After a year-long renovation process, one of the best-known courses in the Caribbean is bringing smiles to golfers’ faces again. The Teeth of the Dog – one of the three Pete Dye-designed resort courses at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in the Dominican Re public – reopened late last year following a thorough refresh helmed by Jerry Pate. PGA Magazine recently sat down with Robert Birtel, the PGA of America Director of Golf at the resort, to learn how the newly polished Teeth of the Dog is helping Casa de Campo better serve traveling golfers.
PGA Magazine: For a PGA of America Golf Professional who’s thinking about bringing a group to Casa de Campo, how does the renovation impact what they can expect?
Robert Birtel, PGA: The renovation is going to keep the golf course sustainable, easier to maintain and provide a better product for golf groups. It helped us unify the types of grasses we use throughout the property, which reduces the different maintenance products we need. So, the product is going to be better for guests and the PGA of America Golf Professionals who enjoy bringing travel down to Casa de Campo. Overall, Casa de Campo in general is one of the best products any PGA Professional can offer their members: three different golf courses, all the restaurants, the extracurricular activities, the beach, the shooting area, the horses. We think it’s the best golf trip there is. And Teeth of the Dog is now at another level.
For a professional who’s brought guests here before, what are they going to notice that's different when they come back?
Birtel: First would be the bunkering – the shapes, the locations. It’ll feel like you might have to play some holes a little differently. We’ve also added and relocated tee boxes, so sight lines off the tees will be slightly different, which adds a different level of strategy. But as Jerry Pate says, the goal was not to take a Pete Dye masterpiece and change it. It was to do what we think Pete would have done if he were here today. I think all the PGA of America Professionals and their amateurs will really enjoy the experience.
We’re in year six of the golf boom. What trends are you seeing in golf travel?
Birtel: We’ve definitely been busier. The reopening of Teeth sparked an increase in rounds starting in December, which translates to an increase in golf shop sales. On the merchandise side, fun shirts and prints are still there, but there's almost a trend back toward a little more conservative styling. I’m also starting to see younger travelers – people in their 30s and 40s – coming down and getting into the golf travel scene. Casa de Campo has always been amazing at growing our repeat guests. We don’t have members in the traditional sense, but the guests who come every year understand the lifestyle and what Casa de Campo is about. They cherish that. They come back year after year, and they become your members in a sense.
■ Candyroot Lodge, a new public golf retreat on 1,200 acres in South Carolina’s Kershaw County, is scheduled to open in spring 2027. The first course, designed by Mike Koprowski, will begin preview play this fall, and plans call for three more courses to follow, as well as a par-3 course, lodging and wellness amenities.
■ Landsdowne Resort outside Washington, D.C. in Virginia is offering a Discover Summer Package that includes overnight accommodations, a $100 resort credit that can be used toward golf, a $50 breakfast credit and extras that include a beach bag and tumblers. The resort also offers a Swing & Serve Summer Camp for kids interested in golf and tennis instruction.
■ South Carolina’s Palmetto Bluff has opened Anson Point, a new 18-hole course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Built on the site of an abandoned quarry, the layout features a minimalist aesthetic, and the routing passes through four distinct Lowcountry ecosystems. The course is currently available for play by Palmetto Bluff members and their guests.
■ Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minnesota, is offering a Summer Recreation Pass to help visitors make the most of the many activities at the property. The resort’s 45 holes of golf are part of the program, along with banana boat rides, yoga classes, disc golf and bike rentals.
