Punta Blanca - Dominican Republic

Tired. The first hole is a welcoming par four. Leans left and has a large waste are left starting about 115 yards out. The first par three is a beast 236 yards. There was no greenie in our group. The 3rd is a good par four, straightaway with fairway bunker right and left. The fairway runs out about 125 yards from the green with a small water hazard on the right. The first par five is the longest one on the course, play it as a three shotter. This is where we first ran into the 6some, albeit we did not know it at the time. There were 6 balls in our fairway and two of them were the same as these guys came driving up. We sorted it out and moved along. The 5th is the longest par four at 479. Stout is a good adjective and it is the number one handicap hole. While we were waiting to hit our approach shots we thought the guys ahead of us were playing thru a 4some. As we waited it became clear we were wrong. We thought they would wave us thru on the short par 3 6th, but once again we were mistaken. The 7th leans a bit right, favor the left to take the right fairway bunkers out of play. There is a small water hazard left about 90 yards out. The 8th is the shortest par four and driveable for some. We decided to lay up us we could not bear waiting for the 6some to clear the green. Favor the left side off the tee. Do not underestimate this hole as the table top green is well protected with deep bunkers left and right. On the 9th tee box the 6some finally let us play thru, but with the caveat that we had to wait until the 10th. The 9th bends right with a long waste bunker running down the right side. It is possible to get home in two, I would recommend playing it as a three shotter.

Free at last, we felt invigorated seeing a clear fairway in front of us on ten. Must have worked because we had two birdies on this short par four. The 11th is a long par three and above the hole did not work for me. The 12th and 14th are pretty straightaway par fives. Hit the fairway off the tee and average shots will have you putting for birdie. The 14th should not be the number two handicap hole. The 13th and 15th are effectively island greens. The long 16th leans left and has fairway bunkers guarding both sides. The last par five is a good one, straightaway, until the last 100 yards where it turns left. As an unapologetic hooker, it was my favorite hole. The final hole bends right with a large waste bunker on the right side starting about 150 yards out. Interestingly, there is another 20 yards clear on the right, so this is the shortest way home. I ended up here by accident and had a 9 iron in while everyone else who played the hole the way it was designed were hitting long irons.

A good design that needs some TLC and $$$

I led the final stage of construction of this course during 2005-6 and managed the first year of operation. I left DR at the end of 2007 to start my own golf business and went back to the Island in May 2015. My first mandatory visit was to see my own "baby" after 7 long years and I can say it was a very nostalgic day. I was received great, treated like a king and many of my crew workers on the course were still working there and came to say hello which was very emotional. After that I managed to play 18 holes and I can say I was as nervous as playing a scratch competition in Argentina. It is crazy, but when you love the game and you build a course, it is like your own son. I played decently without making a putt to score 75 (+3) and hitting some good shots. Many memories of my 2 years living there came across during the game and I had to hold strong not to release some tears. After that a nice lunch and back to some other courses I played. The course was in very good shape, greens rolling as true as I left them and despite wide fairways, the course still mantains that challenge to score around the greens. It will never have the marketing and nice views of Corales and Punta Espada, but this is a great course to enjoy a round of golf. Island par 3s 13th and 15th have grown mature to be the 2 best holes on the course, but par 4s 3rd and 5th are also amazing designs by Nick Price. I hope to go back some other day, but this round of golf was very special!