Other Area Courses The Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol advertises that it has the “three best finishing holes in golf,” and it’s hard to argue that they don’t. But it’s No. 17 you’ll be discussing over margaritas in the clubhouse later in the day, the one that gets all the shutters snapping and raves from the golfers. This par-three is 178 yards from the back tees, all of it carry over a sandy white beach. The Sea of Cortez is lapping the shoreline and the putting surface is buttressed by rocks. You’ll love this hole even if you miss your tee shot, but you’ll feel even greater satisfaction if you make the green and putt out for birdie or par. Cabo Del Sol’s second layout is the Tom Weiskopfdesigned Desert Course. Like Palmilla’s Mountain Course, the Desert plays to higher elevations and takes advantage of panoramic views from all 18 holes. Stretching to more than 7,100 yards for the better player, this is a layout that will give golfers all they can handle. At Cabo Real, designed by Robert Trent Jones II, two holes play right at the water, Nos. 14 and 15. On No. 15, a 154-yard par-three, the ocean is on the left, and if you hit long from the tee, you might be in the pool at the adjacent hotel, Las Ventanas al Paraiso. If you put a diving board on the back of the putting surface, you could literally dive into the pool. New and worth playing is Club Campestre San Jose, on the outskirts of San Jose del Cabo. Nicklaus Design created this medium-length course that plays in the foothills and boasts ocean views from many holes. Bonus here is that the green fee is somewhat less than other courses in the area.
ONE OF THE FIRST COURSES BUILT IN LOS CABOS AND STILL AMONG THE BEST, PALMILLA GOLF CLUB SET THE STANDARD FOR GOLF DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA WHEN IT OPENED IN 1992.
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“Looks like Scottsdale, but with an ocean,” I marveled. And it’s true: the desert golf courses at the tip of Baja California Sur will remind you of those gems in Scottsdale, Arizona. But in Los Cabos, the desert runs down to the sea. That’s the good news. The more important information—at least while you’re on the second tee box of the Ocean Course at Palmilla—is that once you’re done admiring the view you’ll need to cross the aforementioned arroyo with your drive and again on your approach to the putting surface. In fact, as Ballog pointed out as I was teeing up my second tee shot, the first having been overcooked left into the deepest part of the canyon, “Golf at Palmilla is defined by these arroyos and desert washes.” And he proceeded to tick them off in his head. “Yep,” he concluded a few minutes later, “23 of 27 holes either have arroyos bordering them or an arroyo you need to carry on one or more shots.”
The next couple of hours bore out his assessment. One of the first courses built in Los Cabos and still among the best, Palmilla Golf Club set the standard for golf development in the area when it opened in 1992. Though today almost a dozen other courses have been opened for play within 25 miles, the 27 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed fun at Palmilla still tops many golfers’ must-play lists. One reason for this—in addition to the design excellence and challenge of the golf course itself—is the level of service that Ballog and his team provide. “We are a Troon Golf facility,” he explains. “That brings with it an expectation of quality. And since we share Palmilla Resort with One&Only Palmilla and Del Mar Development, in addition to accepting public play, we strive to meet and exceed every need of a very
discerning clientele, whether it be for lessons or just an icy towel to wipe your neck and face after a round.” The Ocean Course is the most requested by those visiting Los Cabos, primarily because it winds out of desert foothills and down to the inviting shoreline at No. 3. A right-leaning par-four, a desert wash runs in front of the tee box and all the way along the right side of the hole, allowing golfers to play a safer shot left—which leaves a longer second shot to the green—or cut off a bigger chunk of the yardage and risk not making the carry. On the hillsides bordering this lovely hole overlooking the Sea of Cortez are examples of the magnificent homes found at Palmilla. The routing turns back from the sea at this juncture and winds its way back into the foothills toward the clubhouse, along the way traversing several more arroyos and providing a good deal of fun and strategic play for the golfer.
Opposite: Hole No. 7 on the Ocean Course begins the trek back into the foothills. Above: Hole No. 3 on the Ocean Course plays down to the beach.
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