Casa de Campo (La Romana Country Club)

Casa de Campo sprawls over an area of nearly seven thousand acres to the east of La Romana, where the American conglomerate Gulf & Western was once a major sugar producer. The company decided to diversify its business in the late 1960s and so the upmarket residential estate and resort came into being.

The development burst onto the world golfing stage in 1971 with the unveiling of Pete Dye’s wonderful Teeth of the Dog course and this acknowledged masterpiece was quickly followed three years later by the very underrated 18-hole Links layout.

La Romana Country Club was the next course to appear on the property, opening as a private facility in 1990. With the public Dye Fore course debuting in 2005, La Romana remains the only course at Casa de Campo where visitors – and even residents at the resort – have to be accompanied by a member in order to play.

Nine new holes have since been fashioned close to the Dye Fore course to extend La Romana to 27 holes and even though holes 1 to 18 were constructed with Bermuda grass, the Paspalum-grassed tees and greens of the new holes at 19 to 27 blend in beautifully with those on the original layout.

La Romana’s wide fairways are suitably proportioned for a member club too. None of the par four holes measure in excess of 400 yards, all six of the par fives are under 500 yards from tee to green and short holes average a comfortable 165 yards in length.

Throw in a couple of stimulating short par fours at the 9th and the 14th and you have a very member-friendly course that’s a delight to play for the fortunate few who have access to it.