The Dominican Republic is one of the best destinations for golfers that you could wish for. Its courses are exceptional in terms of design, presentation and services.

Combined with the friendliness of the Dominicans, the climate, the beaches and all that the island has to offer, it is a golf trip that is guaranteed to be a success.

On this occasion, the prediction was fulfilled to perfection.

Andalucía Golf put the finishing touch to the 2024 circuit with the trip of the five winners (Domingo Gavira, Olav Maaland, José María Gil, Mayte Castro and José Labella), who were joined by other players to complete the twenty (some of them repeaters).

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Half of the members of the expedition left from Malaga and joined the rest who left from Madrid. We flew with Air Europa to Punta Cana. Aireuropa has regular flights to both Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, with a modern fleet and excellent service. Going to the La Romana area, just halfway between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, either airport could be used.

We stayed at the newly refurbished Hyatt chain hotel Sunscape Dominicus La Romana, located in Dominicus, one of the best beaches in the Caribbean and a stone's throw from Casa de Campo in La Romana.

At the hotel, hotel manager Pablo Jaureguízar, was on hand to ensure that the golf group was well looked after at all times. As a player himself, he knows how to put himself in the golfer's shoes. The hotel was completely refurbished last year and the result is fantastic.

The hotel, despite having over 800 rooms, is friendly and never feels crowded, although during our trip it was fully booked.

We stayed in the adults only area, in the Sun Club, where we enjoyed a quiet pool with no entertainment or children, private bars and restaurants and check in and check out in the private lounge area. This option is definitely the one we would recommend for those on a golf trip or wanting more peace and privacy.

There were buffet and a la carte restaurants in the hotel, where reservations were not necessary.

The hotel is the latest in a series of beachfront resorts in Dominicus. Beyond the hotel, to the east, we found the Cotubanamá National Park, facing Saona Island.

The golf itinerary began with golf at PGA Ocean's 4, where Carlos de Linares, the director, proved to be the perfect host. It was the first contact with golf in the Caribbean, with holes close to the sea and a very interesting layout. The players highlighted the speed of the greens. Next year, improvements are planned for the course, some only of a technical nature, such as the improvement of drainage and bunker sand, and others of greater depth, such as the redesign of some areas of the course by Robert Trent Jones III's team, such as the 18th fairway, which will be equipped with lakes to make the final hole even more complete and strategic.

The visit to PGA Ocean's 4 was extended the following day by enjoying a night golf party, with balls that were illiminated when hit, live music and DJ, and many other entertainments.

After the first contact with golf in the Caribbean, the next day was a group excursion to the historic centre of Ron Barceló, the oldest rum factory in the Dominican Republic, in San Pedro de Macoris, and then to Cigar Country in Vega Fina, where we were given an insight into the tobacco industry, from planting to processing, and were able to watch the work of the cigar rollers who were making the cigars.

The next golf outing took us to Casa de Campo, undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, residential in the Caribbean.

Casa de Campo has four Pete Dye-designed golf courses: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore, Links and La Romana Country Club (the latter private for members only), plus a range of accommodation options, from hotel and superb private villa rentals to the recently opened Premier Suites area. All Casa de Campo guests are provided with four-seater golf carts to get around the resort, which includes the fantastic Minitas Beach Club and La Marina, with a full range of restaurants, supermarkets and cinemas. The best option to stay at Casa de Campo is through their representative in Spain, Mónica Díaz Vecino through their website www.globalhemisphere.com.

The first course we played was the superb Dye Fore. The course has three 9-hole rounds. On this occasion we played the Marina and Chavón combination.

The Marina course has elevated views of the Casa de Campo marina, while the Chavón course starts from the Altos del Chavón and has spectacular views over the river, the scene of the filming of some images from the movie Apocalipse Now. The greens at Dye Fore are of extreme perfection, so much so that they look artificial.

The group was received by the director of golf at Casa de Campo, Robert Birtel, who gave us a warm welcome accompanied by the director of Dye Fore, Andrea Attus.

