Intrepid golfers already know that the Dominican Republic is a great destination, mostly owed to the sterling reputation of Casa de Campo, a swank resort that boasts sixty-three holes of prime Pete Dye-designed golf (including the famed Teeth of the Dog). Good cigars, miles of beautiful Caribbean coastline, and all the wind-caressed golf you can fathom — what part of this picture do you find less than delectable?
And it gets even better. This April, Casa de Campo is hosting what it calls the 9th Annual Spring Shootout, a 54-hole stroke play event open to all amateurs — guys and gals alike - who have a handicap and love to compete. After a practice round on April 21st, competitors will be divided into 10 flights of men and six flights of women. Winners will battle each other in a shootout on Dye's famous Teeth of the Dog course until a champion is determined.
When you break it down, the $1,705 per person price tag is actually quite a bargain: four nights in the resort; breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; drinks at all resort bars and restaurants (including on-course beverage carts); unlimited green fees, range balls and club storage; tournament entry fee; round trip transfers from the airport and plenty of extracurricular bonhomie and opportunity to trash-talk with your rivals. What a deal!
Those with an appetite for diversions other than golf will find plenty to do at Casa de Campo. There is a beautiful tennis complex with thirteen courts; shooting and equestrian centers; a polo club, marina for deep-sea fishing, private beaches, spa, and even a yacht club in case you're coming down on your two-hundred foot skiff. The resort sits on 7,000 lushly landscaped acres with plenty of room to roam.
Try landing at the newish La Romana Airport, a mere fifteen-minute drive to the resort. Golf carts are provided to all guests to get around the joint and big, five room villas are available for buddy trips or extended family. Rooms are outfitted with fine European linens, live orchids and the obligatory 42-inch LCD TV's. Management has sunk a wad of dough renovating the old jewel, so tune up that short game and head south for what might prove to be the most fun one can have standing up. Fore!!
