With so much exciting golf in the world to explore, I rarely go back to a destination unless it is truly spectacular. Casa De Campo is one of those destinations. With 3 public golf courses on the property, the resort has everything that a die hard golfer could ask for - great golf, great lodging and a handful of activities to keep the entire family busy while you golf like a madman. Every guest is even given their own personal golf cart when you check in.
This was my third visit to the resort and there was an extra does of anticipation this time around as Jerry Pate had recently completed a renovation of Pete Dye’s iconic Teeth of the Dog course. The golf course was already regarded as one of the greatest golf courses in the world and it has somehow managed to become even more spectacular. It was a privilege to capture the changes with my cameras. Please enjoy this trip around the upgraded Teeth of the Dog.
Hole #1 - Par 4 - 414 yards
Like many of the world’s best, “Teeth” starts of with a gentle opening hole. A generous fairway gives the golfer plenty of room with large grass bunkers lining the right hand side of the golf hole. A good drive and a short iron will give you a good look at a hot start.
One of the most notable aspects of the renovation are the improved tee boxes. They have been widened, flattened and enforced by natural rock. The new tee boxes compliment the course perfectly and add a nice visual touch.
Hole #2 - Par 4 - 412 yards
The second hole is one of my favorite golf holes at Teeth. A spectacular rock hazard lines the left hand side of the golf hole with freshly renovated driftwood bunkers protecting the right hand side of the green. Anything played to the left is dangerous and a bail out to the right leaves a tough approach. A new tee box plays over the road and makes the second hole a serious contender.
Teeth of The Dog will always be remembered for the golf along the coast but the inland holes are what makes this course so enjoyable and highly ranked. The 2nd is a great example of a golf hole that is every bit as good as the 7 holes directly on the ocean.
Hole #3 - Par 5 - 526 yards
If you can avoid the fairway bunkers, this par 5 is reachable for most good players. However, actually finding the putting surface is a tall order. Large slopes to the left and right of the green will funnel any less than perfect approach down and away from the green. Your best bet is to put something around the green and scramble hard for your birdie.
Hole #4 - Par 4 - 451 yards
There is such marvelous ebb and flow to Teeth of The Dog and the 4th hole leads us right up to the crescendo of our first roller coaster ride down the coastline. The excitement of turning the corner and facing the famous 5th hole is palpable. However, the 4th is no slouch at 451 yards from the back tees. Most golfers will face a modest 371 yard par 4 that finishes near the ocean. Beware the large and steep bunker lurking behind the green. This hole is sneaky good.
Hole #5 - Par 3 - 168 yards
When it comes to the greatest short par 3’s in the world, the 5th at Teeth of The Dog is on the short list. At only 168 yards from the back tees, this golf hole still presents a ton of drama. The breeze of the Pacific, the beach before you and the spectacular stretch of golf to come is all packed into one glorious swing. This short and beautiful par 3 is nearly one with the ocean. Every time that I visit Casa De Campo I get more and more serious about burying my body on this beach.
The changes made to #5 are all very subtle and were predominantly focused on making the golf hole more playable. The bunkering has been raised and leveled, the green has been slightly enlarged and the shoreline has been reinforced.
Naturally, I challenged my playing partner, Miguel Angel Jiminez to a closest to the pin competition. It was a very foolish endeavor. There is a reason why these guys are playing tournament golf. and I am taking pictures. They thrive with the introduction of competition.
Additionally, Miguel’s explanation of the 5th hole is damn near perfect.
Hole #6 - Par 4 - 469 yards
A short walk beyond the 5th green is the glorious 6th tee box. The new tee boxes have been shuffled around to provide an even more dramatic tee shot down the coastline. You can bail out to the right, but that only makes your approach shot more difficult. The green has a beautiful smattering of palm trees that can provide some interest to any golf shot that doesn’t find the putting surface.
Hole #7 - Par 3 - 227 yards
The hits keep hitting hard at Teeth and the 7th hole is another jaw dropping par 3 that plays directly over the ocean. Without a lot of room for error, most golfers will be encouraged to take dead aim and send one right at the flag. A collection of bunkers await any wayward shots and a golf ball that finds the green deserves a high five from your friends.
Hole #8 - Par 4 - 413 yards
The 8th hole concludes one of the best 4 hole stretches in golf. This glorious oceanside par 4 provides a new and spectacular tee box that is practically in the ocean. It is time to step up and hit a good drive that will set up a fun and challenging second shot. A square bunker fronts the left hand side of the green and a deep swale protects the back right portion of the green. You can fly your approach onto the green but it is also possible to feed the ball down onto the green with an approach that lands well short and out to the right. With so many different options for play on this golf hole, you could spend eternity here and never get bored.
