Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic

Infobox_Golf_Facility
golf_facility_name = Casa de Campo


location = La Romana, flag|Dominican Republic
coordinates = coord|18|24|00|N|68|55|00|W
establishment = 1971
type = public
owner = Central Romana Corporation, Ltd.
operator =
holes =
tournaments =
website = [http://www.casadecampo.com.do/en/golf/index.asp Casa de Campo - Golf]
course1 = Teeth of the Dog
designer1 = Pete Dye
par1 = 72
length1 = 6,888
rating1 = 74.1
record1 =
course2 = Dye Fore
designer2 = Pete Dye
par2 = 72
length2 = 7,770
rating2 = 77.0
record2 =
course3 = The Links Course
designer3 = Pete Dye
par3 = 71
length3 = 6,461
rating3 = 70
record3 =
course4 =
designer4 =
par4 =
length4 =
rating4 =
record4 =

In 1975 Gulf+Western developed convert|7000|acre|km2 of its Central Romana sugar mill's land into the Casa de Campo resort. Situated in La Romana on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, "Casa de Campo" (Spanish for "Country House") is a Ponderosa-style, tropical seaside resort.

The first to enjoy the luxuries of this enclave were friends of the late Charles Bluhdorn, Gulf+Western’s founder and CEO, who built the retreat. One of Bluhdorn's Dominican friends, Oscar de la Renta, was hired to do interior design for Casa De Campo. After Bluhdorn's death, the Cuban-American Fanjul family (the world’s top sugar barons), bought Casa and opened it to paying guests. Without compromising the feeling of exclusivity, they’ve developed it into one of the most complete resorts in the region.

Casa de Campo’s golf has been internationally recognized for more than three decades. Golf architects Pete and Alice Dye have had a home at Casa de Campo since the early 1970s, when they guided 300 local laborers with machetes to blaze the "Diente del Perro", (Teeth of the Dog, opened in 1971) through the jungle and along a rocky coast. The world's golfers flocked to the course after it served as a backdrop for the 1971 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It remains the only Caribbean course consistently in the world’s top 100 courses (usually top 50). The Links Course (opened in 1974) and the members-only La Romana Country Club (opened in 1990) are inland layouts spiced with lakes. Dye’s newest course, the much-acclaimed Dye Fore (opened in 2000), skirts cliffs convert|300|ft|m above the Chavón River, with views of the village of Altos de Chavón, distant mountains and the new marina. Dye is at work on another course on the plateau next to Dye Fore.

Casa de Campo has a modern, new 400-berth marina, complete with a shipyard with a 120-ton TraveLift designed by Italian architect, Gianfranco Fini to resemble Portofino. Surrounding this harbor are restaurants, shops, bars, and homes.

Casa de Campo served as the backdrop for the 1987 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Notable golf championships held at Casa de Campo

* 1974: Eisenhower Trophy
* 1974: Espirito Santo Trophy
* 1994: Shell's Wonderful World of Golf

External links

* [http://www.casadecampo.com.do/ Casa de Campo]
* [http://marinacasadecampo.com/ Casa de Campo Marina]