The 17th at the Faldo Legacy Course: High drama for Dominican Republic golf vacations.
Upon visiting the Punta Cana area on a Dominican Republic golf vacation last winter, we came back predicting that it, “is poised to become the golf mecca of the Caribbean,” mainly on the strength of its beaches, fine hotels, and existing and future golf courses led by Jack Nicklaus’ Punta Espada.
Perhaps it was validation that, months later, Golfweek magazine came out with its list of “Best Caribbean Courses,” and Punta Espada was ranked No. 1.
In any event, there’s more good news for those planning Domincan Republic golf vacations, as another big piece of the equation falls into play on Monday. That’s when the new Faldo Legacy Course at Roko Ki Golf Club (thefaldolegacycourse.com) officially opens for play. The course, the first of three planned for the Roko Ki resort (rocoki.com), is Nick Faldo’s first design in the Caribbean.
During our Dominican Republic golf vacation, we could only preview the golf course as it was in a partially grassed state, but even then it looked like a winner (apparently Travel+Leisure Golf magazine thinks it is, naming it to its list of “Best New Courses,” published just last month.). Most of the layout has a tropical, mangrove-like look and feel, but it begins and, to a larger extent, ends, with dramatic holes overlooking the ocean. We were also pleased to learn that it is being run by a professional golf management company, Troon Golf.
If you’re planning a Dominican Republic golf vacation, you should probably consider putting the Faldo Legacy Course on your list. While we can’t fully endorse it as a “must play” because we have not yet played it, we have made those types of recommendations about other courses in the area.
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