Dye’s legendary layout returns following enhancement project led by Jerry Pate Design
LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic – Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, home to the Caribbean’s premier, luxury golf experiences, including its world famous and top-ranked golf courses, announces the reopening of its iconic Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog course following a year-long restoration and enhancement project led by Jerry Pate Design.
Teeth of the Dog reopened for resort play on Dec. 7 and now showcases the brilliance of Dye’s creative genius while honoring the course’s celebrated heritage.
Aimed at elevating the playing experience for today’s golfer, the project modernized and updated the layout with an assortment of mostly cosmetic enhancements while honoring Dye’s original vision.
The centerpiece of the restoration led by Pate and his team was a complete re-grassing of Teeth of the Dog with Dynasty Paspalum, an ideal grass for seaside courses. The new innovative turf is now featured on the tee boxes, fairways, and greens. Three inches of sand were added to the fairways before the reseeding, which aims to improve playability and irrigation.
Additionally, the surrounding edges of Teeth of the Dog’s greens have been returned to their original size as first fashioned by Dye, with some slight recontouring as well. All greenside bunkers have been reshaped and expanded to flat bottoms with enhanced faces for a sharper, more dramatic look.
All cart paths now feature new concrete, along with new rock paths curving around the tees and greens. The core objective of the restoration was to preserve Dye’s strategic intent, maintaining his lines of play, contours, angles, and the iconic defensive features that define the course.
“This restoration solidifies Teeth of the Dog and Casa de Campo as truly providing one of the outstanding golf experiences in the world,” said Jason Kycek, Chief Marketing Officer at Casa de Campo. “By preserving and elevating an iconic course like Teeth of the Dog, we have ensured that Pete Dye’s genius and artistry remain intact while reaffirming our resort’s position in the highest echelons of world-class golf.”
“Teeth of the Dog is truly one of the great courses in the world, and preserving the essence of Pete Dye guided us every step of the way,” said Jerry Pate, Founder and CEO of Jerry Pate Design. “Our role was to faithfully rebuild using modern techniques so the original design can live on for many decades to come.”
Since opening in 1971, Teeth of the Dog has become widely known as a Dye masterpiece and has long been considered the No. 1 course in the Caribbean and consistently rated as one of the best in the world.
Dye’s genius design hallmarks are all showcased on the dramatic seaside layout: railroad ties, vast waste areas, peninsula greens and tees, hand-sculpted putting surfaces, and a unique assortment of pot bunkers. The seven exceptional oceanfront holes are astoundingly beautiful, causing Dye to famously quip, “I created 11 holes, and God created seven.”
For more information on Casa de Campo Resort & Villas please visit: www.casadecampo.com.do/.