — after three and a half hours of the sea pressing in.
HOLE 9 · par 5 · 589y
A long par 5 that closes the outward nine heading back toward the clubhouse, typically playing into the prevailing trade winds. After the ocean stretch of holes five through eight, it demands a different kind of patience.
589 yards
05 · In Their Words
4 on-camera verdicts · spoken while filming here
Dominican Dons on the prowl.
It is unbelievable. Between the links, teeth of the dog... it is unbelievable.
Pete made a fun and hard course here.
It's by far the most challenging course at Casa de Campo.
06 · How to Play Here
6 routes to a tee time
Hotel Guest Rate (Registered Resort Guest) · hotel package
Standard rate for guests staying at the Casa de Campo hotel or in a villa booked through the resort. Includes green fees, cart, and range balls. Caddie is mandatory on Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore.
Green Fee (Teeth of the Dog) $400
Non-Hotel Registered Guest (Villa Guests) · single
Rate for guests staying in private villas within the resort (not booked through the hotel) who have paid the mandatory daily resort registration fee ($30/night). Play is generally restricted to registered guests and residents.
Green Fee (Teeth of the Dog) $550
Unlimited Golf Package · package
Package for resort guests including daily golf on The Links and Dye Fore, with preferential rates for Teeth of the Dog. Typically includes gourmet dining and drinks.
Package Supplement From $115/night
Links2Golf / LeClub Golf Network · external
Booking route for members of the Links2Golf or LeClub Golf networks. Requires booking through the network's concierge service.
Network Rate Varies
Third-Party Golf Packages · external
Full travel packages including lodging and a set number of rounds on Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore, and The Links.
7-Night Package From $2,500
Villa Owner / Resident Access · members only
Property owners and residents receive discounted rates and priority booking windows through the Homeowner Privileges Program.
Owner Rate Varies
07 · History
8 moments · 1969–2025
1969
Dye and over 300 Dominican laborers cleared the rugged coral coastline by hand using machetes and sledgehammers. The course, initially called Cajuiles, would take shape over two years of physical work.
1971
The course opened to international acclaim with seven holes built directly into the coral rock. Dye gave God credit for those seven, took responsibility for the remaining eleven.
1974
Pete Dye completed a second championship course at the resort — The Links — designed with a traditional inland layout that contrasts in character with the seaside drama of Teeth of the Dog.
1983
Teeth of the Dog appeared in Golf Magazine's inaugural Top 100 Courses in the World list. It is among a small group of courses said to have never missed the ranking since.
2005
The resort expanded its golf offering with the 27-hole Dye Fore complex, featuring cliffside holes dropping 300 feet to the Chavón River valley below.
2016
Teeth of the Dog hosted the first LAAC, the region's premier amateur event co-founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A, and the USGA. The course would host again in 2019 and 2022.
2020
The golf world mourned the loss of the architect who considered Casa de Campo his spiritual home. Dye regarded Teeth of the Dog as his personal favourite design.
2025
The course entered its most significant restoration in over fifty years, led by Jerry Pate Design. Turf and drainage were modernised while Dye's original coral architecture was preserved.
08 · Common Questions
7 questions · sourced from 5 vlogs
The course is not open to the general public. Play is restricted to registered guests of the Casa de Campo Resort & Villas — either hotel guests, villa renters booked through the resort, or registered independent villa guests who pay the mandatory resort fee. Property owners and residents also have priority access through the Homeowner Privileges Program.
Tee times are arranged through the resort's golf concierge, accessible once a hotel or villa booking is confirmed. Third-party golf packages through operators such as Golfbreaks are the most common route for first-time visitors, as they bundle lodging, rounds, and resort registration into a single booking. Walk-in access without a confirmed reservation is not available.
Yes. A caddie is mandatory on both Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore. The rule is strictly enforced and, on a course where the ocean determines so many shot choices, it is a welcome one. Carts are available in addition to, not instead of, the caddie.
The standard hotel-guest green fee for Teeth of the Dog is approximately $400, which includes the cart and range balls. Guests staying in independently rented villas who have paid the daily resort registration fee pay a higher rate of around $550. Unlimited golf packages from around $115 per night are available for hotel guests and cover daily rounds on The Links and Dye Fore with preferential rates on Teeth of the Dog.
The resort operates on a rotating six-week maintenance schedule from May through October, meaning individual courses may be temporarily closed during that period. At least one course remains open at all times. Teeth of the Dog is at its most reliable between November and April, when trade winds are consistent and the turf is at its firmest.
La Romana International Airport (LRM) is the closest option, approximately five minutes from the resort entrance. Punta Cana International (PUJ) and Las Américas in Santo Domingo (SDQ) are both roughly fifty to sixty minutes by road via the Autopista del Coral, and the resort can arrange transfers from either.
With a course rating of 76.0 and a slope of 145 from the tips, Teeth of the Dog plays as hard as those numbers suggest. The ocean holes on their own are manageable in calm conditions, but the trade winds on holes 5, 7, and 16 — each a full carry over the Caribbean — can make club selection feel arbitrary. The inland holes on the back nine, particularly the 475-yard 12th and the massive 607-yard 11th, are grinding rather than theatrical.
10 · The Library
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