Most notably the 8th hole is the final resting place of Pete Dye himself. After his passing in 2020, Pete’s family held a small ceremony on the 8th green and buried his ashes in the green side swale. Technically, Mr Dye wasn’t buried in a pot bunker but his family found the next best thing.
Until the end of time, Pete will watch golfers struggle and succeed at getting up and down from the large swale next to the sea. It is a fitting resting place for one of the world’s most influential golf course architects.
Hole #9 - Par 5 - 589 yards
The front nine concludes with a stout par 5 that heads inland and back towards the clubhouse. Most golfers will play their second shot out to the left hand side of the fairway and hit a short iron into the green. A large multi tiered green awaits.
Hole #10 - Par 4 - 398 yards
The back nine begins its outward journey with a manageable par 4. This slight dogleg left plays around a large bunker and over an old stone sugarcane trench that bisects the fairway. Like many of the golf holes at Teeth of the Dog, the most interesting part of the 10th hole is the green. It rises significantly from its surroundings and has four uniquely shaped bunkers protecting the surface.
Hole #11 - Par 5 - 607 yards
Two solid shots should put you somewhere close to the green on this par 5 with a good chance to get up and down for an early birdie on the back nine. The complicated part is actually getting up and down on this push up green. Pot bunkers and a donut shaped bunker surround this skinny little target.
Hole #12 - Par 4 - 475 yards
The 12th hole is a lengthy par 4 and one of the few pedestrian golf holes on Teeth of The Dog. A drive down the left hand side of the fairway that challenges the fairway bunker will give you the best look into this difficult green. The undulating putting surface provides a myriad of scramble options.
Hole #13 - Par 3 - 192 yards
When it comes to golf holes that go largely ignored without great reason, the 13th hole is at the top of that list. The green and surrounding short grass area are completely surrounded by a large bunker. At 192 yards it takes a solid strike to find anything green. I played it twice during my visit and managed to find the sand on both occasions.
Hole #14 - Par 5 - 502 yards
At only 500 yards, this banana shaped par 5 winds around a large pond. A good drive down the right hand side of the fairway will tempt the golfer to find this green in 2 shots. There is plenty of room to bail out left with your approach shot and another one of Dye’s pushup greens presents problems for poorly struck approach shots.
Hole #15 - Par 4 - 372 yards
A jungle enclosed cart path leads you away from the 14th green and toward the Teeth’s biggest reveal. The moment that you pop out of the tunnel and onto the 15th tee box is one of the golf course’s most beautiful moments. It is not quite the 15th at Cypress Point, but it evokes a similar excitement. You don’t need driver from the tee box and most golfers will face a short iron into one of the world’s most glorious green sites.
All of the world’s greatest golf designs do an excellent job at leveraging the land that they rest upon. Dye’s simple and effective routing does a great job at providing balance to the round and ensures that the golf greets the sea early and late in the round. With the sun setting in the distance, the round begins its climax by the sea on the 15th hole.
“The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody would put a flagstick on top of it.”
After you finish up on on the 15th green, most golfers will notice hole 15B in the middle of the ocean. The staff at Casa De Campo has wisely placed a pin flag on a nearby rocky island. While it is not Mount Everest, the sentiment remains the same.
Hole #16 - Par 3 - 193 yards
The final par 3 at Teeth of the Dog rises high above the ocean and along the island’s rocky shoreline. Given the size of the green, the 16th can play very differently depending on the pin location. A pin on the far left of the green feels safe. A pin far right tempts the golfer to take on the ocean and provides exceptionally high golf drama.
Hole #17 - Par 4 - 431 yards
Teeth’s final golf hole on the ocean is another stunner. The fairway is generous but it is also surprisingly easy to put your tee shot into the ocean. The green is tucked up against the edge of the water with several small trees and a nasty green side pot bunker punishing those that bail out to the left.
Hole #18 - Par 4 - 473 yards
The finishing hole at Teeth of the Dog is a strong par 4 that feels slightly anticlimactic after a strong 3 hole stretch along the ocean. A fairway bunker protects the left hand side and can cause fits for those that don’t find the fairway. The large green accepts most well struck approach shots and short game challenges await those that miss on the left or right.
After finding the bottom of the cup on 18, most golfers will feel the need to run back over to the first hole and play the golf course again. After 3 visits to the golf course, I have found that this is normal. The very best golf courses in the world inspire excitement and the desire to experience their charms repeatedly until the sun goes down. Teeth of the Dog accomplishes this as effectively as any golf course in the world.