GOLF AT PLAYA NUEVA ROMANA

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
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829
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Playa Nueva Romana is an ambitious housing ,hotel and sporting project on the Caribbean just over the Rio Soco from San Pedro de Macoris .They have now an 18 hole golf course which from the back is 7,400 yards plus and from the various forward tees is 6800 and then 6400 and then 5800 .Par 72 .Their advertised prices are $180 for normal players ,$120 for members of Dominican Federation Golf and at present there is a promotional price to be negotiated. I recently played it .....at the promotional price. It is a spacious course with long distances between the green and the next tee. The first nine appears newer than the second but even with water on more than 6 holes and the ocean on four holes it is an ugly course which can only improve over time ,say about two more years. There are some very long par fours and some rather short ones but the stand outs holes are the four par threes..they are superb . Now as to the condition of the course ,it appeared the tees had not been cut for a week and the greens for several days and unfortunately there are four green near the sea that have been 75% destroyed by either the salt weather or bad drainage .Bunkers,of which there are many were all in good condition .There are not many trees near the fairways but there seems to be a lot of planting of new ones. In due time ,if the project survives, it will be a very good course ,much better than Metro or Guavaberry down the road.
The service was dreadful.No one came to the car to put the clubs on the cart and no one cleaned the clubs afterwards or attempted to help us put them in the car ,although there were four young men hanging around. We were offered a bottle of water each and after a strong request this was doubled. The pro shop was adequate but not helpful .
So ,obviously the price is way to high and the course does not justify it ..far better to go a bit further on to the three public courses in Casa de Campo . Even there, the service is not good and the prices to high so for a decent three or four days golf it is best to go Hard Rock Cafe course and Iberiastate and have a warm welcome, a free drink cart on the course and reasonable prices and two courses in good condition ..There are others midway with good value... We golfers are blessed with many very good courses in the East and South East ,even though Playa Grande in the north is a great course from back or forward tees ..