Legendary Dominican Republic Golf Course to Undergo Restoration Project

Casa de Campo Resort and Villas announced that its legendary Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog golf course will undergo a restoration project led by Jerry Pate Design beginning January 2025. 

Since opening in 1971, Teeth of the Dog has become known as Dye’s masterpiece and has been considered the No. 1 course in the Caribbean. 

“We are honored to assist in securing the incredible legacy Pete Dye created with Teeth of the Dog as we ready the course to be enjoyed by golfers for decades to come,” said Andres Pichardo Rosenberg, President of Casa de Campo. “Pete not only created his classic Teeth of the Dog layout for us, but his Dye Fore and Links creations are golfing gems that also stand testament to his exceptional body of work.”

Dye’s design hallmarks are all showcased on the dramatic seaside layout: railroad ties, vast waste areas, peninsula greens and tees, hand-sculpted putting surfaces and an assortment of pot bunkers. 

The seven oceanfront holes caused Dye to quip: “I created 11 holes and God created seven.”

Starting on Jan. 20, 2025, Pate and his team will work on modernizing and updating the classic 18 with an assortment of predominantly cosmetic enhancements, the chief being a complete regrassing of Teeth of the Dog with Dynasty Paspalum – an ideal grass for seaside courses.

In addition to the new state-of-the-art turf on the tee boxes, fairways and greens, three inches of sand will be added to the fairways before seeding for improved playability and irrigation. 

Pate and his team will return the surrounding edges of Teeth of the Dog’s greens to their original size as first fashioned by Dye with some slight recontouring as well. 

All greenside bunkers will be reshaped and expanded to flat bottoms with enhanced faces for a sharper, more dramatic look. All cart paths will feature new concrete along with new rock paths curbing around the tees and greens. 

Following the modernization, Teeth of the Dog will reopen for resort and member play in November 2025. 

“We will miss Teeth of the Dog for most of 2025, but we are excited and honored to take Pete’s masterpiece to a new level and completely restore the integrity of his legendary course to new heights,“ said Gilles Gagon, longtime friend of Pete Dye as well as Golf Director Emeritus and Senior Director of Golf Sales at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas. “With all the many years Pete and I worked together, I know he would be beyond pleased with the upcoming work to be done on the course that ignited his stellar career and legacy as one of the world’s premier golf architects.”

“I have long admired Pete Dye as he was a creative genius who transformed the modern game of golf with his immense talent and imagination and no course typifies that more than Teeth of the Dog,” said Pate. “The layout is truly one of the best in the world, and our job is to preserve Pete’s lifeworks and put a bit more ‘bite’ back into Teeth of the Dog.” 

The upcoming work on Teeth of the Dog will allow two additional Pete Dye-designed layouts at Casa de Campo to shine in 2025, Dye Fore and The Links. 

The 27 holes of Dye Fore on the scenic high ground of the property features three distinct nines.

The “Chavon” nine offers cliffside holes towering 300 feet above the Chavon River below; the “Marina” nine affords views of the Caribbean Sea off on the horizon; and the “Lagos” nine is crafted across tumultuous terrain with a premium placed on shotmaking. 

Golf course architecture aficionados call Dye Fore “the most underrated course in the Caribbean.”

With wide fairways giving way to challenging green complexes highlighted by tricky, undulating putting surfaces, The Links showcases the artistry of Dye’s genius. 

This shotmaker’s 18 weaves through the beautiful, verdant resort grounds while offering vistas from several holes. 

The hilly layout, with tall Bahia grass framing Dye’s sculpted bunkers, plays from just over 7,000 yards from the back tees to a slope of 126. 

Ideal for golfers of all abilities, The Links is considered as one of the most playable courses Dye designed in his heralded career.

“We are also honored to showcase our two additional Dye-created gems on property for our golfers to play and enjoy during Teeth of the Dog’s restoration,” said Gagon. “As a matter of fact, up-and-coming Dye Fore has become as popular in the last few years and is on par with Teeth of the Dog as another Pete Dye-designed masterpiece here at Casa de Campo.”