Golf in Punta Cana from Belara: the Cap Cana courses and the ones up the coast

Golf is one of the reasons Cap Cana exists in its current form, and Belara stands closer to a tee than almost anything else in Punta Cana's residential market. From the building's map pin in Green Village, the Punta Espada course is about 0.7 miles by road, and a second Nicklaus course, Las Iguanas, is being finished next to it. This guide maps what lies within reach of the building, what each course is and who it is meant for, and what Belara itself offers a golfer on a day without a tee time.

Which golf courses are closest to Belara?

Two of them are inside Cap Cana itself. Punta Espada, the community's established course, is about 0.7 miles by road from Belara's map pin, measured on open map data to the course's practice ground, and roughly 0.6 miles in a straight line. Las Iguanas, the course its designer's firm is completing beside Punta Espada, is not yet drawn on the open map data we used, so we give it no distance; it shares the same corner of Cap Cana.

Everything else means leaving the gate. The resort club north of Cap Cana, home to the Corales and La Cana courses, is roughly 9 to 10.5 miles away by road, depending on which clubhouse you aim for, and the Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay, beyond Bávaro, is about 23 miles. We give distances rather than drive times: the routing model behind them assumes empty roads, and Cap Cana's own avenues and the airport road rarely are.

What is Punta Espada, and who plays it?

Punta Espada is a par-72 Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 2006 and turned 20 in 2026. Eight of its holes play along the ocean, which is why the wind matters here as much as the yardage. Nicklaus Design's own associate, writing about the new course next door, describes Punta Espada as private, while the club's website carries a link for booking tee times; if you are not a member, ask the club in writing who may book and on what terms before you plan a round around it.

The course has a tournament past. From 2008 to 2010 it hosted the Cap Cana Championship, an event on the Champions Tour, the senior circuit run by the PGA Tour; the 2010 edition carried a purse of $1,600,000, with $240,000 for the winner. The event was not held again after that year. For an owner, the practical legacy is a course built and maintained to a tour standard, about 0.7 miles from home.

1. 2006 Punta Espada opens A par-72 Jack Nicklaus design, with eight holes along the ocean.
2. 2008 The tour arrives The Cap Cana Championship, a Champions Tour event, is played at Punta Espada for the first time.
3. 2010 The last edition The purse is $1,600,000, with $240,000 for the winner; the event is not held again.
4. 2026 Twenty years on Punta Espada marks its 20th anniversary as Las Iguanas is finished beside it.

What is Las Iguanas, and when does it open?

Las Iguanas is the course Cap Cana planned in the mid-2000s and then put away. It was abandoned after the 2008 financial crash, sat dormant for more than 15 years and was revived in 2023 by Nicklaus Design. Its routing follows the original plan except at two holes, and it has ten lakes, dug partly to supply the fill that shapes its fairways and greens. The sea arrives late in the round: the 12th green touches the ocean and the par-three 13th plays alongside it. The designers name the wind as the course's main defence.

As of August 2026 its first nine holes were in operation, and the full course is expected to open in spring 2027. An expected date is a plan, so treat it as one. The more important difference for a Belara owner is access: in 2024 the designer's firm said Las Iguanas is going to be available for the public to use, in contrast with the private Punta Espada. That was a statement of intent, not a published access policy, so confirm green fees and booking rules once the full course opens.

Which other courses can you reach from Belara?

North of Cap Cana, the resort club that gives Punta Cana its name runs two courses. Corales, a Tom Fazio design opened in 2010, has six holes beside the Caribbean and a closing stretch of three holes called the Devil's Elbow; it welcomes its members and their guests, and some of the resort's hotel guests reach it through golf plans. La Cana is 27 holes by P.B. Dye, in three nines, with 14 holes looking at the ocean; it takes outside players who book through the resort, and caddies are mandatory there.

Further up the coast, past Bávaro, the Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay is an 18-hole, par-72 Nicklaus course where water comes into play on 15 holes. The table sets the five side by side as seen from Belara.

What does Belara itself offer a golfer?

Belara has no course, no driving range and no membership attached to its residences, and nothing in its published amenities suggests otherwise. What it does list is a golf simulator among its indoor amenities, alongside the gym, the cinema and the billiard lounge, which covers the wet afternoons and the evenings when the wind is up on the ocean holes. Its parking plan, with 99 spaces in all, sets aside 3 for golf carts.

Those details describe a building planned for owners who play rather than one built around a course. Membership at Punta Espada, a tee time at Las Iguanas or a round at the resort club up the road are each arranged directly with the club concerned, and none of them comes with a residence.

What does golf add to owning at Belara?

Mostly, it shortens the day. Belara is a five-level building of 59 residences in Green Village, with direct access to the neighbourhood's central park, priced from $318,701 and planned for delivery in Q4 2029. For an owner who plays, the address puts one established championship course and a second one nearing completion within about a mile of the front door, and leaves the resort club's courses and Cana Bay as occasional outings rather than daily drives.

For an owner who rents, golf is part of what brings visitors to Cap Cana in the first place, but it is not something Belara sells: a guest's round is booked and paid with the course. Pass on the clubs' own booking details, and do not promise access to a private course on anyone's behalf.

Common questions

What is the closest golf course to Belara?

Punta Espada, inside Cap Cana, about 0.7 miles by road from Belara's map pin on open map data. Las Iguanas, a second Nicklaus course, is being completed beside it.

Can visitors play Punta Espada?

Nicklaus Design describes Punta Espada as private, while the club's website carries a link for booking tee times. If you are not a member, ask the club in writing who may book and on what terms.

When will Las Iguanas be fully open?

Its first nine holes were in operation in August 2026, and the full course is expected to open in spring 2027. Its designer's firm said in 2024 that it is meant to be available to the public.

Has Punta Espada hosted professional golf?

Yes. From 2008 to 2010 it hosted the Cap Cana Championship, a Champions Tour event; the 2010 purse was $1,600,000. The event was not held again after 2010.

Does Belara have golf facilities of its own?

Not a course. Its published amenities include a golf simulator, and its parking plan of 99 spaces sets aside 3 for golf carts. Rounds and memberships are arranged with each club.