Pete Dye · Casa de Campo · La Romana · Dominican Republic
Teeth of the Dog
"I created 11 holes and God created seven." — Pete Dye
Top 40 in the World
7 Ocean Holes
90 Min from Villa Espada
"I created 11 holes and God created seven." — Pete Dye
Teeth of the Dog is not simply a golf course. It is the course that put the entire Caribbean on the world golf map — built by Pete Dye in 1971 on the rugged coral cliffs of La Romana with sledgehammers and pickaxes when heavy machinery couldn't crack the rock. Local workers named the sharp coral formations diente del perro — "teeth of the dog" — and one of sport's greatest brand names was born.
The routing follows a clockwise front nine, counterclockwise back nine, with seven holes pressed tight against the Caribbean Sea — all within 20 feet of the surf. The ocean runs left on holes five through eight, returns on the right for the closing stretch of holes 15 through 17, and the final hole loops back to the clubhouse through the drama it has just created.
Ranked in Golf Magazine's Top 100 courses worldwide and consistently in the top 40 globally, Teeth of the Dog recently underwent a complete restoration — every green restored to Dye's original specifications, contours trued, and the ocean holes brought back to peak condition. The legend returns to its finest form.
A short iron over the Caribbean to a tiny, exposed green. Perhaps the most photographed par 3 in Caribbean golf — at first glance your favorite hole. Any ball finding the green has a genuine birdie chance.
Long par 3 entirely over the Caribbean. Wind is the great variable — what seems like a 7-iron can become a 4-iron with the trade winds. Dye described this as one of the purest risk expressions he ever designed.
Tee shot over a seaside inlet — the No. 2 handicap hole and widely considered the signature of Teeth of the Dog. When the wind blows, this 181-yard hole becomes one of the most terrifying shots in Caribbean golf.
Monster par 4 with the ocean left the entire hole. The temptation to cut the ocean corner for a shorter second is real — Dye designed the hole specifically to make you consider the gamble.
Villa Espada Cap Cana is the perfect base for a Teeth of the Dog pilgrimage. Your personal butler arranges a private luxury chauffeur for the 90-minute scenic drive from Cap Cana to Casa de Campo's La Romana resort — through the Dominican Republic's beautiful interior countryside.
Your butler books your tee time in advance, arranges your caddie assignment, and coordinates the return trip. Many Villa Espada groups combine a Teeth of the Dog morning round with an afternoon at Dye Fore — or spend two days at Casa de Campo, playing all three Pete Dye courses before returning to the villa.
Start your week on Punta Espada (on-property), play Corales and La Cana mid-week, and cap your trip with Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore at Casa de Campo. Seven great courses. One extraordinary villa base.
Your butler arranges a luxury vehicle and experienced driver for the 90-minute trip — door to door from Villa Espada to the Teeth of the Dog clubhouse.
Tee time, caddie assignment, lunch at the clubhouse, and return transfer — your butler handles all logistics. You show up and play.
Return to Villa Espada as the sun sets over Punta Espada Fairway 5. Your private chef has dinner ready — the perfect end to a legendary day of golf.
Many groups play Teeth of the Dog in the morning and Dye Fore in the afternoon — two Pete Dye masterpieces in a single day at Casa de Campo.
Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo resort in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is one of the most acclaimed golf courses ever built. Pete Dye created the course in 1971 — the first of four courses he would eventually design at Casa de Campo — working with Dominican laborers who used shovels, pickaxes, and chisels to carve the course from the island's razor-sharp coral formations. Those workers gave the course its unforgettable name: diente del perro.
The course has been ranked the #1 course in the Caribbean many times by Golf Magazine and others, and remains in the global top 40–50 in various world rankings. Its seven ocean holes — holes 5 through 8 on the front nine with the ocean left, and holes 15 through 17 on the back nine with the ocean right — are among the most spectacular consecutive oceanside golf in the world. Dye's quote about creating "11 holes while God created 7" has become one of the most famous lines in golf architecture.
Casa de Campo resort is located in La Romana on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, approximately 90 minutes from Cap Cana and 45 minutes from La Romana Airport (LRM). For Villa Espada guests, a full Casa de Campo day trip — including Teeth of the Dog, possibly Dye Fore, the Marina village, and a clubhouse lunch — represents the perfect golf excursion from a Cap Cana villa base.
Villa Espada guests should note that tee times at Teeth of the Dog are exclusively available to registered Casa de Campo resort guests, villa owners, and their accompanying guests. Your Villa Espada butler arranges access through established Casa de Campo relationships and books well in advance, particularly for peak season (November–April).
Stay at Villa Espada Cap Cana. Your butler arranges the private chauffeur, tee time, and caddie. You bring the swing.