Everything's Magic
Watch as your heart speeds up endlessly,
Look for the stars as the sun goes down,
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound,
Everything, everything's magic Lately I've had this song in my head and I thought of the lyrics by Tom Delonge as I played Playa Grande. For this course, to me is magic.
Playa Grande is a really fun golf course with a great routing by Mr. Jones with many, many memorable holes. I did find it extremely difficult to stop looking out at the cliffs, at the ocean, the hidden sandy beaches in the coves and saving the BIGGEST distraction for last, literally and figuratively, this guy:
We saw many more humpbacks up close and personal when we went to Samana Bay for a whale tour later in the week. There the entire north atlantic population, some 10,000 whales come to breed in the winter.
Robert Trent Jones, I was told, cried upon first seeing this site. It’s easy to see why.
From the Playa Grande website:
Playa Grande is an unusually beautiful parcel of about 2,000 acres on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic , straddling the towns of Rio San Juan and Cabrera.
The property has great topography, with hills and cliffs and 5 miles of exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, including a wide, mile-long beach. It is lush and undeveloped, with old trees and Royal Palms.
On the western coast, Robert Trent Jones built his final golf course, cut into the cliffs over the sea. Underground springs supply abundant fresh water, and the neighboring land is small farms and forest.Remarkably there is no hotel tied to the golf course. (A small villa complex was built in the late 90’s but for now is closed.) A new ownership group has recently purchased the golf course along with 2,000 acres for a reported 50M, undoubtedly there will be development coming soon.
Arriving at the second green affords the player with the day's first glimpse of the Dominican coral stone
cliffs rising out of the deep blue sea.Holes to note3rd hole, 208 yards; The first of 10 oceanside holes. The tee shot on this par 3 is also the first pucker-up shot the player faces. Playing along the cliff’s edge all the way to the green with a 35 mph wind at your back is a delicate task. The right club and a crisp strike and you may make it to the other side. A pin front left makes the shot much more manageable than the position on top right, where the entire shot is played with bated breath.
The 3rd tee extends all the way back to 230 yards where an early morning big number can jump onto the card.4th hole, 525 yards; The first par 5 and the first really good shot at an easy birdie. Again with the prevailing wind at the player’s back and a wide fairway opening up left from the cliff’s edge.
The second shot will play anywhere from 200-250 for most and there is ample room to run the ball
up onto the green from the left. 
But stray a little to the right and you’re on the beach, down, down below.7th hole, 171 yards; This par 3 takes the golfer into the teeth of the wind, quickly turning a 6 iron yardage into a hard 3 iron that mustn’t get up into the wind or else perish on the rocks below. A shallow bunker on the cliffs edge guards the back portion of this huge green making the hole play even more hazardous to the golfer. A 3 here is well earned.
As if the view wasn’t enough of a distraction; the constant wind in play along the cliff’s edge adds plenty
of strategic options to the player’s thought process while standing at the 7th tee.9th hole, 411 yards; Again Jones used the natural peninsulas to create maximum thrill for the golfer. This par 4 is the first time the golfer can attack the water’s edge with driver, allowing one to choose how much to bite off in gaining a distance advantage for the short to medium length approach shot. Even against the prevailing wind, a driver in hand, rather than an iron, provides a bit more security for the player when challenging the cliffs.
The caddy makes an enormous contribution to the enjoyment of a game at Playa Grande.
The landing area is generous once the Caribbean sea is negotiated. Merely a wedge to the well bunkered green.10th hole, 425 yards; The first hole of the inward nine presents some nice movement in the fairway and some elevation change. Here the green sits atop one of the higher points on the course. A deep green, hidden from view back in the fairway requires some knowledge in order to properly access the pin’s position.
A chorus of birds serenade the player from the forest surrounding the bonito 10th green.12th hole, 560 yards; Once the player arrives at the 12th tee he immediately recognizes the hole’s potential to wreck a good round by A. presenting the player with a tee shot forcing a long carry once again over the sea, and B. playing into a stiff prevailing wind. The difficulty is heightened in that the landing area moves further and further away from the player the more he plays to the center and left of center. Worse yet, there’s OB right. A great and difficult shot that requires absolute concentration.
The tee at the par 5 12th.
The landing area at the 12th looks a bit more inviting than it appears from the tee. Still, the next shot has a certain water hazard running along the left all the way to the green.
