World Class Golf at Puntacana RESORT & CLUB
Three distinct courses by legendary golf architects P.B. Dye and Tom Fazio
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — For an avid golfer, there is no better golf experience than teeing-off on the crystalline shores of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. With elegant resort accommodations, glorious landscapes and soon to be three championship golf courses, Puntacana Resort & Club is the hallmark and destination of choice in this magnificent golfer’s paradise. P.B. Dye’s existing championship La Cana Golf Course offers challenges against beauty, and is available to all Puntacana Resort & Club’s guests, while the legendary Tom Fazio’s new Corales Golf Course - available exclusively to private club members and residents of the Corales residential community - features a spectacular setting, Club House, Beach Club and six ocean front holes. A second P.B. Dye designed course, the Hacienda Golf Course, is also in development, set to open in early 2011.
When P.B. Dye’s La Cana Golf Course opened in 2001, it helped solidify the Dominican Republic as “the” Caribbean destination for golfers. This reputation has continued to grow with the continued development of top notch golf courses throughout the island. Today, the Dominican Republic offers 19 superior courses and many more in development with Puntacana Resort & Club’s Corales projected to be the apogee.
A 40 year veteran of golf course design, Tom Fazio has earned the reputation as one of the world’s most highly regarded course designers. He is consistently recognized for creating award-winning courses throughout the United States, and has more credits on Golf Digest's list of “America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses” and Golfweek's collection of “America's Best” than any other living designer - a clear choice to design Puntacana Resort & Club’s new course.
“We considered several top architects before entrusting Tom Fazio with the resplendent stretch of land that is Corales,” said Frank R. Rainieri, Chairman of Grupo Puntacana, owners and operators of the resort community.
Situated on a pristine stretch of land composed of several rocky cliffs, the 7,500 yard Corales course features a private Club House, Beach Club and six ocean front holes providing a dramatic backdrop for Fazio’s world class design. The course's 18th hole has a unique 'double-shot' -- planned to challenge even the most avid golfers, daring players to try to drive over the ocean and rock-lined cliffs of the Bay of Corales to the fairway on the other side. This hole positions Corales as one of the most difficult and talked about ocean-front courses in the world.
Nestled along the north shore of the resort and situated atop the ocean front cliffs and coves, the Corales site is an ideal location to enjoy a round surrounded by the very essence of Caribbean splendor. Fazio hand picked each spot for the greens and fairways to create an unforgettable and rarely found oceanfront, not ocean view, course - one of those courses you must see and play.
The course which opened in April 2010, is available exclusively to private Corales Golf Course members and to residents of Puntacana Resort & Clubs’s residential community Corales - the small enclave of luxurious vacation homes where famed Dominican couturier Oscar de la Renta, and megastars Julio Iglesias and Mikhail Baryshnikov have beachfront residences.
La Cana Golf Course, Puntacana Resort & Club’s original course is comprised of 7,152 yards and is open to all visitors of the resort. Long, innovative, demanding and thoroughly enjoyable, this celebrated course includes 12 holes boasting magnificent sea views and four superb holes playing directly along the Caribbean Sea. The clever design offers multiple tees allowing players to tailor the level the difficulty of the course according to their needs. To add a bit of excitement and challenge for all, hole seven features a “Hecklebirnie” – a cluster of 21 pot bunkers and according to P.B. Dye, a “golfer’s purgatory.” Once the Corales and Hacienda courses are completed, the Puntacana Resort & Club plans to revamp La Cana, with luxurious landscaping and tee upgrades for golfers to enjoy.
After a round of golf, or for those who prefer to watch rather than play, The Oscar de la Renta designed La Cana Golf & Beach Club provides an elegant setting for a game of backgammon, a bite to eat, or simply a place to relax. The Beach Club Grill serves a light lunch including seafood, pasta, salads and sandwiches; and for dinner, the sophisticated Cocoloba specializes in nouvelle Caribbean fusion cuisine accompanied by an extensive selection of wine.
For those who want to brush-up on their golf skills, lessons and clinics for players of all levels are offered by the experienced teaching staff at the beachfront Puntacana Golf Academy.
Hacienda, Puntacana Resort & Club’s third championship course, will be the resort’s first inland course when it opens in 2011. Hacienda will offer a variety of on-site amenities including a clubhouse, restaurants and tennis courts.
About PuntaCana Resort & Club
The development of Puntacana Resort & Club dates back to 1971 when Dominican businessman and hotelier Frank R. Rainieri and Theodore W. Kheel, the prominent New York attorney and labor mediator, created a partnership to construct a resort and real estate community that respects the natural habitat of Punta Cana while offering a world-class vacation experience. Maintaining a dedication to sustainable tourism, Puntacana Resort & Club has since grown to encompass over 26 square miles and now includes Tortuga Bay, Six Senses Spa, the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, three residential communities (Corales, Hacienda and Arrecife), a full service marina, seven restaurants, a shopping village, a P.B. Dye-designed golf course, and Punta Cana International Airport, a modern facility that incorporates innovative and eco-friendly design. In 1997, Julio Iglesias and Oscar de la Renta joined the Group as co-investors and have made Puntacana Resort & Club their home. Currently, Punta Cana is the most highly visited Caribbean destination and is easily accessible from all over the globe.
About Puntacana Ecological Foundation
The Puntacana Ecological Foundation (PCEF) is a non-profit foundation established in 1994 by the Grupo Puntacana to protect and restore the natural resources of the Punta Cana region and contribute to the sustainable development of the country. The Foundation is endowed with a 1,500-acre ecological park and reserve, filled with an array of local flora and fauna, experimental gardens, and a petting zoo. The Puntacana Ecological Foundation works directly with the Puntacana Resort & Club and numerous partners and researchers from around the world (such as researchers from Harvard, Columbia and Cornell Universities) to protect and contribute to the rational use of natural resources and respect for nature as a model for the sustainable development of destinations. Major projects include providing education and health care to the local community as well as protecting and conserving the area’s coral reefs.
To make reservations, call 809 959 2262 or e-mail reservations@puntacana.com.