Dominican Republic becoming a player on international golf scene

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic - Long known for silver sand beaches and merengue music, the Dominican Republic is raising its profile as a world-class destination for golf.

The country already hosts the most golf courses of any nation in the Caribbean — at least two dozen. Some are renowned for holes by oceanside cliffs and turquoise seas. Plans call for at least half a dozen more courses in a few years, amid a real estate and tourism boom on the country's sprawling and relatively undeveloped coasts.

Business and government leaders hope publicity for a Professional Golfers Association's Champions Tour event, which ends today, will lure more visitors and home buyers — including many from South Florida, just two hours away by jet and served by frequent flights.

"This is only the beginning of promotions of the Dominican Republic as a golf destination," Vice Minister of Tourism Magaly Toribio said last week at a trade show in the country's fast-developing east coast region of Punta Cana.
South Florida golf course designers and real estate firms are central to the push.

The PGA agreed to hold the senior tour event for three years, with an option for two more, at the Cap Cana real estate development, said Cap Cana Vice President Ellis Perez. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, the Palm Beach County-based designer who is building three signature courses on the 30,000-acre property, made several requests in favor of the location.

Cap Cana is investing more than $6 million to host the inaugural event, including $2 million in prizes. Some of that cash will be recouped this year from ticket sales and sponsors, such as Charles Schwab and MasterCard. But the greatest return should come on increased sales of apartments, houses and even Trump-branded residences at Cap Cana for years to come, Perez said.

Other Dominican Republic properties with golf courses should benefit too.

Golf course designers P.B. Dye and his father, Pete, both based in Palm Beach County, already have eight courses in the Dominican Republic, with three more under contract.

"There's plenty of land, plenty of labor and plenty of water" to develop many more in the Georgia-sized nation of 9 million people, P.B. Dye said.

The new courses tend to be eco-friendly, allowing for more sustainable expansion. Many use seashore paspalum grass, a salt-resistant hybrid that can be irrigated with recycled water. And some use sensors that measure rain and other conditions to minimize water use, according to P.B. Dye.

Big money is at stake in golf. Dye estimates a course now costs an average $8 million to $12 million, about double what it cost 15 years ago, partly because of higher prices for petroleum used to make water pipes and to haul sand.

Those outlays link into even bigger money for Dominican tourism and real estate. The country already has the most hotel rooms of any Caribbean island: more than 60,000, four times the number in Puerto Rico. And real estate development is exploding nationwide, especially on the east coast, where Cap Cana alone expects its build-out to cost several billion dollars, complete with luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences.

The PGA has been broadcasting the Cap Cana Championship on the Golf Channel, available in 80 million homes in the United States and more than 130 countries. Participants include Tom Watson, Craig Stadler and Bernhard Langer. The event is one of 29 on the association's Champions Tour circuit this year, with a combined prize of $55.5 million.

Practicing Thursday afternoon amid strong winds and rustling palm trees, Jacksonville-based golfer John McGough called the tournament's Punta Espada course at Cap Cana "the most beautiful" he'd ever played because of its ocean views and healthy greens.

Dominican tourism official Toribio hopes PGA players and viewers will turn such appreciation into more visits and real estate deals, securing the country "a top spot on the world map for golf."