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LOS CABO GOLF

from The Distillery Channel Journal- October 2020 Issue

by The Distillery Channel.com

from The Distillery Channel Journal- October 2020 Issue, page 90

Article from: The Distillery Channel Journal- October 2020 Issue

KAMAKAZI THE “DIVINE WIND

Cabo Golf 2020

Written By Art Stricklin

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico – When guests check into the new Four Seasons Resort on the uncrowded and unspoiled East Cape side of the golf-rich Southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, one of the first things they will see in their room is a large pair of binoculars.

They are there to watch whales from the nearby Sea of Cortez in the wintertime or boats of any size, anytime. But what they really represent is a symbol of the latest clear evolution of this once sleepy fishing village into a resort golfing and luxury hotel powerhouse.

The new Four Seasons, currently the only luxury property on the East Cape, 1 hour northeast of the international airport, along with the new Robert Trent Jones designed Costa Palmas, located adjacent to the resort and housing development, plus the new Greg Norman designed Rancho San Lucas golf and development, are the latest evolution to the Cabo luxury market.

Nearly 26 years after Jack Nicklaus designed Cabo del Sol golf course and introduced this area into the international golf travelers conscience, Norman, who has never done an 18-hole course in Cabo, and the Jones, who did one, two decades ago, are consumed with making this Latin American/ Mexican golf market even better.

“What I wanted was to create a unique course,” said Robert Trent Jones, Jr., who designed the Costa Palmas course adjacent to the new Four-Season Resort, the first-ever for the company in the Cabo luxury market.

“Cabo has plenty of cookie cutter

luxury resorts and fine golf courses here. I wanted to do something unique and

memorable.”

With the par 72 Costa Palmas,consider it mission accomplished as the Jones course is a self-described golfing symphony seen in three movements: dunes, highlands and marina.

Jones and his dad have been in the golf architect business long enough to know that the best land these days is often not used for dramatic golf holes, but for equally dramatic real estate which can be sold for multi-millions of dollars.

Jones knows the process either happens when the course is first built or later when the architect is called back to remodel some holes away from the ocean to give the real estate more of a prime spot. This has happened many times in Cabo.

So, he knew from the beginning at Costa Palmas, which can play 7,221 yards from the back tees, that he would be working away from the near, always calm and placid, Sea of Cortez.

“That land is too good for golf

holes,” he said.

So other than the par 3 third which were where the sea serves as the backdrop, there are very few water holes or overly dramatic features on the course. But Jones was able to add another very unique feature for Cabo golf travelers: a truly walkable golf course.

“The way it was laid out was there

are a few arroyos on the courses, but there is not a huge distance from tee to green, so you can certainly walk if that

is your choice,” Jones said.

So, because there are not huge stretches of land between holes or dramatic ups and downs on the course, you are able to walk the course for fun, exercise and strategy, something that is not true of many, if any, other courses in the area.

“I wanted to give you something to look at with the mountains and the dunes and the water and give it a different feel for a Cabo

golf course,” Jones said. “In reality it’s three

different experiences in one course and the fourth is the invisible attack in Cabo, the wind.

“Always remember, I’m playing defense with my courses. You are the

attacker, I am the goalkeeper.”

Indeed, some of the hole layouts, especially in the middle section of the course, feel like you’re playing in the middle of the desert. Jones said that is on purpose because the East Cape is in the High Desert section of the region.

But because this is still Cabo, and next to the luxury leader Four Seasons Resort, it’s not all sweat and struggle at Costa Palmas.

After the par 5 7th hole. there is a luxury laden cantina, Lucha Libre, serving up all manner of food from steak tacos to quesadillas and all kinds of drinks including water, soft drinks and those considerably harder.

The Four Seasons Resort, where you must stay to play the great course, is offering a special Costa Palmas package to play the Jones layout, with a cart or walking, golf balls and all food and beverage at both Lucha Libre and Bouche’s Café, which is right next to the pro shop and 32,000 square feet of putting green.

“It’s the Four Seasons, so there is luxury, sure, but it’s also the East Cape, so we wanted it to be wild and free and to guest to be able to ride horses on the sand and see the sand dunes while

hiking,” said Jason Grosfeld CEO of Irongate, who oversaw this huge project.

All those are entirely possible during your incredible stay at the Four Season Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, as long as you get back in time for the multi-storied spa, the five resort pools, the mixture of restaurants and the swimmable beach front, another rarity for Los Cabos.

Another great feature Jones built, something he or his famous architecture father never thought about when they started several decades ago, is the huge putting green and range which can be used for families who just want to putt and play and not golf or those who want to work on their short game.

“It gives people a taste of the game and

they can enjoy ice cream while their playing

and putting,” Jones said.

Costa Palmas is a laid back enough place where you can play with your dog alongside, as head pro Lizzy Coghill does on occasion, enjoy the day, the views, the nearby resort and the ice cream which can be delivered on course, and Lucha Libre.

The new Greg Norman Signature course, Rancho San Lucas, is located near the vibrant town of Cabo San Lucas, and the associated Grand Solmar Land’s End hotel, an exclusive and luxurious property, right next to the harbor.

