For more than half a century, Teeth of the Dog has been the course against which every other Caribbean layout is measured. Built by Pete Dye along the coral shoreline of La Romana on the Dominican Republic’s southeast coast, the flagship of Casa de Campo golf opened in 1971 and has since become one of the most photographed and most admired resort courses in the world. A comprehensive restoration completed ahead of a grand reopening in March 2026 has only sharpened its reputation.
How Pete Dye Built Teeth of the Dog
The course takes its name from the Spanish diente de perro, the name workers gave the jagged coral rock they had to break apart to build it. When Dye and his wife, Alice, arrived to build it, much of the site was dense scrub and rocky shoreline on land belonging to the Central Romana sugar operation, which Gulf and Western Industries was developing into what became Casa de Campo.
The work was famously hands-on. Accounts of the construction describe the Dyes directing around 300 local laborers, many working with machetes and hand tools, to clear the routing through the jungle and along the rocks. The result was a layout that feels shaped by hand rather than by machinery, with crisp edges, small pockets of sand and greens set right against the sea.
Dye summed up the site with a line that is still quoted at the resort: “I created 11 holes and God created seven.” Those seven oceanfront holes are known at Casa de Campo as the “Heaven 7,” and they are the heart of the course’s identity. Dye’s connection to the place endured for the rest of his life, and the resort describes the eighth hole as his symbolic resting place.
The Heaven 7: Oceanfront Holes at Casa de Campo
Much of the drama arrives on the front nine. The par-3 fifth, roughly 176 yards from the back, plays to a green framed by the Caribbean and is widely regarded as one of the most photographed holes in golf. Two holes later, the par-3 seventh stretches to about 229 yards from the tips, a long carry that can feel far longer when the trade winds are up.
The course then turns inland before returning to the water late in the round. The par-3 16th, which can play over 200 yards, is regarded by architecture writers as one of the great one-shotters in the region, and the par-4 17th is the last hole on the ocean before the finish. On all of these holes, the sea is not a backdrop but a hazard, sitting only a few feet below the playing surfaces.
From the back tees, the par-72 course measures a little over 7,300 yards, with multiple sets of tees bringing it down to under 5,000 yards for shorter hitters.
The 2025-26 Restoration
After five decades of salt, wind and heavy play, Casa de Campo commissioned its most extensive restoration since the course opened. The project was led by Jerry Pate Design, with the stated aim of rebuilding the course using modern methods while leaving Dye’s original design intent intact. Pate described the goal as rebuilding faithfully “so the original design can live on,” according to Golf Course Industry.
The work, reported at around $15 million, included:
- Regrassing tees, fairways and greens with Dynasty paspalum, a salt-tolerant turf suited to seaside conditions
- Adding three inches of sand beneath the fairways to improve drainage and firmness
- Restoring green perimeters to their original dimensions and reinstating lost hole locations
- Reshaping greenside bunkers and adding coastal rock reinforcement to protect the oceanfront holes from erosion
The course returned to resort play in late 2025, and Casa de Campo marked the milestone with a grand reopening celebration in March 2026. Early reviews, including one in Caribbean Journal, note that the course now plays firmer and more precisely, with green complexes that demand sharper approach shots.
Rankings and Reputation
Teeth of the Dog has long been a fixture in world rankings compiled by Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine, and ranking site Top 100 Golf Courses lists it as the No. 1 course in the Dominican Republic.
It is also only one part of a larger golf offering. Casa de Campo’s portfolio now totals 63 holes, including The Links, which opened in 1974, and the 27-hole Dye Fore, which opened in 2003 on the cliffs above the Chavon River.
What Playing Teeth of the Dog Is Like
The opening holes are relatively forgiving, with generous fairways that let players settle in. The challenge builds steadily, and by the time the course reaches the sea, wind becomes the dominant factor. Club selection on the oceanfront par 3s can swing by several clubs depending on the breeze, and Dye’s trademark touches, from oddly shaped bunkers to subtle swales around the greens, punish imprecise approaches.
For most visitors, the lasting memory is less about score than setting: tees and greens perched on coral just above the water, with the Caribbean on one side and the rest of the course unfolding on the other.
More than 50 years after Pete Dye first walked the coral at La Romana, Teeth of the Dog has been rebuilt for its next half-century without losing the character that made it famous, and it remains a must-play for anyone serious about Caribbean golf.