The Faldo Legacy Course at Roco Ki opened last week, adding a new championship course to the already great golf offers in Punta Cana. Designer Nick Faldo was so proud of the design that he gave the course his own name. The course design makes the most of the contrasting environments of elevated headlands, tropical mangrove forests and sea grass meadows. The natural beauty is stunning. Faldo himself makes the point when he says:
“If your golf game isn’t the best, bring your camera, because you will get a great picture!”
Prior to opening, the course was already winning accolades. Travel & Leisure’s team of new golf course raters included the course in their November/December 2008 list of Best New Courses, Travel and Leisure Golf. T&L mentions that the new course needed to be re-routed midstream because the tricky island terrain reacted unpredictably to construction tactics that would have worked perfectly well in most places. The magazine describes how Faldo rolled with the punches, finding corridors through upland mangroves, resulting in his “Harry Potter” look, a reference to the ubiquitous mangrove trees and their spidery exposed root system. There’s even more magic and wizardry on the finishing holes, with their ocean views and dramatic green sites.
Golfweek ranked the course as the 20th Best Golf Course in the Caribbean and Mexico before it opened in December 2008.