Pete Dye was never shy about proclaiming Teeth of the Dog on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic as his favorite design. Heck, even his ashes are interred on the course overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Those who have ever played the highly-ranked Dye layout at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas can’t wait to return, and most all golf travelers who have yet to tackle the course have it on their wish list of golf destinations.
The 1971 Dye design and its renowned seven oceanfront holes know as “Heaven 7” recently opened after a $15 million restoration. The 11-month project was executed by architect and former PGA Tour star Jerry Pate just in time for the peak of the 2026 Caribbean golf season.
“I have been here 45 years and can’t remember the course looking this good,” says Gilles Gagnon, Casa de Campo director of golf emeritus and longtime friend of Dye, who passed away in 2020. “The new grass is paspalum and it makes you feel like you are playing on a carpet. The bunkers have new sand and they just frame the holes so well. The greens will be firm for a while, but the putting surfaces are perfect.
“Golfers always wanted to experience the Teeth of the Dog as a bucket list, but now the demand is over the top,” added Gagnon. “I spent a lot of time with Pete Dye and I know he would be proud of what we did to honor and protect this masterpiece. If you asked him what his favorite course and place was, he would always say Teeth of the Dog and the DR. His ashes are on No. 8 and I know he is happy to be here.”
Dye also designed Dye Fore (27 holes) and The Links at Casa de Campo, but it’s the Teeth of the Dog and its No. 1 ranking in the Caribbean that draws the crowds.
It now costs $550 to play the Teeth of the Dog for resort guests and $400 if staying at the hotel.
“It was beautiful, and it is beautiful now,” says current director of golf Robert Birtel. “I think it’s actually more exciting to look at the course with the new bunker shapes and removing certain cart paths out of the eye of the player hitting the ball.
“Regardless of our ranking, Teeth of the Dog has the best name of any golf course in the world … and a reputation to follow,” added Birtel. “Casa de Campo is just an amazing golf experience.”
With Teeth of the Dog being 55 years old, Gagnon says it was long overdue to be freshened up.
“Over the years, storms destroyed and changed the shape of tee boxes, greens and bunkers,” he says. “The condition of the course deteriorated from the traffic, so it was time to regrass and reshape.
“And Jerry Pate was a longtime friend of Pete Dye, spent time with him on some of his courses, and the family trusted that he would preserve the Dye design.”
Casa de Campo encompasses 7,000 acres and is generally regarded as one of the Caribbean’s most exclusive resorts.
In addition to world-class golf that hugs the coral formations rising out of the Caribbean Sea, the resort features the largest marina in the Caribbean, a 245-acre shooting club, 200 horses at its equestrian center, 13 tennis courts, a private beach, numerous award-winning restaurants and a private airport.
“We’ve been compared to a lot of things – the Hamptons of the Caribbean, or the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean, or the Monaco of the Caribbean,” says Jason Kycek, chief marketing officer for Casa de Campo. “Over the years it has evolved into really just a special, unique city of its own and its own destination. Sure, we’re a golfer’s paradise, but even if you don’t play golf there are plenty of things to do at Casa de Campo.”
One of the more unique features of Casa de Campo is that guests are assigned a golf cart to explore all the sprawling resort has to offer at their leisure.
“That’s one of the things a lot of adults have particularly enjoyed, just driving in their golf cart and looking at all the different homes and neighborhoods,” Kycek said.
Most, if not all, golf cart trips include a visit to the resort’s replicated 16th century Mediterranean village and its cobblestone streets.
“It’s a one of a kind,” Kycek said. “You feel like you’re in Italy.”
For golfers, the “new” Teeth of the Dog remains a wonderful test in an amazing environment.
“There’s no other golf course like this; other courses in the Caribbean aren’t even in the same game,” says Birtel. “This is such an amazing golf trip – you would compare it to places in the United States like Kohler, Streamsong, or Kiawah. You are going to come down here and get great weather, play amazing golf courses, go to the beach and eat at 20 or so restaurants inside Casa de Campo. Basically every tee time has been sold out since we re-opened. The pent-up demand is truly amazing.”