Pate-led renovation sharpens Teeth of the Dog
LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | When it comes to understanding golf course architecture, it is important to note that layouts are living, breathing things that change over the years. That means even the most artfully crafted courses can benefit from proper upgrades. And those are often necessary to ensure that designs remain true to their initial intents as they also adapt to developments in the game, such as the greater distances many golfers are hitting their shots today.
Case in point is the recent renovation of the 55-year-old Teeth of the Dog track at the Casa de Campo resort on the southern coast of this Caribbean land. Completed in January after a nearly 11-month shutdown and orchestrated by Jerry Pate – who has enjoyed a successful second act as a course designer after a competitive career that included victories in a U.S. Amateur and a U.S. Open by the time he was 22 years old – the work has enhanced one of the late Pete Dye’s greatest creations as a venue for elite events like the Latin America Amateur Championship, which it is expected to host for a fourth time in 2028, and also a getaway for recreational players. And the hope is that the refurbishing of Casa de Campo’s centerpiece will also elevate the already strong stature of what is arguably the finest golf destination in Latin America and among the very best in the world.
Jerry Pate (left) has carried on Pete Dye’s work.
Michael Cohe/Hunter Martin, GETTY IMAGES
“Teeth of the Dog is a great work of art by Pete Dye,” Pate said as we played the four seaside holes on its front nine during the official reopening earlier this month. “And we did not make any major changes. It’s still Pete’s course. The routing is the same, and so is the basic strategy. We just sharpened the features and did some things such as sand-capping the entire layout to improve the course conditioning and installing a new irrigation system. We also cut down several trees, cleaned up the edge of the golf holes and regrassed all the tees, greens and fairways with Pure Dynasty paspalum, which is saltwater tolerant and does very well in the heat and humidity of the Caribbean.”
Having worked at Casa de Campo since 1980, Gilles Gagnon, the resort’s director of golf emeritus, knows Teeth as well as anyone.
“It was time to do this, and I think the course looks great,” he said. “There is a lot more definition to the holes. Many of the 120 bunkers on Teeth had settled down over time, and you could no longer see them the way Pete wanted you to. But they have become much more visible.”
