Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 12
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 12
The ocean sprays near the green of the par-5 12th at Punta Espada Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 13
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 13
Jack Nicklaus birdied the 250-yard 13th hole at the grand opening of Punta Espada Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 17
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 17
The tee shot of the par-4 17th at Punta Espada Golf Club is a heart-stopper over the ocean. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 18
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 18
Punnta Espada Golf Club's 18th green juts out into the ocean. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club
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Punta Espada Golf Club
A memorable view greets golfers at the Punta Espada clubhouse. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 1
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 1
Punta Espada Golf Club's No. 1 plays off a ridge to a green next to a rocky outcropping. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 2
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 2
The par-5 second hole introduces the wonders of Punta Espada Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 3
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 3
The third hole at Punta Espada Golf Club never leaves the surf. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 4
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 4
Punta Espada Golf Club's par-3 fourth plays over a lagoon. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 8
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 8
The short par-4 eighth hole at Punta Espada Golf Club can be drivable for big hitters. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 10
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 10
Punta Espada Golf Club's par-4 10th plays to an island green surrounded by sand. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 12
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Punta Espada Golf Club - hole 12
The par-5 12th at Punta Espada Golf Club plays to the ocean. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
12 Images

The ocean's the star at picturesque Punta Espada Golf Club in the Dominican Republic

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic -- With eight holes playing directly along -- or over -- the Atlantic Ocean, Punta Espada Golf Club stimulates any golfer who tees it up at this island paradise.

Bernie Morgan, club manager at Punta Espada, said it took him at least three rounds before he could focus on playing golf. "How do you describe that incredible turquoise (water)?" he said. "You need to use all of your senses. You stand on a tee box or a green, and you use your nose to smell the ocean, your eyes to see the colors, your ears to hear the waves.

"It awakens the senses. ... There are times out there when the golf is almost secondary."

Golfweek ranked this 7,396-yard Jack Nicklaus design the No. 1 course in the Caribbean and Mexico for 2012. The host of the Champions Tour's Cap Cana Championship from 2008-10 is tucked inside Cap Cana, a sprawling resort/residential development that could eventually include three Nicklaus courses.

The most scenic spots are the elevated tee at the par-5 second, the jaw-dropping tee shot on the oceanfront, par-3 13th and the harrowing tee shot required to clear the ocean on the par-4 17th. Of the 350 courses credited to Nicklaus Design, this might be his best public offering.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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The ocean's the star at picturesque Punta Espada Golf Club in the Dominican Republic