If Corales is the headliner at Puntacana Resort & Club, La Cana is the course that surprises you. Designed by P.B. Dye and opened in 2001, La Cana was the first course built at Puntacana Resort and the first in the Caribbean to use paspalum grass — the same salt-tolerant turf that now sets the standard for courses throughout the region. Golf Magazine once compared it to Pebble Beach and called it the best course in the Caribbean. That’s high praise, and it’s not entirely wrong.
Three Nines, Two That Will Blow You Away
La Cana is a 27-hole facility broken into three nine-hole loops: Tortuga, Arrecife, and Hacienda. You’ll play 18 in a round, and the combination you get will shape your experience significantly. Arrecife is the one everyone talks about — and for good reason. It features four holes played directly along the Caribbean coastline, an island green par three on the 12th that P.B. Dye designed as a tribute to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, and a closing par five on the 9th that Golf Magazine likened to the 18th at Pebble Beach. Tortuga also has coastal holes and delivers the same kind of ocean-side drama. Hacienda runs inland and is the weakest of the three — solid, but you’re not playing it for the views.
Across the property, 14 of the 27 holes have ocean views and four play directly on the water. Dye’s fingerprints are everywhere — pot bunkers, raised and lowered greens, fairways that demand a shot shape. The 7th hole on the front nine is protected by 21 bunkers. That’s not a typo.
How It Fits Into Your Trip
La Cana is more accessible than Corales — open to all resort guests at Puntacana, including the Westin and Tortuga Bay — and comes in at a lower green fee. For most golfers building a Punta Cana itinerary, the move is to play both. La Cana gives you variety, ocean holes, and classic Dye character. Corales gives you the bucket-list experience. Together they’re as good a two-course lineup as you’ll find anywhere in the Caribbean.
Caddies are mandatory and worth it. The Arrecife nine especially rewards knowing where not to miss.
Building a Punta Cana golf package around La Cana and Corales? Coastal Golfaway has been putting together Caribbean golf trips for over 35 years. Reach out and we’ll handle the details.
