Snorkeling at Playa Grande?

10 of the 18 holes play along the cliffs, often across small bays and coves. Bring your snorkeling gear.

Playa Grande Golf Course Km. 9 Carretera Río San Juan-Cabrera Tel. (809) 223-0768/248-5313 Fax (809) 223-0767/248-5314 YEAR OPENED: 1997 DESIGN CONSULTANT: Robert Trent Jones GOLF DIRECTOR: Salvador Carcagno COURSE OWNER: Central Bank of the Dominican Republic COURSE DESCRIPTION: The "Pebble Beach" of the Caribbean, with 10 holes interacting with the Atlantic Ocean PLAYING HOURS: 7 am to 6 pm LEAST TRAFFIC: Afternoon hours RESERVATIONS: One day in advance NUMBER OF HOLES: 18 MOST CHALLENGING HOLE: 12 LENGTH OF COURSE: Blue 7,046, White 5,917, Red 4,488 COURSE PAR: 72 SLOPE RATING Blue 126-74.9, White 120-69.4, Red 111-66.7 NON-MEMBER GREEN FEES: US$47/18 holes COST OF CADDY: US$4/9 holes. US$7/18 holes (required) LESSONS: US$35/hr CART FEES: US$15/9 holes; US$23/18 holes CLUB RENTAL FEES: US$6/9 holes; US$10/18 holes. OTHER FEATURES: Clubhouse, lockers, pro shop, bar, restaurant, putting green, driving range, memberships, national and international tournaments, Caribbean Village Playa Grande golf packages available

We will be staying at the Caribbean Village Playa Grande and were wondering if it is worthwhile bringing our snorkeling gear with us, also wondering how many holes are along the ocean on the golf course at Playa Grande? Have heard there are 7-13 ocean side holes. Thanks Ray

Sylvie & Ray- My boyfriend and I were in PG in January for a week. It was our first time in DR and it was wonderful! The weather was beautiful, 85F. The beach and water was beautiful. The waves were about 5-8 feet high, so we did a lot of bodysurfing and boogie boarding. Unfortunatley we did not get a chance to snorkel. We are divers and we didn't get a chance to do that either; my boyfriend got an ear infection from bodysurfing so he couldn't go under water for a couple of days. We did golf a couple days that we were there. The most beautiful course we ever played. We rented clubs, which are really nice for rentals, but we didn't bring any balls or tees. A 3-pack of Titlest were $10. If you're not bringing your clubs, at least throw in some balls and tees into your suitcase. You do have to get a caddy, $10, even if you get a cart. I've never had a caddy before , but it was really nice to have someone carry your bags. Normally, a caddy gets tipped $100 DP for a round of 18; we didn't know this but asked the golf-pro there. And yes, the majority of the course was along the ocean. A must-do while you're there is a jeep safari tour. We didn't do Rum Runners, but one by Turniti. I'm not sure about the spelling, but the tour agent's name is Osalando, "Osi." He's a very nice guy. All the Domincians are very nice. The tour takes you into the the country moutainside, where you'll see locals, many children, and sample the various local fruits. The tour takes you through Lagon Gri-Gri for lunch then to a playa. The tour ends with shopping in Rio San Juan. This tour was well worth it, $65 per person. Something that we didn't know about the restuarants. There are two restaurants that need reservations, Brazilian and Italian. The thing that we didn't know was that you can only go to those restaurant once a week. Be sure to go to the Italian. If you have any other questions about PG, feel free to e-mail me.

Hi Ray,

If you want to go snorkeling, ask for the boat tour at the watersports desk down at the beach. It costs 200 peso/person, one hour. They take you to two places which are very nice. One is a shipwreck. You do not need your own equipment for that, they have everything. If you want to go to other beaches, like Playa Caleton you must have your own equipment.

Bye

Ronald