A sneak peak at the Hacienda course at PUNTACANA Resort & Club

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic - I got a sneak peak of the new Hacienda course at PUNTACANA Resort & Club last weekend.

I had just finished 36 holes at the resort’s other two courses - the exclusive Corales and the fun La Cana golf course - when my host, La Cana head pro Heath Henrich, and I made the crazy decision to play a few holes on the Hacienda in the blistering afternoon heat. Wisely, we only played a couple before taking a break.

The Hacienda course, another P.B. Dye course across the street from Dye’s La Cana, is scheduled to open its first nine holes sometime between February and March, 2012. Hacienda doesn’t have any ocean views, a fact that might disappoint some players, but four holes feature water hazards. It’s a stout test that could play up to 7,700 yards when all 18 holes are done, probably several years from now.

“We needed to get off the beach,” said Peter Bonell, the vice president of sales and marketing at PUNTACANA Resort & Club. “We needed a different view. It could be North Carolina. P.B. had fun over there. He went a little crazy. Having 45 holes within three minutes of the airport is pretty incredible.”

Hacienda delivers some of the signature quirks of P.B. Dye designs, the mounding, semi-blind shots and three-tier greens. The par-4 first hugs water and a long waste bunker up the right side (see lead photo). The second has an elevated green and looks a bit like Corales. Three huge hills define the tee shot on No. 6, where a pond guards the green. The par-3 seventh (see below) plays like a mini-dell hole with a green tucked behind a giant bump.

I would have loved to show you pictures of the par-3 fifth and the green at the sixth - arguably the two best holes - but neither green is in place yet. Hacienda will eventually fit in well at the club and add even more flexibility to an already dynamic golf destination.