Starting your week with what's really important — News and Views on the world of golf from a Canadian

BY: JON McCARTHY

DYE FORE'S TIME TO SHINE AT CASA DE CAMPO

Standing on the first green high atop cliffs looking down into the serpentine Chavon River from the 27-hole Dye Fore golf course, you feel a world away from the trademark tropical paradise of Casa de Campo.

Variety and vastness might be the secret of this 7,000-acre golf resort that started it all in the Dominican Republic. I frequently get asked about my favourite spots in the world of golf, and I usually break my answer up into sun destinations or, well, rain destinations (because Old World links golf is just different), and Pete Dye's Casa de Campo has for years been at the top of my sunshine list.

Last year, Casa de Campo celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the resort just keeps getting better. Since 2023, as part of a $90-million expansion, it has added an absolutely world-class 18,000 square-foot spa and wellness centre that is already winning awards, as well as a new Premier Club complete with 58 new suites and a dedicated reception building with exclusive bar and lounge areas.

"Every great thing requires care and upkeep," Director of Golf Robert Birtel said.

But for all that is new, sometimes you just have to take something away to see it in a different light.

The elephant in the room for 2025 at Casa de Campo is that the world-famous Teeth of the Dog course is closed for restoration, and we'll get to that in a minute. But what it means for the golfers is that this finally should be the year that the resort's tremendous Dye Fore course gets its due.

Meanwhile, the elephant in the room for some Canadian golfers is that they are looking for somewhere other than the U.S. to travel this year. That's a personal decision for everyone, but if that's you, checking out Casa de Campo is a great idea. And there are special rates for golfers this year with Teeth of the Dog closed.

Dye Fore's Chavon-Marina combo (the third nine is called Lagos) was the 18-hole mix for our first round, and it's an absolute stunner. With five-cliffside holes featuring 300-foot drops to the river, more than one PGA pro at the resort has told me that the Chavon nine is their favourite stretch of golf onsite, and that includes Teeth of the Dog. 

The wide, rolling fairways and dramatic landscape of Dye Fore's Chavon nine have a Kapalua vibe, although the river below adds some intrigue and mystery which makes sense considering it was the scene for the famous helicopter raid in the Francis Ford Coppola classic, Apocalypse Now.

During the Teeth of the Dog restoration, Casa de Campo still boasts the 27-hole Dye Fore course as well as the 18-hole Links course, and a 21-acre learning and instruction facility. I'm currently reaping the benefits from an excellent lesson with swing coach Jose Junquera.

The Links course doesn't boast the same dramatic views as Dye Fore or Teeth of the Dog but it's wonderfully designed by Pete Dye and provides the stiffest challenge of the bunch.

Much like the variety of golf courses, the variety of leisure and dining options available at the sprawling resort are incredible. Between the main resort and pool area, the Marina and Yacht Club, the Beach Club, and the incredibly stunning replica of a 16th century Mediterranean village Altos de Chavon, there are so many large and distinct areas across the 7,000 acres that each could be a standalone resort. 

You could spend an entire vacation at Casa de Campo and only see half of them. Although, once you're onsite you are handed the keys to a personal golf cart so the entire resort is yours to explore.

As for Teeth of the Dog, I was able to tour the restoration project led by Jerry Pate Design, and can report that it's extensive and that the famous course will be better than ever upon its re-opening which is scheduled for December. 

The course is undergoing a full re-grassing with Dynasty Paspalum, there are some added tees giving more options on several holes, and almost every bunker on the course is being worked on. 

"We intentionally didn't change the rough," Birtel said. "Pete loved this rough, which is basically just this native what we call Torpedo grass, which is almost like St. Augustine broad-leafed grass and you just don't know how the ball is going to react."

Sounds like something Peye Dye would like.

One of upgrades that golfers will (or perhaps won't) notice are many cart paths moved out of sightlines from tees, as well as new native grasses planted to frame many holes. This might seem small but from what I saw it will further enhance the visuals and add to incredibly immersive feel of one of the most awe-inspiring seaside courses in golf. I often tell people that plenty of golf courses are on the ocean, but Teeth of the Dog is basically in the ocean. 

Speaking of which, some of the coolest work being done is on the seaside holes such as the stunning par-3 fifth hole, where they have re-constructed and solidified some of the bunkering by the water. Incredibly, they also built a temporary road out to the sea with an excavator and moved hundreds of huge rocks to help with the wave breaks. The finished result looks incredibly natural and almost like a reef, and it will make some of the most iconic holes on the course look and play even better.

Dye passed away in 2020, but it's wonderful to see one of his formative achievements continue to grow and improve and to know that it will continue to thrill and torment golfers for generations to come. The great course designer's ashes were spread at Teeth of the Dog.

Fifty-plus years later, Casa de Campo is still the shining example of the best of Caribbean golf.

The ongoing renovations at the fith hole, including the updated bunkering in front of the green and the man-made but incredibly natural-looking wave breaks in the sea.

See ya next week!