Casa de Campo (Dye Fore)

La Romana is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Dominican Republic and developer Charles Bludhorn's Casa de Campo is one of its main resorts, competing with the likes of Bayahibe and Dominicus for the growing number of visitors who arrive every year.

The massive Casa de Campo development is laid out over nearly seven thousand acres to the east of La Romana and it first came to prominence in 1971 when Pete Dye’s world class Teeth of the Dog course was thrust upon an unsuspecting golf world.

His Links layout followed three years later but this very respectable course has been completely overshadowed since the unveiling of the private La Romana 18 holes in 1990 and the Dye Fore course in 2002 – and both these top tracks are designed by the same architect.

The Chavón River cuts a deep path through the landscape as it tumbles down from the Dominican mountains to the coast and the Dye Fore course sits high above the flowing waters with many of the holes on the back nine routed along the top edge on one side of the valley, offering spectacular views down to the Marina and the Caribbean Sea beyond.

The quartet of par threes here are all incredible short holes – though not too short from the back markers as each of them measure more than 200 yards from tee to green – with the 220-yard 15th probably the pick of the bunch as it demands a heroic carry over native vegetation to a sand-protected green.

Another nine holes – Dye Fore Lakes – were added to the course in 2011 and these fairways now connect with Dye Fore Chavon, the original north nine of Dye Fore, and the Marina Nine, the original south nine.