The Piñero Group is a benchmark in the tourism sector with a very strong presence in leading Caribbean destinations. Its Bahia Principe hotel division has been in the market for more than 20 years and is fully established in the Caribbean and Spain, being the leader in beds owned in the Dominican Republic. Golf, with its magnificent courses, plays an essential role in the Caribbean resorts of this large business group. Ocean’s 4 is a clear exponent of the best Dominican golf.
Located in the east of the country, Jack Lund was the architect of this extraordinary design that brings together in its 18 holes a successful mix of styles, with a part park land, another links and another Arizona desert type. At the Playa Nueva Romana resort we can enjoy this course and another 9-hole course of equally exceptional quality, as well as two five-star hotels, one of them with the Luxury seal and for adults only, a private beach with white sand surrounded by coconut trees for two kilometers, a beach club, sports courts and a golf course for adults only. soon a marina from which you can enjoy sailing and excellent fishing in the area.
The Dominican Republic is a mature golf destination of enormous quality. The mild warm climate is also present in its people, which is the island’s greatest asset. A round of golf with the attention of a caddy on a course of excellent design and condition is a must experience for every golfer. Many who try it will consider investing in a sure value so that the experience can be repeated as many times as they wish.
Ocean’s 4 is a fantastic exponent of top-level golf in the Caribbean country. With generous fairways that invite you to stretch out with the driver, wide and moving greens, but ‘human’ and five tee platforms for players of all levels to choose from, it is a course that is short to play and is enjoyed from the first hole. In addition to all this, it belongs to the select club of ‘ocean’ courses, in which, resembling Pebble Beach, in the Dominican Republic we find Teeth of the Dog, Punta Espada, Corales, La Cana and Playa Grande. Ocean’s 4 has four of its greens bathed by the Caribbean Sea.
In the same resort you can enjoy an exceptional 9-hole par 3 course whose greens could compete with those of any ‘big’ course in Spain. It is the ideal complement for those who have decided to fall in love with the Caribbean and live seasons or the whole year in paradise. The academy, with its “Natural Golf Guidance” method, completes the first class golf offer.
“Ocean’s 4 was inaugurated in February 2017, and therefore it is still a young course,” says its director, Carlos de Linares. “The vegetation that was planted is still in the process of growing, but at the landscape level we have made great investments, so the course is taking on a very interesting, attractive and characteristic hallmark.”
SEVERAL FIELDS IN ONE
“The layout of the course is very diverse, with four very different areas and types of holes,” continues the director. “We have four holes that border the sea: that’s why the course is called Ocean’s 4. They are 7, 8, 16 and 17, located on the Caribbean cliffs, with spectacular views and a native vegetation composed mainly of beach grapes, sea almond trees and other endemic species. The light breeze that always blows, the turquoise blue of the water, which contrasts with the intense green of the fairways, transport you to another dimension of golf paradise when you are here”.
There are also link type holes, such as 9 and 18, which reach the clubhouse, influenced by the wind and with a beautiful and well-kept low vegetation, type ‘pajón’, with an aesthetic that takes us to Scotland.
Then there are the parkland style holes, from 2 to 5 above all, with lots of lakes and water coming into play. The highlight of this area is hole 3, a par 3 with an island green.
The desert area of the course has totally different characteristics, such as holes 6 and 11, and from 13 to 15. They give the sensation of playing in Arizona.
Ocean’4 is, in short, “several fields of different styles concentrated in one in front of the Caribbean”.
-Which holes of the course would you highlight?
-For me the most characteristic hole of the course is the 7th, a par 3 with a predominant headwind. It is the first hole of the first round that is next to the sea. When you get there, you are overwhelmed by its beauty. The 8th is also an impressive hole bordered by cliffs, not very high, on which the intense blue waves of the Caribbean crash.
It is a par 5, also with a predominant headwind, which has a special feature: it has a double fairway. This circumstance allows two playing options: safer on the left side, although the second shot would be blind, or try to reach the green of two through the fairway that runs along the sea, on the right. This, of course, for big hitters, because the second shot must fly over a sea inlet, which almost always breaks with a certain force.
-Ocean’s 4 is a course that is just over three years old, but do you think it is already on a par with the great courses in the Dominican Republic?
-I honestly think so. The resort’s owner, Grupo Piñero, is investing a lot of money to position the course among the best in the country. Recently Bahia Principe Golf, with the Riviera Maya course at the forefront, has signed an agreement with the PGA of America, who have bet on us because they see that the product we offer is of high quality.
We are fundamentally different from other Dominican courses such as Corales, Dientes de Perro or Punta Espada because of the time we have been open. These courses have been open for decades, in some cases, and have forged a great image, even in terms of publicity. We still have a long way to go. But in terms of service and facilities we can place ourselves among the best. We have a spectacular design, fantastic and very fast greens and a very careful maintenance.
-Where do most of the players who choose Ocean’s 4 come from?
-They are mainly Americans and Canadians, although we have more and more people from Europe, where the course is beginning to be very well known. As we are part of the large resort of Nueva Romana, the clients staying in the
Bahia Principe hotels offer huge gaming facilities and great discounts on the usual gree fee.
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THE DESIGNER
Course designer Jack Lund began his career on the Costa del Sol twenty-nine years ago, working for Peter Alliss at Alcaidesa Golf. He later moved to Mallorca where he worked on the construction of the best courses on the island. It was during the construction of Golf Alcanada that he met Robert Trent Jones and his team.
With them he moved to Mexico for the realization of the 36-hole Bahia Principe project in Rivera Maya.
Upon completion of the Mexican course, Grupo Piñero hired him to design and direct the work, with Robert Trent Jones’ team, of the new course in the Dominican Republic.
In defining Ocean’s 4, Lund says the goal in the design was to make a course where all the holes were memorable, and all of them affordable for players of all levels. “I’d like to think we’ve achieved that,” he says.
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A SPECTACULAR ENVIRONMENT
Located in the beautiful bay of Playa Nueva Romana, halfway between the capital of the Republic and Punta Cana, the course is located in a place you will never forget.
TOURNAMENT VENUE
Despite its youth, Ocean’s 4 has become one of the Dominican Republic’s favorite venues for tournaments and social events. It is ready to host any competition of the highest level.
THE FIELD PAIRS 3
The 9-hole course, par 3, of the complex is possibly the most complete, technical and best maintained of the island. A real challenge with holes from 100 to 200 meters that leave no one indifferent.
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