The all-inclusive Grand Solmar Land’s End, built in 2011 and semi-obscured by massive rock formulation, is nice enough to have hosted the President of Mexico during a recent visit. It has enough variety in large pools and swim-up bars to enable guests to see the Cabo sunsets and the huge pounding surf in comfort.

Each room at the Grand Solmar Land’s End is a suite with a balcony that offers scenic ocean views. There are a variety of oceanside restaurants as well as a full sports bar, a spa, a kid’s club and plenty of outdoor lounging spaces. The Grand Solmar at Rancho San Lucas reopens in October after a brief closure due to Covid.

The more adventuresome can actually walk from the back of the resort to the famous Lovers beach and Land’s End rock formations.

Norman’s first 18-hole course in Los Cabos, 30 minutes from the airport via a new highway, certainly showcases his maturity and growth as an international golf course architect.

Some of his courses in the U.S. may have been under-appreciated, but this par-72 layout, stretching to 7,210 yards from the back tees, is brilliant for the way it incorporates not only the ocean views, but the all-encompassing desert scenery.

“I really think this course has the opportunity to help lift the next evolution of

golf in the Cabo area,” said Rancho San Lucas Director of Golf Brad Wheatley. Wheatley has overseen nearly every significant course in the area since he showed up from West Texas to work at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Palmilla Golf Course in 1992 before moving on to Cabo del Sol and many, many others.

“What Norman has done with the course and what they are building here will be

really, really special,” Wheatley added.

Norman himself has played and designed hundreds of golf courses all over the world, but said the landscape and setting at Rancho San Lucas took his breath away.

“I walked the initial landscape of the more than 100 courses I’ve designed, but when I came over the crest at Rancho San Lucas and saw the ocean and the desert and the dunes, I

knew this could be a really special place,” he said at the grand opening last winter.

Turning off the busy highway to the development of the same name, you drive down steep hills and narrow winding passages, but when you get close enough to see the Spanish Mission style clubhouse with the Pacific Ocean behind and the well-groomed practice facility in front, it overwhelms you with curb appeal.

The par-5 first hole at Rancho San Lucas stretches to 543 yards from the back tee and parallels the ocean. It is similar to many in the area, but after that Norman continues to build good holes, stacking one after another, as the top courses do.

The par-4 second has huge sand dunes running along the right side of the fairway with the Pacific in the background. The par-3 third is as close to the water as you’ll get, with magnificent homes in the Norman Estates community in view on the left. At nearly 200 yards, this windswept hole provides all the challenge you could want.

The course turns inward after that with more huge dunes, sloping foothills and hundreds of cacti.

The Norman design at Rancho San Lucas is testament to the fact that any architect or golfer can build dramatic, spectacular layouts with equally spectacular oceanside scenery, but the best ones can do it with natural surroundings, showcasing their skill and creativity by using the native elements at hand.

That’s exactly the case here, with the par-4 6th hole serving as a prime example. The tee boxes are built around, between or near two huge cardon cacti near the teeing area. There is a large desert wash to the left and more brush along the right side.

Shot placement is paramount on many of the holes, with a full-filled thrill ride up and down the land at the former cattle ranch owned by the Bulnes family, owners of the Solmar Group that developed Rancho San Lucas.

The par-4 14th is a vivid ribbon of green fairway with dunes and ocean on the left, distant mountains on the right. By the time you get to the par-3 17th hole and its island green, you’d think Norman is just showing off his architectural re skills and experience. It’s a mere 161 yards from the back tees, the shortest par 3 on the course, but one filled with the most danger.

The finishing par 5 is uphill with more dunes, more desert and more distinctive sod-walled bunkers to an oval green with the large clubhouse in the background.

While you need to stay at one of several hotels within the Solmar Hotels & Resorts collection or own property at Rancho San Lucas to play here, it’s a small price to pay for an outstanding golf layout as part of the new wave of Cabo golf luxury.

Of course, the originator of the current new wave of Cabo courses, the nearby Nicklaus-designed Quivira Golf Club is still his most scenic.

When opened by Nicklaus and his team in December of 2014, he won instant praise for his spectacular views, especially on holes 5-6-7 and 13 hugging the dramatic Cabo cliffs. But in the ensuring years, it has matured into a total resort with several luxury hotels, a booming public food market, sports bar, tennis, water sports, plus the ocean, waves, beach and killer sunrise/sunsets which show up every day at no extra charge.

If this is indeed the future of Cabo golf, then you may need to wear shades for

this new golf era because it will be so bright!

Rancho San Lucas is an exclusive 834-acre resort community that is elevating the standard of coastal living in Cabo with The Villas at Rancho San Lucas and the Norman Estates. The Villas will offer 120 single family homes with five different floorplans ranging from 3,000-3,800 square feet. The newest offering within the collection is The Villa Margarita homes--nine beautifully designed single-story homes with pricing from $675,000 to $735,000 USD. The Norman Estates at Rancho San Lucas is the most exclusive and prestigious address within the entire community. The Norman Estates includes 32 single level luxury estate homes: 11 are oceanfront custom homes and 21 are beachside homes. All homesites range from 12,000-33,000 square feet. Pricing ranges from $3,700,000 to $6,995,000.

For more information on The Four Seasons Cabo and Costa Palmas golf, go to: