Punta Espada - Hole #13

Golf Travelers Notebook: Punta Espada Golf Club in The Dominican Republic

An Insightful Interview With Efren Garcia-Estrada, Director / GM

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Efren Garcia-Estrada who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Punta Espada Golf Course in the Dominican Republic is a one of a kind Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course that opened in November 2006. The course has 8 oceanfront golf holes and spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea from almost every hole. The course beauty, design and maintenance has allowed Punta Espada to be rated as the #1 golf course in the Caribbean and Mexico by the international and renowned publication GOLFWEEK since 2008.

Punta Espada served host to 3 PGA TOUR's Champions Tour event (2008 - 2010). Fred Couples was the latest champion after a course record setting round of 62 (-10) on the Final round to beat Corey Pavin for the title. The tournament brought many legendary golfers to Punta Espada, including Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Hal Sutton, Curtis Strange, Craig Stadler, amongst many others. The general consensus amongst the players was that Punta Espada was one of the best Jack Nicklaus designed golf courses they had played and it was as beautiful as any other course they had ever played (which is no understatement given they play the likes of Pebble Beach and other beautiful courses throughout their careers).

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Punta Espada offers a unique combination of challenging golf holes with some of the most scenic settings that you can find on a golf course. It is a "bucket-list" golf course that provides a golf experience second to none. The course is kept in pristine conditions and the course offers different set of tees to accommodate all level of golfers.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
A local Caddie is assigned to each cart (twosome). They know the course well and the local tradewinds. Let them assist you!

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Hosting 3 Champions Tour events and being ranked #1 in GOLFWEEK for 7 consecutive years.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The 13th is the Signature Hole. It is a Par 3 measuring 250 yards from the back tees. There is nothing but ocean blue waters from Tee to Green.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
The Par 5 second is my favorite. Not only it is one of the most beautiful with the ocean backdrop and a turquoise water lagoon running down the right side of the fairway, it is also a demanding Par 5 that epitomizes risk / reward. If you have the length you will be challenged to make a decision on both the tee shot and your second. The less risk you take on the tee shot the harder your second shot will be. Same goes for the second shot. If you take the risk and are successful a birdie will be the reward.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Nothing like a cold Presidente Beer or a cocktail on the terrace overlooking the 18th green and the ocean backdrop.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Fred Couples / 62 / Last round of the 2010 Cap Cana Championship (Champions Tour)

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7396
Slope: 137
Rating: 77.0

More Information
Punta Espada Golf Club
Cap Cana Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
809-469-7767
www.puntaespadagolf.com

Revised: 10/31/2014 - Article Viewed 30,515 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.