Las Iguanas Golf Course Cap Cana: A Complete Guide for 2026

Las Iguanas Golf Course opened at Cap Cana in 2026, making it one of the newest Jack Nicklaus Signature courses in the world. Built on a $26 million investment, the course runs through a parkland, wetland, and nature preserve setting with 10 inland lakes and three oceanside holes. It sits three minutes by golf cart from Villa Espada, and it's available to guests at member rates throughout their stay. Because the course is so new, very little has been written about it. This guide covers what's known so far.

What Is Las Iguanas Golf Course

Las Iguanas is an 18-hole, par 72 Jack Nicklaus Signature design located within the Cap Cana resort community in the Dominican Republic. It's the second Nicklaus Signature course at Cap Cana, alongside the long-established Punta Espada, which GolfWeek has ranked the #1 course in the Caribbean and Mexico for multiple consecutive years.

The $26 million investment went into building a course with a distinct identity from Punta Espada. Where Punta Espada is a coastal course with nine ocean-facing holes and significant wind exposure, Las Iguanas takes a parkland and wetland approach. The course weaves through a nature preserve setting, with 10 inland lakes coming into play across the layout and a quieter, more sheltered atmosphere than its neighbor down the road.

The Layout and Key Holes

Las Iguanas plays across varied terrain for a Caribbean resort course. The parkland and wetland setting means water is a recurring factor, with the 10 inland lakes positioned throughout the layout rather than concentrated in one section. The nature preserve surroundings give the course a different visual character from the exposed coastline feel of Punta Espada.

The standout stretch is Holes 12 through 14, which run alongside the ocean. These three holes bring the coastal drama that Cap Cana is known for without the course being defined by it from the first tee. For golfers who enjoy variety in a round, the transition from the inland parkland setting to the oceanside stretch and back creates a distinct rhythm that's uncommon on resort courses.

Full hole-by-hole details are limited at this stage given how recently the course opened. What's clear from the design brief is that the course was built to complement rather than replicate Punta Espada, and the parkland and wetland environment achieves that.

Las Iguanas vs. Punta Espada

The two courses are frequently compared because they sit within the same resort community and share the same designer. The key differences come down to setting and playing style.

Punta Espada has nine ocean-facing holes and plays in consistent Atlantic wind. The cliff-edge holes are among the most visually dramatic on any course in the Caribbean, and the course's track record, including tournament hosting, Golf Digest Top 100 status, and Robb Report recognition, gives it a well-established reputation.

Las Iguanas offers a more sheltered experience through its parkland and wetland setting, with the oceanic drama concentrated in the Holes 12 through 14 stretch. For golfers staying multiple nights, the two courses offer genuinely different rounds rather than variations on the same experience. A full comparison of both courses is available in the Punta Espada vs. Las Iguanas guide.

How to Access Las Iguanas

Las Iguanas is located within Cap Cana, a 30,000-acre gated resort community in the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana International Airport is approximately 20 minutes from Cap Cana, making it one of the more accessible destinations in the Caribbean for international golfers.

Guests staying at Villa Espada have member-rate tee times at Las Iguanas included in their rental, along with access to Punta Espada. Two 6-person golf carts are included, and Las Iguanas is three minutes from the villa. Green fees are billed at member rates at checkout.

This is currently one of the most straightforward ways to access Las Iguanas for visiting golfers. The course is new, it carries the Jack Nicklaus Signature designation, and securing member-rate access through a villa rental removes the need to navigate public booking channels for a course that's still establishing its reservation infrastructure.

Why Las Iguanas Is Worth Prioritizing Now

The lack of existing content about Las Iguanas is, in practical terms, an advantage for golfers who get there early. Courses that have been open for decades come with decades of reviews, hole guides, and playing tips. Las Iguanas in 2026 is a largely undocumented experience. For golfers who enjoy playing courses before the consensus forms, that's a genuine draw.

There's also the matter of conditioning. New courses, particularly those built to the standard of a $26 million Nicklaus Signature design, tend to be at their most pristine in the early years. The fairways, greens, and bunkers haven't absorbed years of traffic yet.

For context on what a full golf trip to Cap Cana looks like across both courses, the Cap Cana golf trip itinerary covers how to structure five days across Punta Espada and Las Iguanas.

What Else Is at Cap Cana

Las Iguanas sits within a resort community that offers considerably more than golf. From Villa Espada, Juanillo Beach is eight minutes by golf cart, Scape Park (cenotes, zip lines, and cave tours) is seven minutes away, and the El Dorado Waterpark is six minutes out and included in Cap Cana access.

The Rafa Nadal Tennis Center, one of only six in the world, opened at Cap Cana in January 2026. The Cap Cana Marina is available for deep-sea fishing and yacht charters. The St. Regis Cap Cana is within walking distance of the villa and offers spa access and dining at Nina restaurant by Chef Diego Munoz.

A full overview of Cap Cana experiences is on the experiences page.

Frequently Asked Questions