Barcelo Bavaro Golf Club: The Lakes

A P. B. Dye Exacting Dominican Golf Experience.

The Dominican Republic is famous for its spectacular beaches, turquoise waters and countless oceanfront resorts. It is also home to the largest collection of golf facilities in the Caribbean. The Bavaro and Punta Cana coastlines at the far eastern tip of the island are home to nearly a dozen tropical golf experiences themselves. One of these is the P. B. Dye design found at the Barcelo Bavaro Grand Resort.

The name Dye is synonymous with creative, challenging and visionary course design. World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Pete Dye created arguably the most famous course in the Dominican when he constructed Teeth of the Dog at Casa De Campo. His youngest son P. B. Dye has also put his stamp on the golf landscape in the Dominican Republic. P. B. designed the beautiful 27 holes making up La Cana Golf course in Punta Cana, where he still maintains a home. 

Another of P. B. Dye’s Dominican creations is The Lakes Barcelo Golf Course. The design is one of the many amenities found at the Barcelo Bavaro Grand Resort. Dye was hired to remodel an existing course and created a wonderfully playable, yet challenging routing on the tropical footprint. The course has five different sets of tees, ranging between 4688 -  6655 yards. There are generous landing areas off the tee, regardless of what you decide is the best club. What makes this a truly exacting and challenging test is the green complexes. Deft iron and wedge play is required as the greens are smaller than average and filled with sharp ridges and plateaus along with being surrounded by slick run-offs and numerous pot bunkers.  

There is a wealth of variety and shotmaking demands to be had at The Lakes. A solid approach game is essential to give you any chance to make pars. A missed green will require a highly creative short game to chip it close or make difficult putts should you find the wrong side of ridges and slopes. A combination of lengthy, formidable holes blend nicely with a few risk-reward holes that offer many ways to make par. Water, mounding, and considerable bunkering frames much of the routing, while thick, lush naturalized areas offer a sense of seclusion in many places. 

The par 3 holes of The Lakes present a little bit of everything. The second hole gives you a taste of the much of the character Dye infused into the entire design. A lake sits along the left from tee to green. The green is raised with three shelves. A long iron is needed to carry to the flag with a pot bunker and tree protecting the right and a steep slope repelling anything hit to the left. The ninth hole is a considerable test as a finish to the front nine. The pushed-up green resembles an island with a narrow entrance in front while widening in the back creating two distinct tiers. The uncharacteristic oversized putting surface is a challenge to reach and a stern putting test. 

The 12th hole is a visual beauty and a daunting par. The tee decks are elevated above a long lake which must be carried to reach the green. A fronting bunker and additional lake sitting behind the green make the target seem smaller than it is and adds to the sense of challenge. The final short hole is found on the 14th tee. The hole features a lake from tee to green. A crescent shaped bunker wraps from the front around the right side of the green, adding a bit more length to the carry needed to attack the pin. At least Dye gives a modest bailout left of the putting surface for those a bit weary of the water and sand. 

There are plenty of positives to be found on a visit to The Lakes. The course is set amid beautiful tropical wetlands and lakes with holes framed by stately palms and hardwoods, giving you a secluded feel for many holes. The finishing holes on each side all play over and around the massive lake only a few steps from the luxurious clubhouse. Being on the shorter side, the course packs lots of punch with the demands it places on your approach and putting game. Whether a guest at the resort or a public player, lots of fun can be had on your round at The Lakes.