Re: Attn: DR1
Tim and Judy,
I appreciate your point Tim, however, I have friends that were there last year as well and they told me things were much the same there. I doubt the physcical arrangement, conditioning or management of the course has changed much since then.
My point is that what I call average conditioning for the Carib., is what Judy's husband is calling poor conditioning. That's not to say there aren't better conditioned courses in the DR and around the Carribbean. However, you will pay a premium for those, most of the time at least $75 US (not the $30 - $60 at the BB).
The good thing is that most of the courses in the Carib. are resort related and they therefore were designed properly and built to look like a golf course. The not so good thing is that many times materials were in short supply, good soil, a properly graded sand for greens and bunkers, proper water volumes, and in the past even proper grasses. Courses being built now around the Carib. are costing big bucks because todays consumer demands better conditioning and it can sometimes cost a lot just to get the proper materials. Even then, maintenance can be difficult. Most of the time effluent is being used for irrigation and there are chemistry issues for many grasses with effluent. Also, the proper maintenance equipment is very expensive and sometimes not as available as here.
Anyway, I didn't intend to go on and on. The advice I give to my friends is have fun - joke around with the caddies, chase the chickens off your cart, "jack-up" the ball everywhere and don't keep score. In short, don't go to the Carribean to play golf, just play golf while you're in the Carib.
