Casa de Campo - Teeth of the dog

The final day of the tour has arrived, and we play the number one ranked course in the DR, Teeth of the Dog.

Another course that is set alongside the sea, on seven holes you are completely distracted by the sea that is next to you. Here on the 2nd, you need to negotiate the stone sleepers.  Patrick Carlisle nearly got a caught and bowled here after the ball fired back off the stone.

You can certainly tell Pete and Alice Dye's influence.  The bunker above being a prime example of this.

My playing partners today, Patrick Carlisle, Kim Hay and John Hay, preparing to tackle the par three 5th hole over the coastline.  It is a beautiful hole, and will be remembered by all very clearly today.

Another shot of the 5th.

This is the par three 7th hole, another tough challenge as Tony McLean found out today.  He waved goodbye to his ball with the customary "A....MF" as it ricocheted off the rocks, and passed by his left ear.

The centre section of the course turns inward, and although nice, are not a patch on the holes on the coast.  When we return to the coast we are again treated to spectacular vistas.

It is the Pine 2 Palm, tour so there must be a shot of a decent sized palm tree.

When you return to the coastal holes, the wind returns also.  Another little test of your concentration, just in case the sea and the rocks were not enough.

 The water is crystal clear, and I am told, by those who are not colour blind, that it is amazing in its multitudes of blue / green hues.

The 17th is the last of the seaside holes, before we turn back up toward the clubhouse.

A great course to finish our great tour.

I mentioned that everyone would remember the 5th hole from today, nobody more so than Libby McCann.  Libby holed her pitching wedge for her first ever hole in one.  It is also the first hole in one to be scored on any of our golf trips.  Congratulations Libby, what a memorable way to finish!

The final dinner for the tour was in a private cabana on the beach.  A great setting and very relaxing for all.

It was a stunning area at night, and was beautiful during the day.

These three amigos came and performed their renditions of various songs whilst we dined.

I would like to thank all who participated in the tour for their willingness to try new things, like the Dominican Republic, and for the great camaraderie shown to all.

Safe travels home, and Matt and I will see you back at The Heath soon.

Punta Espada

Another beautiful day here in "The D.R"!  This time at Cap Cana resort and Punta Espada golf club.

It starts with the stunning view from the rear of the first tee, and keeps getting better.

This is the view from the black tees on the second hole.

And from the path leading down from that back tee.

Beautiful outlooks into the magical clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, are a real feature of this course.

Jack Nicklaus had a great canvas to create his masterpiece, and did a magnificent job.

The holes along the coast are brilliant, but the holes inland and equally as good, if not as visually spectacular.

Sandy waste areas dominate the off fairway areas, and really compliment the design.

The Par three's on the back nine are super difficult, with long carries required over the Caribbean Sea.

As you can probably tell, all players were busy snapping photos today, the golf was secondary.

Hole after hole tests your skill, as the wind blows in off the sea.

This was seen by all as one of the best courses of the tour.  Don't be surprised to see it climb the world rankings, and even maybe overtake it's more famous counterpart back at Casa de Campo.

The waves crash in as you make your way down the last hole.  A very fitting way cap off the experience.
It was Elizabeth Knight's birthday today, and what better way to celebrate than to win.  That is exactly what Elizabeth did.  A fine 36 points on a challenging course. Well done.
The men's winner was Tony McLean, good work T Mac.

The last remaining course on the tour is Pete Dye's Teeth of the Dog, at Casa de Campo.

Casa De Campo - Dye Fore

Well we have arrived in the Dominican Republic.

Even though it was warm in Florida, it is now hot and humid.

Everyone made it through customs OK, and boarded the coach headed for Casa DeCampo.

It is here that we are based for 4 days, and we played the secondary course here Dye Fore.

This is the view we had from the breakfast table, terrible I know.

Dye Fore has some stunning outlooks.  This is pool is next to the pro shop.

There are 27 holes at this course, and we played the Marina and Chavon nines.  The Marina 9 winds it's way along the Chavon River, looking out onto the Marina.

The golf course, whilst delivering some brilliant views, is also very playable, and was a good friendly course to commence this leg.

My playing partners today, Wendy Pullar, Karen Pritchard and Alan Pritchard with the Marina in the distance.

As you make the turn into the Chavon nine, you look back at the historic village Altos de Chavon.

The Chavon River also runs along this nine, this time with up to 300 foot drops into the gorge below.

Another shot looking back from the 10th green towards Altos de Chavon.

We had a great morning of weather, but the skies were very threatening, and it appeared that we would get a lot of rain on the back nine.  This did not eventuate, with the majority of rain missing us thankfully.  This is the view looking back down the 18th hole.

Our winners today were Karen Pritchard with a great 39 points in the women's section, and for the men it was Michael Merrett.

Next up is the Jack Nicklaus designed Punta Espada, situated about an hour away up the coast.
Expect some stunning shots from there.

TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course Replay Round

Today was an opportunity to replay our round from yesterday, with another run at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

This little fella greeted us at the clubhouse before we started.

We were fortunate to have another beautiful Florida day, as this course would be brutal on a bad day.

Marilyn Cookes and Di McLean pictured on the tee of the 6th hole.

I felt like doing this quite a bit today!  As did Jordan Spieth.

A shot from behind the 11th hole.

One of the local Ospreys in a tree directly above Rae Biggart on the 14th hole.  If you look closely you can see the Sea Bass that it has freshly caught, in it's talon.

Drying it's wings on the 16th fairway is an Anhinga bird.

Our group ready to fire at the island green again.  I am the conservative one in Navy, and I played with all the bright ones, Di McLean, Marilyn Cookes and Rae Biggart.

You may have read yesterday that Marilyn made birdie on 17.  Well she did it again today!  A great shot on, and a well holed downhill 8 footer completed the double.  I certainly don't think it is anywhere near as difficult as hitting it in the water both days and making 5 and 4.  Well done Marilyn, it was great to share that with you.

Remember this guy.  The one who nobody was watching during the practice round, because the Americans are not as educated as they think they are as golf fans.  Before the event, number 12 in the world, and the best player in Europe.

He turned into this guy.  Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters Champion.  I'm sure the yanks will pay more attention to him now.  Great job Danny, well done!  We hope to see you at the World Cup in November.

Tomorrow we head to the Caribbean, and Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic.