A new 18-hole golf course will debut at the forthcoming Moon Palace resort in Punta Cana on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic, which is expected to open towards the end of 2025.
Described by Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) as an ‘Eco-Signature’ layout, the project incorporates renewable energy, water preservation, indigenous plant preservation and proliferation, wildlife sanctuaries and pollution prevention.
Construction of the course began in June 2019 and most of the mass excavation was done by March 2020, when the pandemic forced developer The Palace Company to halt work. The project eventually restarted in February 2024.
During the GNGCD team’s first site visit, Norman described the place as a “tropical gem, attractive for its diverse jungle landscape, deep cavernous terrain and interesting elevation changes that make for long views and dramatic backdrops throughout the course.”
Rogelio Abarca, lead designer who worked alongside Norman and the late Jason McCoy, says: “During the clearing process, carried out with the project biologists and landscapers, an intensive rescue and regeneration programme was carried out in the golf course corridors. This process is part of our design philosophy and drove the decisions relating to tee angles, landing areas and location of green complexes. We managed to achieve a great balance between landscape preservation and regeneration, and a unique golf experience.”
“Our philosophy is characterised by promoting minimal disturbance in the course design and construction process,” says Norman. “The project levels were subtly integrated with the natural terrain levels, creating a seamless connection, with the aim of preserving the site’s identity and conserving the greatest number of endemic specimens within the golf course corridors.
“The site possesses exquisite natural beauty, nestled in the middle of the jungle in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. It is undoubtedly a golf course that integrates naturally into the unique context of the site.”
The golf course and Moon Palace resort are expected to be complete in time for a late 2025 opening (Photo: Wallgrow International)
On the Norman team’s first site visit, large caverns were identified in the fairways of the original holes six, seven and eight (now two, three and four). “We made the decision to create a large-scale body of water and, due to the depth of the caverns, incorporate this element into the design as the main feature of that complex of holes,” says Abarca. “The excavation created high, vertical walls that provide a striking playing experience.”
Grassing of the course is now almost complete, with Pure Dynasty seeded paspalum, supplied by Atlas Turf International and Pure Seed, selected for tees, fairways, rough and greens. Abarca says the selection was made based on the high salinity site conditions and water quality. Agronomy, project management and grow in has been managed by Wallgrow International, led by Hector Lopez-Deschamps. All bunkers are being lined with Better Billy Bunker.
The course is routed within a tropical rainforest with three large lakes coming into play on seven holes, including the risk-reward par-five eighteenth (Image: Greg Norman Golf Course Design)
“The course offers a memorable golf experience throughout the round,” says Abarca. “The stunning lake backdrop of holes two through four adds drama to the opening, with wide fairways enhancing playability. The visual highlight is a waterfall that was naturally sculpted during the construction process while the large lake was being excavated.”
That waterfall is fed by a stream that separates the fairways of holes nine and ten. “As part of Greg and Jason’s direction, there are no forced carries for high-handicap players, but for advanced players, positioning the ball with the driver can be a high risk to consider on these holes,” says Abarca. “The short par-four seventeenth, which plays downhill, provides long views of lakes on fifteen and eighteen, as well as the hotel towers,” explains Abarca. “It also shares a double green with the par-four fourteenth [the first and eighth also share a green]. The seventeenth can be presented as a friendly hole before the challenging eighteenth, a short par five that plays as a risk-reward hole with the lake on the right and a bunkerless green complex that encourages the skilled player to try to reach the green in two shots.”
This article first appeared in the July 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture. For a printed subscription or free digital edition, please visit our subscriptions page.