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La Romana Country Club |
Course Information
More Reviews
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Name: Bo (DR1) Handicap: 12 Review Date:
November 20th 2007 Tee Time: 10:00 (white tee) |
General:
The new 9 (holes 19 to 27 in this review) are built in the same area as Dye
Fore and play the same with a nice view on the first two. The old 18 looks more
like The Links at Casa de Campo but with more undulating greens and longer
holes.
The 1st cut of rough can really grab your ball and it's no easy shot whatsoever
from there.
Practicing facilities are all placed next to each other just off 18th green and
looks great.
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Course layout:
A Pete Dye design. Large changes in elevation on some holes and most
greens have even been elevated.
You can get away with a bad drive. Fairways are generous. However the greens are
small and undulated and very well protected by sand, mounds and hollows. They
are tough to read and lightning fast.
Bunkers seemed uniform in density of the sand.
Your short game must be at its best to score well on this course..
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Maintenance:
Bermuda grass on the old fairways, Paspalum on tees and greens and all
over on the new 9. A very well manicured course. Hardly any spots with ground
under repair. Greens are hard and anything except the perfect approach will roll
off. |
Service:
Professional and attentive staff in pro shop, reception and caddy shack.
Nice, clean bathrooms. We didn't use the club house changing facilities.
The carts carry drinking water in a cooler and there is water available on the
course as well. |
Price:
Members only (I played as guest of a member). Lucky tourists staying in
Casa de Campo can be admitted to the course for a fee (I heard US$200) but it's
not a given. The pro shops at CdC and La Romana CC will have to coordinate. But
go ahead and ask. The worst thing they can say is "No, not today". |
19th hole (should that be 28th hole?):
Colonial/Caribbean style bar in nice surroundings next to the 18th green. Nearby
pool, gym, tennis courts and gourmet restaurant on the second floor tells you
this is a country club before a golf club. Prices in the bar are very
reasonable. |
Value for money rating:
I didn't pay anything, I was a guest, so I can only give it 5 stars. If
I had to fork over US$200 to play it would probably be another matter.
La Romana CC is as well kept a golf course as any other in the Casa de Campo
complex and we didn't meet any other groups and felt "very private".
Try your luck in the pro shop at Casa de Campo if you're staying there. If you
get in you'll get the toughest test of your game among the Casa de Campo golf
courses..
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Hole Descriptions & Photos:
Click a camera icon
to see larger images and descriptions. |
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1st hole, par 4, 341 yds:
A nice looking opening hole with a wide fairway without any fairway bunkers.
Best play would be left side of the fairway which gives the better angle into
the green. A bunker guards the front left of the green. |
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2nd hole, par 4, 371 yds:
A large fairway bunker on the right towards which the fairway is leaning. Don't
go too far left with your tee shot as a group of trees guard the left side of
the green while numerous deep bunkers guard the right side. |
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3rd hole, par 3, 184 yds:
A massive 3-tiered green with a bunker going around the left side from front to
back. Safe play would be the right side of the green but 2 putts is not an easy
task on this green. |
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4th hole, par 5, 478 yds:
Stay away from the bunkers on the left and there's a large landing area for both
your tee shot and second shot before having to battle the obstacles of numerous
mounds, hollows and bunkers around the green. |
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5th hole, par 4, 360 yds:
Get your distance right off the tee. There are a lot of hidden bunkers on this
hole both from the tee and from the fairway. Consult your caddie. |
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6th hole, par 4, 390 yds:
Hit your drive towards the little piece of visible cart path on the right on
this slight dogleg left. The green is elevated and protected by bunkers left and
right. |
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7th hole, par 5, 488 yds:
Slight dogleg right. It's uphill all the way to the green but the fairway is
wide so play it safe left and then right before hitting your approach to the
green which has sand front left. |
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8th hole, par 3, 168 yds:
Don't look at the pin, just go for the back part of the green. If the pin is in
the front and you don't hit the green you're facing a very tough uphill chip
from either side to a minimal space of green. Bunker on the right. |
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9th hole, par 4, 288 yds:
Stay right of the two fairway bunkers on the left. From there it's steep uphill
to the green. Don't overhit your approach: There's a lake behind the green and
you can't see that from the fairway. |
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10th hole, par 4, 360 yds:
Just fairway bunkers left off this wide fairway so no need to hold back on this
one. The green is located between numerous mounds and a few bunkers but is not
elevated so you could run your approach up to the pin. |
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11th hole, par 5, 482 yds:
Play right of the fairway bunkers or bomb it over them to the wide fairway.