After the game we had lunch at one of the several restaurants in Altos del Chavón and had the opportunity to get to know this unique medieval style village created to host artists and where there is an amphitheatre that has hosted great musical events.

At lunch we were joined by Casa de Campo's great ambassador Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who had just come from playing with his wife, Susan, and was enjoying a week's rest before facing the final phase of the Champion Tour with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in which only the best 36 players on the senior circuit take part.

Miguel and Susan live in Los Atos del Chavón and enjoy the residence and its magnificent courses between each competition for the great player from Málaga.

The next day we moved to Cap Cana, in Punta Cana, to enjoy the most spectacular courses in the Caribbean: Punta Espada. No less than a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, which the golf legend himself has said is one of the courses he is most satisfied with.

We were greeted by its director, Alexis Santana, who had everything laid out in a masterful way for the group.

Construction is currently underway on a second Nicklaus-designed course, Las Iguanas, which will undoubtedly be on a par with its big brother.

Punta Espada is a course that impresses on every hole, of extreme beauty and begs to be photographed at every turn. The holes overlooking the sea are particularly impressive, although the first two are already a real highlight for the player. Between holes 1 and 2 is the new St. Regis complex, where Miguel Ángel Jiménez himself has bought an apartment. Once it opens, it will be a benchmark of quality in the area, both the hotel and residential areas.

Sunday was a free day of relaxation. Some of the players took a trip to the nearby La Estancia golf course, located 15 minutes from the hotel, while others enjoyed the Dominicus beach, one of the best in the Caribbean.

The final scheduled day of the golf trip was one of the highlights of the series, none other than Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo's flagship course and Pete Dye's masterpiece, although he said at the time that he only designed seven of the holes and that the other eleven holes were designed by God. The result is truly a religious experience.

In 2025 the course will be completely renovated, although the design will not be changed. The topsoil, drainage, bunkers and greens will be improved and a new paspalum grass will be laid down over the entire playing surface. The renovation will take a whole year and the result will undoubtedly be another step towards the excellence that is breathed throughout the Casa de Campo complex.

In addition to greeting Robert Birtel again, we had the opportunity to exchange impressions with Juan José Guerra, the best player in the Dominican Republic and PGA Tour player, who collaborates with Casa de Campo when he is not competing as a touring pro.

After the game we visited Playa Minitas and La Marina, which impressed those who did not know it.

On Wednesday, the return day, half of the group stayed to enjoy the hospitality of the Sunscape Dominicus La Romana hotel, and the other half, still hungry for golf, opted to travel back to the Punta Cana and Bávaro area to enjoy another great course: Iberostar. Its director, Yannick Groer, gave us the last tee times of the day on this splendid P. B. Dye course, so after playing, the group headed to Punta Cana airport, which is twenty minutes from the course.

Seven nights in a fantastic hotel, four excellent courses (for some even six), camaraderie and great moments that will remain in the memories of those of us who shared this experience.

The countdown begins for next year's experience.

 

The XIV SAN MIGUEL ANDALUCÍA GOLF CHALLENGE ‘Destino República Dominicana by Globalia’ is an open amateur circuit organised by the magazine Andalucía Golf / España Golf. The circuit runs through all the Andalusian provinces, as well as Madrid and Mallorca, with most of the rounds taking place on the Costa del Sol, on top level courses.

The fourteenth edition of the Circuit has been sponsored by CERVEZAS SAN MIGUEL, SOLÁN DE CABRAS, GLOBALIA, AIR EUROPA, TURISMO COSTA DEL SOL and GRUPO 1941. The Final was sponsored by the BENAHAVÍS CITY COUNCIL.

The main collaborators were Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, Alanda Marbella Hotel, Sunscape Dominicus La Romana, Bodegas Marqués de Terán, inversionesparavagos.com, Fairway+blue and Holiday Golf Estates. Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine is the official media of the Tour.

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