The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and the Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico prepare to host the new PGA LatinoAmerica Tour

I envy the players on the new PGA LatinoAmerica Tour. Not just their golf swings, but their travel schedules, too.

They are entering a stretch of wonderful Caribbean golf. The Dominican Republic Open is set for Nov. 5-11 at Cana Bay Golf Course at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, followed by the $125,000 Puerto Rico Classic Nov. 12-18 at the East Course at Dorado Beach Resort in Dorado.

I stayed at both resorts in 2011 and can’t say enough positive things about both places.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, the first of the all-inclusive hotel with the Hard Rock brand, exudes luxury with accommodations including in-room double Jacuzzis, fine dining, top-shelf drinks, 24-hour room service, custom rock-star memorabilia, live entertainment, expansive pools with swim up bars and more. The Jack Nicklaus golf course (see photo above) should be a solid test. See my stories here and here.

I dined with Chi Chi Rodriguez at Dorado (read here). My reviews of the revived resort and the recently redesigned East course (see photo below) can be read here and here.

The PGA Tour Latinoamerica, part of the PGA Tour’s push into South America in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, consists of 11 events played in six countries across Latin America including Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. In 2013, the plan is to have up to 14 events on the schedule. The fields will consist primarily of the top professionals in the region with the top money earners receiving access to the PGA Tour’s Nationwide Tour the following year.