02-07-2025
Casa de Campo's Dye Fore course is ready to shine ... and ready for Canadians
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