There's sand and rough trouble down the right side of the fairway if you go for
the green on your second shot but nice room in front of the green if you to lay
up. Tough green with lots of humps. |
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12th hole, par 4, 378 yds:
Hit a straight drive down the middle between the fairway bunkers and you'll have
a downhill approach to green protected by sand on the left only. |
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13th hole, par 3, 171 yds:
Take an extra club as there's room to miss behind the green.
A deep bunker guards the front right. |
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14th hole, par 4, 310 yds:
Short par 4 but long hitters should stick to an iron off the tee and play down
the right side as the green is "overprotected' by mounds and bunkers. |
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15th hole, par 4, 371 yds:
Another straight drive in between the fairway bunkers will leave you a possible
run up approach to this green which is only guarded by sand on the right. |
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16th hole, par 3, 174 yds:
Pot bunkers to the left and a coconut palm tree filled shallow bunker right and
back will test your accuracy on this "the easiest hole on the course". |
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17th hole, par 4, 400 yds:
Long hitters could hit it over the bunker on the left and have a shorter
approach up the hill to the green. The safe play is on the right side but will
leave a long approach. There’s sand left and front but short approaches will
most likely funnel down in the deep hollow to the right of the green. |
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18th hole, par 5, 423 yds:
Short par 5 but fairway bunkers spread out handsomely over the area and a lake
down the right side makes this hole tough enough. The green is large and just
protected by the lake on the right so if you find yourself in a good spot on the
fairway and you feel lucky you can go for the green in two. |
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19th hole, par 4, 387 yds:
A wide fairway with a few bunkers far right invites you to rip it. The green is
large and you can run up your approach. Sand left and right of the green. |
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20th hole, par 5, 497 yds:
Dogleg right. The fairway leans right towards a huge waste bunker on the right
so get is a far left as you can while still cutting yardage off the corner. The
wide fairway continues to be wide all the way to the green. Numerous bunkers and
steep run offs guard the green. |
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21st hole, par 4, 390 yds:
Another large waste bunker on the right and now also fairway bunkers on the left
calls for an accurate tee shot. Trees on the right shouldn’t come into play
unless you hit a bad slice. The green is guarded by bunkers front left. |
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22nd hole, par 4, 376 yds:
Waste bunker on the left and fairway bunkers on the right but still ample room
to land your tee shot. It’s possible to run your approach to the green which is
guarded by bunkers left and right. |
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23rd hole, par 4, 342 yds:
Water left and fairway bunkers right but again nice room to land your tee shot.
The green is sitting behind a few bunkers and a deep run off area to the right
so the safe play is taking an extra club and make sure you clear the trouble. |
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24th hole, par 3, 160 yds:
A large elevated green of which you can only see the front half is guarded by a
deep bunker front left and right. Any shot not on the green will roll off and a
difficult uphill chip is next. |
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25th hole, par 5, 462 yds:
A large waste bunker on the left but not much trouble for your tee shot
otherwise. The fairway narrows as you approach the green and numerous bunkers
left and right call for a straight shot. More bunkers surround the green on all
sides. |
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26th hole, par 4, 363 yds:
Large shallow fairway bunker on the left and deep bunkers on the right so hit it
straight. Deep bunkers front right and left of the green and a fake front
suggest you take an extra club. Better to be long than short of this green. |
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27th hole, par 3, 163 yds:
Bunkers left, right and front make this finishing hole a final tough task. |
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