Casa De Campo - Teeth of the Dog

In 2021, not long into my top 100 adventures, Mrs W and I booked a stay at Casa de Campo. However, COVID put a stop to the trip.

Four years later, she won a competition to travel to the Dominican Republic and enjoy five days of accommodation, eating, drinking and golfing at this amazing resort.

So, thanks to Only The Best magazine and The Big Journey Company, we were able to experience the changes to the magnificent Teeth of the Dog—so named by thel ocal workers who hand-carved the fairways from the jagged, canine-like coastal coral.

And, as we had a courtesy round as part of her prize, we happily paid to play it twice.

The timing was brilliant, being only two months after the gala reopening of this exceptional course following an intensive 11-month restoration.

Former US Open champion Jerry Pate and his partner Steve Dana had cleaned up a layout affected by decades of coastal erosion and turf changes, whilst remaining very protective of Pete Dye's original design.

The tees, fairways, and greens were stripped and replanted with Pure Dynasty Paspalum grass, which is salt-tolerant, and all 14 fairways were sand-capped before seeding.

This has drastically improved drainage and created much firmer, faster, and more predictable playing surfaces year-round.

Over the last 50 years, the greens had lost their original shapes due to routine maintenance and wind.

By studying historic photographs and old documentation, theteam expanded them back to their original profiles, successfully reinstating theclassic, interesting pin placements that had been lost over time.

The course's 127 bunkers had severely degraded from the fierce coastal environment, so each one was rebuilt with steep, grassed faces. All 70 tee boxes were completely dug up, levelled, and rebuilt, while concrete paths were renovated and rerouted to improve the flow of player traffic and maintenance efficiency.

The result is a course that will surely find its way back into the world’s top 100 after a short hiatus.

The first couple of holes offer a gentle lead-in, with the par-four second memorable for a sandy waste area down the left, complete with small boulders.

However, the drama increases on the par-five third, where the player’s drive needs to avoid a fairway bunker down the right side and three further traps.

The approach is the greatest challenge because it plays into a highly perched green surrounded by sand. I had the joy of picking the right club and leaving myself with a ten-footer for birdie. Sadly, I missed.

Fiendish run-offs are a hallmark of Teeth of the Dog, and navigating them is where the expertise of the resort's legendary local caddies becomes invaluable.

Several times Mrs W and I thought we had struck fine approaches, only to see them disappear over the edge of the green.

This was true on the par-four fourth, where the azure beauty of the Caribbean Sea pops into view for the first time.

After a drive down the left, the second shot needs to be cautious to avoid slipping down one of the slopes on three sides of the elevated putting surface.

Then comes one of the most photographed holes on the planet – the wonderful par-three fifth. Never have I played a hole so close to the lapping sea.

It is only about 120 yards, but nothing but a sand moat and jagged rock protect the green from the water. A tree on the right adds to the complexity.

On her first attempt, Mrs W found thebeach but, to her great credit, managed to chip onto the green. I found the target twice but missed my birdie opportunities.

It is followed by a stunning par-four featuring a drive over the ocean to the left, where the best alternative is to flirt with bunkers down the right. This leaves a very tricky approach to a raised green.

The hits keep coming with a par-three that has clear similarities to the fifth, requiring a longer shot over a cove of beach and water. It was a thrill to find the green and record a par.

Ditto when I first played the par-four eighth, where the ball needs to be nursed in from the right to avoid dropping short towards a bunker in front of the green, or worse, into the sea to its left.

However, anyone who is too aggressive will find themselves in a grassed bunker at the back right of the green where the ashes of Pete Dye are buried. I was with Pete during my second round.

Playing the course twice allowed time for wreck and redemption. The holes I played well the first time, I tended to mess up on the second attempt, and vice versa.

Take the tenth, for example, which was directly outside our apartment and on which we had seen players perform gloriously and hideously for several days.

The par four curves around a dry drainage channel with a huge sandy area down its left-hand side.

On day one, I hit too far right into the rough in front of our apartment, but on day two, my shot was pure and my second drew inside a hillock on the right of the green to set up a par.

The only hole that defeated me twice was the 13th – a par-three with a raised green surrounded by flat sandy waste.

The treacherous run-offs mean that finding theputting surface should be followed by a lap of honour.

There are three coastal holes on the back nine, beginning at the 15th: a left-to-right curving par-four with a waste area and rocks providing the only protection from thesea on the right.

On the second day, I faded into trouble and then tried to make amends with an unlikely three-wood out of the rough at the side of the hazard. My ball now lies beneath the waves.

The Director of Golf claims that playing the 16th at sunset makes it his favourite golf hole. The par-three has the shore at the front and right of a large target that features trees to its left. On day one, I struck a perfect ball to the heart of the green. Par.

On day two, I went straight for the flag and the ball spun into the deep grass at the side of the rocks. Blob.

The round is completed by a very tricky par-four between trees and sand on the right, and a pond on the left where we had seen a dive-bombing, pelican-type bird over breakfast.

An approach to the right of the giant, swirling green is the only hope of a score.

Teeth of the Dog has a reputation for being tough to crack, but I suspect that a calm head will achieve success. Its backdrops are so exotic that it almost pleads for theplayer to have a go.

We found that doing so can result in success and failure in almost equal measure.

Parring those coastal holes is one of the great thrills in golf. If only I had been able to grab a birdie.