Punta Espada - Dominican Republic

It seems awfully fitting that the first course to truly challenge Pete Dye’s masterpiece, Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog, for supremacy in the Dominican Republic is the Jack Nicklaus designed Punta Espada Golf Club.

That’s because a young Nicklaus mentored under Dye back in the mid-1960’s, consulting on his Ohio gem The Golf Club before earning co-design credit on famed Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Nicklaus Design has built approximately 425 golf courses in the last 50+ years and I can tell you that Punta Espada is in the top handful of Nicklaus designs that I’ve played.

The land that the course sits on in Cap Cana is one of the most beautiful pieces of golf real estate that I’ve seen, with excellent, rolling topography, stunning white coral outcroppings and panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea, featuring the most unbelievably clear blue water you could possibly imagine.

While the gorgeous scenery is hard to top, the architecture here more than holds its own.

The course has many standout holes, with the spectacular par three 13th chief among them. It's rare to find a course with as many holes as close to the sea at Punta Espada and it makes for a pretty thrilling experience.

Everything about the day was first-class. The resort provided complimentary shuttle transportation to and from my hotel in Punta Cana, which was about a half hour away. Caddie fees are also included in the green fee at Punta Espada, with only a gratuity required on top of that.

Frankly, this is not a cheap place to play golf. The $300.00 US$ green fee is among the most expensive I’ve ever experienced but when you incorporate the complimentary transportation and the caddie fees into the equation, I strongly feel the value is there.

The course was in splendid condition even after heavy rains from the previous day. I played alone for the first ten holes but would hook up with a couple of great guys from Indiana on the 11th hole when things started to back up a bit, further enhancing the experience.

I had a tremendous day at Punta Espada and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone visiting the east or south coasts of the Dominican.

excellent golf course, several holes along the sea, interesting, there is a strong wind

This is the best course I have ever played. Might have something to do with growing up on west coast. Being so close to crystal blue water and good golf. I have played countless golf courses from travel and during college golf but this is my screen saver at work and the course I talk about most frequently. If you have the chance it is a MUST. Should be higher ranked in the world rankings that is for sure

Not sure how this is not in the worlds top 100. Just an unbelievable place. Certainly needs to be reviewed again and is now regarded the best course in the Caribbean! It really is a special place! Play it and you won't be disappointed

Absolutely outstanding, head and shoulders above the other courses I've played in the DR. One the most stunning golf courses I've ever played. The costal holes are out of this world. The others will always have a special feature (elevated tee, pond, cliffs, wild vegetation) which is exactly what Teeth of the Dog lacks. This must be the number one course in that part of the world and also a contender for a world Top 100 spot. Cédric

WOW again - golf in the south east corner of Dominican is something special !! Think the ranking is just about correct ..... Teeth still oozes class although Punta Espada is on an even more stunning piece of coast and has the Nicklaus stamp all over it. Although more expensive to play (!) it is not quite the luxury of Casa de Campo ... yet, but watch this space. Teeth is still the King (in my opinion of course) but this newer pretender is going to be pushing it hard in the future as the course and the whole resort develops, established more and matures. Anyway, I plan to go back next January and compare them again !!!!

I played here May 2012, after having already played at Corales. Punta Espada far exceeds the Corales layout if you are trying to pick between the two, and is a much better value. You have multiple holes on the ocean, around the ocean, and over the ocean. The tee shot on 17 looks impossible, but thanks to my caddy i placed it in the middle of the fairway. Many reviews talk about the wide fairways, but i found them to be a reasonable size, unlike Corales which are wider than a driving range. The inland holes had a lot of character also, unlike the Corales or La Cana. Waste areas, water, cliffs, elevation changes. It's definitely an A plus in my book.

Jack Nicklaus has created a masterpiece at Cap Cana! I was lucky enough to play the Punta Espada course in August 2011 and it is somewhere I will always remember as one of the best courses I have ever played. I played off the Dorado (gold) tees, if you are confident about your game then I recommend that you do the same. Playing the gold means that the first and second tees are elevated way above the fairway and offer great views of the hole and coast. The 13th at 233yrds (gold) is the signature hole which is probably one of the best holes in golf however there are many holes that could be the signature hole 2,3,4,6,10,12,15,17 or 18! Holes on this course are either great or amazing! The facilities and staff at the course are of equal standing with quality of the course. Although the course may look intimidating a good choice of tees and wide fairways ensure that all can enjoy golf here. It is easy to see why many publications rank this course as the number 1 in the caribbean. If you are travelling to the Dominican Republic ensure that you play at Punta Espada.

I was lucky enough to play this great course in January 2009. It is a first class Nicklaus course with interesing options on most holes. A fantastic course, immaculately conditioned in a stunning location.

I played this course over 20 times, the first one in July 2006 when they opened holes 10-18 and the last one in December 2007. The piece of land is unique and anybody could build a good course there, but you can see Jack's special touched in lots of spots, specially green 7th that when looked from this air is a perfect bear trace. Very well mantained paspalum grass and great facilities make Punta Espada a must. Some shots are unforgettable: drive on 2nd, tee shot on 4th, driver on 9th, approach on 12th, par 3 13th, tee shot on 17th and 2nd on 18th. Views of the Ocean from everywhere, this course might be the Pebble Beach of the 21st century.