Dye Fore, Golf in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a leading golf destination in the world; the quality of its courses and the service they provide is unbeatable. Among the best resorts, Casa de Campo stands out because, as the country’s own tourism slogan says, it has it all. This spectacular Caribbean complex has been a pioneer in attracting golf tourism to the island with the opening of the Teeth of the Dog course in 1971 by the great designer Pete Dye.
Dye Fore, your restoration
During 2025 Teeth of the Dog is going to be restored, respecting its original design and making improvements in all agronomic aspects: rooting profiles, drainage, grass, irrigation…. We are all looking forward to the change and it will be hard not to have one of the best courses in the world for a whole year, but it will also be the opportunity to give something more to know the impressive course that is Dye Fore and whose name is a clever play on words mentioning its creator.
One of the features that make Casa de Campo’s offerings unparalleled is the variety of its courses, all designed by the great Pete Dye. Dye Fore really has its own character that makes it terribly interesting.
The importance of the Dye Fore field
Dye Fore complements Casa de Campo’s other iconic golf courses: Teeth of the Dog, Pete Dye’s most famous course and the number one in the Caribbean, and The Links, inspired by British-style courses, with undulating fairways and strategic bunkers. These three courses consolidate Casa de Campo Resort & Villas as the most prestigious golf destination in the Caribbean and one of the most recognized worldwide. The fourth course, La Romana Country Club, is reserved for members only and is not normally open to visitors.
First of all, we can highlight that Dye Fore is a course with three 9-hole courses that can be combined with each other. It is also very remarkable the views from many points of the course, which makes it so special. Finally, what really catches the player’s attention is the quality and the way in which the course is presented, especially its greens; the collaboration of the expert caddies who will accompany us on the course will be of great help to succeed in the challenge. The course is long and really wide, with a perfect balance for players of all levels.
For those staying in the villas or in the hotel, golf carts are available to move around the development and visit the Marina with its movie theaters, supermarket and restaurants, the Minitas Beach beach club, the golf courses and the rest of the amenities offered by the resort.
The beautiful location of Dye Fore
Dye Fore is located in the highest area of Casa Campo, above the canyon formed by the Chavón River at its mouth. The clubhouse consists of the pro shop, which serves as a golf reception area, and the bar, with its spacious terraces overlooking the Altos de Chavón.
A few steps from the club is the nucleus of Altos del Chavón, a visit in itself that is highly recommended. In addition to the ample amphitheater, of classical inspiration and where performers of all nationalities come together in memorable concerts, the narrow streets, with their stores and restaurants, and the small church, the small but charming museum of beret arts, complement this unique place that is a haven for artists.
Around it is a residential area where one of the lucky residents is none other than the champion Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who can be seen training on the course in his breaks between competitions on the PGA Champions Tour, of which he is a prominent member.
Dye Fore, remarkable for the combination of routes
The most popular combination of courses is Marina and Chavón, although the Lagos holes, the most modern course, provide unique technical challenges, where strategy is decisive. Water hazards are the characteristic of the latter course.
La Marina impresses us with its views of the Casa de Campo harbor and the mouth of the river. This course is the most exposed to the wind and requires maximum precision. The Chavón course may be the most complicated and longest, a challenge for the best players.It is impossible not to take pictures at each green where you have the proximity of the river canyon where spectacular images from the movie Apocalypse Now were filmed.
ANDREA ATTUS, DYE FORE GOLF PRO
The Dye Fore course is led by experienced golf pro Andrea Attus, who is a key player in the teaching and development of the game at Casa de Campo. With a distinguished track record in the golf industry, Attus offers personalized training and clinics designed to improve the skills of players of all levels. His passion for the sport and deep technical knowledge make playing at Dye Fore not only an unforgettable challenge, but also an opportunity to perfect the game under the guidance of an expert.
Andrea knows perfectly the needs of the players and puts his daily effort to make the player’s experience memorable.
This professional emphasizes that it is a very characteristic course of Pete Dye’s designs, with very well oriented tees, fairways with a lot of movement, very strategic holes and wide and very undulating greens.
Andrea Attus’ words about her favorite holes of the Dye Fore
As for her favorite holes on each of the three courses that make up Dye Fore, Andrea points to the following:
“On the Marina course, my favorite is the first par 3, hole 3, for two reasons: first because I got my first hole in one on this hole, and second because it is the first hole that projects us to an incredible view of both the Chavón River and the Casa de Campo Marina.
It is a very challenging par 3 of almost 180 yards from the golden tees, we have no less than ten bunkers in front of us, eight on the front and two on the left behind the green. The green is very undulating and very well protected. I rarely try to attack flag and to avoid problems I look for the center of the green considering the wind that is usually present.”
“At Chavón, besides the two impressive par 3s, my favorite is the first hole of the course, a relatively short par 5 always downwind, very well protected, with an undulating fairway and left to right drop to the Chavón River.
It has an impressive view, it is very tactical and you have to play with the movement of the hole. I highlight it considering the view, both from the tee shot and when reaching the green, and that it is the gateway to the Chavón course and a perfect example of what we are going to find along the course. You have to play very intelligently, leaning to the left to then make a good lay up or, if possible, attack a very wide but well protected green”.
The Dye Fore Lakes tour, according to Andrea Attus
“On the Los Lagos course, and since we have previously highlighted a par 3 and a par 5, we are going to choose a par 4: the 5th hole, apparently easy because of the distance, but very challenging. It has a bunker in the middle of the fairway that separates the fairway in two levels and radically changes the perspective of the hole. If we stay to the right of the fairway we will have a shot with a higher height than that of the green, while if we go to the right we will find ourselves at a lower level than that of the green.
Personally I prefer to go to the left of the bunker because I can have a better lie, more flat, than on the right where the lie can be tilted with the ball down for right-handed players which can complicate the approach. On the left we will also have a more open entrance between the two small bunkers on the right side that protect the green. It is possibly my favorite, although it is one of the most complicated holes to get a good result”.
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