Cocotal Golf

General:

Designed by Jose Pepe Ganzedo, 6 times Spanish champion (he is called the Picasso of the golf course designers), the Cocotal golf course is considered the best in the Punta Cana – Bavaro area. It has 27 holes with strategically situated lakes and sand traps ingeniously created and full of pleasant surprises.

Imagine the soft breeze of the tropics and imagine yourself in a veritable golfing garden of eden, listening to the birds, being under palms in the warmth. Enjoy the lush incredible nature and experience the challenge that represents the best green on the island.

The course provides all the services and facilities that a golfer might require: Beautiful Club house designed in colonial style, Pro Shop, snack restaurant, bar (hole 19), lockers, club storage, a salon for members, an area exclusively for partners and owners, driving range, putting green, golf carts, golf academy.

Fairways are surrounded by a 1st cut of rough from which the ball is easily played. If the ball goes beyond the 1st cut of rough there's compact sand around the base of the many trees lining almost every fairway. Finding your ball should be easy but your shot to the green may well be blocked.

Hibiscus 9 + Bougainvillea 9 played from the white tee.

Course also has Benjamina 9 for a total of 27 holes.

Course layout:

Designed by Pepe Gancedo. Not much change in elevation but that was expected from the landscape the course is set in. You get the feeling you're in a residential area playing from back yard to back yard.

Lot of vegetation on and around this golf course.

The course has minimal variation in style of holes.

Maintenance:

Bermuda grass all over. Tees and fairways are in good shape however the rain from the night before had not yet drained from the fairways and were still visible in small puddles on all fairways, leading to carts leaving tracks. Greens look good but putting is just a guessing game. It was impossible to get a good read and putts broke on their own free will.

Service:

Professional and attentive staff in pro shop, reception and caddy shack. We didn't use the club house changing facilities. No watering holes on this course. However the service cart was well stocked and water was US$1 a bottle. I met the service cart twice on my round.

Price:

US$112 / 18 holes and a cart. No caddie seemed available nor was I offered one. Range balls?

19th hole:

Nice terrace and bar with A/C on the 2nd floor. I was the only one there. A can of Presidente beer was US$3. View from the terrace: the driving range, if you bothered to look through the vegetation.