The green at the 12th.13th hole, 420 yards; This par 4 is exposed to the Atlantic more so than the others at Playa Grande. The fairway lies only 30 feet or so from the pounding surf on this lower peninsula.
Again, dead into the wind here, the player is better off hitting a low cut into the wind, leaving a mid iron approach to an exposed green with the deepest bunkers on the course protecting it.
The 13th Tee.
Looking back to the tee at 13. The sea spray is prevalent nearly the entire hole.
Not your everyday hazard. This 'hole' in the fairway gobbles up any worm burners off the tee.
13 is a fantastic hole along the water's edge.
The 13th green sits atop the cliffs looking down on beautiful Playa Grande beach.14th hole, 160 yards; The shortest of the par 3’s presents the player with a simple tee shot for a change as the wind is at a minimum at this corner of the property. The dense tree cover provides a solid wind barrier as the beach is just below the drop off. It is all carry however.
14 is yet another forced carry over the ocean’s edge. Fortunately the wind isn’t a huge factor.15th hole, 570 yards; This inland par 5 is a solid three shotter as it rises slightly uphill cut through a dense Dominican forest. Jones designed a beautiful set of diagonal bunkers crossing the fairway from 75 to 125 yards out, dividing the fairway into an upper portion and a lower portion. Play to the left up top and you’ll have the advantage of seeing all of the huge green and it’s undulation.
The diagonal cross bunkers challenge the player on his second shot to the par 5 15th.
From the right, the greenside bunkers will have a say in the player’s decision making.16th hole, 330 yards; The shortest of the fours and drivable when the wind cooperates. A slight dog leg right downhill and back up at the green. The coconut trees are cut back to help shape the shot for most players, while the gorillas will take the ball directly over the trees to the right in an attempt to drive the green.
There was a time when my grandpa was a gorilla, but today he’ll safely traverse the center of the fairway at 16.
The tee on 16 is beyond the trees slightly left and above the flag as shown in this photo looking back.
17th hole, 170-240 yards; With a green that stretches 75 yards in length you might think it would be somewhat easy to hit it on the tee shot. But when it’s situated on a narrow peninsula surrounded by sea and wind...problems may occur.
The 17th green as seen from the 12th green. The green stretches from the bunker shown left in this picture all the way back to the little bush seen to the right of the lone tree.
The 17th green. Jones interpretation of a Biarritz green.
18th hole, 565 yards; The finishing hole at Playa Grande does not disappoint. A magnificent dog leg right par 5 with a courageous 2nd shot carry over the sea and cliffs to an elevated green on the edge of the cliff, protected by a lone coconut tree on the approach. The ultimate risk/reward presentation.
The 18th tee shot with the ocean down the right and trees and bunkers down the left.
The 2nd shot on the closing hole reminds the player of another cliff top 2nd shot on the Monterey peninsula.
Though this one is 230 yards and is on a par 5, Pebble Beach is evoked often during rounds here at Playa Grande.
The ocean, cliffs and tree are safely negotiated leaving the player an eagle attempt to finish a great day on a great course.
Todo es magia
*Update* August 2008
From a recent press release from Dolphin Capital Investments:
Dolphin is entering into a joint venture (the "Joint Venture") with Aman
Resorts, for the acquisition and development of Playa Grande (the "Project
"), an exclusive leisure-integrated residential resort on a 790-hectare site
(the "Site") along one of the most spectacular beaches in the Dominican
Republic. Aman Resorts, one of the Company's existing operating partners, is
already successfully operating the Amanyara Resort in the nearby Turks &
Caicos islands.
• Playa Grande is to comprise a 40-room Aman hotel and 40 Aman villas, a
200-room five-star golf hotel most likely to be operated by GHM (Aman
Resorts' affiliated brand) and approximately 350 cliff, golf and seafront
residential units. Jean-Michel Gathy, world-renowned resort architect and
Dolphin's project partner in Kilada Hills and Livka Bay, will be designing
what is set to become the Dominican Republic's first Aman Resort.
• Dolphin will participate with a stake of at least 70% in the Joint
Venture, which has acquired 100% of Playa Grande Holdings ("PGH"), the entity
owning the Site, for an enterprise value of up to $57 million (€38.8 million).
The remaining shares in the Joint Venture will be owned by Aman Resorts (up to
25%) and private investors (up to 5%).
Ever been to the Setai Hotel in South Beach Miami? These guys are pretty much the very best in upscale hotel development. This is great news for the Playa Grande GC.
You gotta get down there to the DR.