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GOLFING IN CABO
By Richard Chudy – CabosBest.com - June 2009
If you ventured down to Cabo in the eighties or nineties, you most likely made the trip south of the border and down the peninsula for the sole reason of pulling on some fish filling your off-the-water time by sucking down a few cold beers and tossing back shots of tequila. But with the building boom that started in the eighties and continues today, golf has made its way onto the growing list of reasons to visit our southerly neighbors. There are now more golf courses in Los Cabos than you can, well… shake a club at.
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In the beginning, there was the Los Cabos Country Club – forerunner of the plethora of courses that followed its opening in 1994. The Dye designed course was no doubt the place to swing a club and, hopefully, take a few ducats away from your friendly foursome members. Even with the introduction of several new courses from 1996 through 2001, the Los Cabos Country Club held it’s own – mostly by offering greens fees that were often less than half the rate charged at the other up and comers. That all changed in 2001.
Hurricane Juliet ransacked Cabo San Lucas in late September of that year and it was a storm that had serious staying power parking itself over the Cape for days while still a category 4 hurricane. Juliet killed 7 and did well over $25 million in damage to the area before it finally dissipated to a tropical depression and moved north. The Cabo San Lucas Country Club got what many believe was the worst of it. The damage was so extensive that many thought the days of golf just 5 minutes from Land’s End were over. Holes ten through fifteen were literally wiped off the map and buried under a dozen feet of runoff that came tumbling down from the mountains above. Luckily, a multi-million dollar investment was made by Intrawest Golf Group to restore the course and according to those that have been regular players for ages, it’s better than ever. A recent visit to tour the course in May of 2009 makes me agree.
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The Cabo San Lucas Country Club is the closest in to Cabo of all courses in the region and offers incredible views of Land’s End. Photo credit: Dolores Peralta, CabosBest.com
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What set’s this course apart from the others in the world of Baja Sur golf is its proximity to Cabo proper and the famous, awe-inspiring formations of Land’s End. No other course in Los Cabos offers up the views of Cabo Bay and the rocky slab of desert that juts out and dissects the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean like a stone scalpel. But there’s more to the course than just the view.
What seems like an easy and forgiving layout is actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing (or is that a wahoo in trout clothing?). The course is toothy and long, long, long. In fact, it boasts the longest hole in all of Los Cabos – the 610 yard, par 5 seventh hole – a monster that makes reaching it in two impossible and in three a happy, happy day. It undulates its way through rough desert terrain where water hazards and sand traps are carefully arranged to wreak havoc on errant shots and scorecards alike. In total, you’ll be covering over 7,200 yards if you’re hitting from the black tees. Elevation changes of just over 300 feet keep things interesting – finding yourself with a flat lie in the middle of the fairway is a gift from the golf god’s as most pieces of real estate here dip, drop, rise and fall like the ocean on a “sporty” day. Fortunately, the fairways are wide and real tree trouble is hard to find. Greens are firm yet speedy.
Nature lovers will have plenty to gawk at… roadrunners, pelicans, and cranes are just a few of the winged marvels on the course but don’t forget turn your gaze towards the cacti as they make great homes for the courses abundant reptilian life. There are so many lizards in the cacti they could well be golf commentators perched in their towers, one looked a lot like Pat Summerall to me a I swear it was laughing at my version of a controlled draw which often imitates a duck hook.
With its blend of mountain, desert and coastal views, challenging design and myriad wildlife, the Cabo San Lucas Country Club is not only a pleasure to play it’s also quite a bargain when compared to rates at the other courses in the region. A visit to their web site is well worth the time as they often offer special golf vacation packages that are ridiculously cheap with some offers as low as $98 per person for a 4-day 3-night stay that includes a round of golf.
For more information or to book tee times: http://www.golfincabo.com
OTHER COURSES IN LOS CABOS, MEXICO
CABO REAL
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, JR. this 7,037 yard course is located in the Cabo Real development off of Hwy 1 in the tourist corridor of Los Cabos. A par 72 course with a rating of 74.1 and a slope of 140, you’ll be hard pressed to break par, let alone break the course record of 65. The course boasts ocean views from every hole and what many consider to be the toughest front nine of all the golf courses in Cabo San Lucas.
Cabo Real has been host to 2 PGA Senior Slams as well as other prestigious tournament events. During the 1996 Senior Slam, migrating whales put on a spectacular show when they began breaching about 100 yards offshore putting this marvelous piece of golf course design on the map and in the minds of golfers around the world. Club rentals feature Taylor Made woods and irons.
GREEN FEES:
$180 - $280 Hi Season
$180 - $260 Mid Season
$140 - $180 Low Season
For more information on Cabo Real or to book tee times: http://www.caboreal.com/Golf.html
PALMILLA GOLF CLUB
Ranked as one of the top 100 golf clubs in the world by Great Golf Resorts of the World, number 2 in the 2008 issue of Travel and Leisure’s Best Courses in Mexico and Latin America, it is also included in Golf Week’s Best Courses of the Caribbean and Mexico 2009. The Palmilla Golf Club is yet another Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and it was the first course he designed in Latin America. The 27 holes at Palmilla are made up of three nine-hole courses – the Arroyo, Mountain and Ocean nine – with the Mountain/Ocean course being the longest layout at 7,036 yards. The course is maintained in what can only be described as meticulous to the point of obsession; in fact, Nicklaus himself inspects course restoration and maintenance quality with his last visit taking place this past October.
Prospective players need not wait until they arrive at the club to get an idea for what they’ll experience playing the course. A unique “course flyover” feature on Palmilla Golf Club’s interactive website gives players the chance to take a virtual tour of each of the holes they’ll be playing – a great way to get a leg-up on the rest of your group if you don’t let them know about it! Club rentals feature Calloway woods and irons.
GREEN FEES
May 1-June 30, 2009
$155 to $210 from 7am to 11:20am
$120 for twilight (from 11:30am to 1:50pm)
$90 for their “Siesta” time (from 2:00pm on)
July 1-October 31, 2009
$120 to $190 from 7am to 11:20am
$80 for twilight (from 11:30am to 1:50pm)
$60 for their “Siesta” time (from 2:00pm on)
For more information on Palmilla Golf Club or to book tee times: http://www.palmillagc.com
CABO DEL SOL - DESERT COURSE
A masterfully laid out Tom Weiskopf design features ocean views from every hole on the course that measures just short of 7,100 yards from the championship tees. Undulating fairways and greens along with constant elevation changes make this a true test of a golfer’s skill. Completed at the end of 2001, Golf Digest gave it a ranking of 5th best course in Mexico in 2007. The dramatic 40,000 square foot clubhouse sits upon the ocean’s edge and a state-of-the-art practice facility rounds out the clubs offerings. Club rentals feature Taylor Made woods and irons.
GREEN FEES
May 25 - October 4, 2009
(Course Closed - Summer Maintenance)
October 5-31, 2009
7:00am - 10:50am - $185
11:00am - 1:20pm - $145
1:30pm + - $99
November 1 - December 31, 2009
7:00am - 10:50am - $220
11:00am - 1:20pm - $150
1:30pm + - $99
CABO DEL SOL - OCEAN COURSE
Endearingly known as the “Pebble Beach of Baja”, the Ocean course at Cabo del Sol is another world-renowned Jack Nicklaus signature design that Nicklaus himself praises as “the finest finishing holes in all of golf.” The Ocean course isn’t being praised by Jack only… in fact, Cabo del Sol’s Ocean course garnered the honor of being Travel and Leisure’s #1 ranked course in all of Mexico and Latin America in 2008. The 5th and signature 17th holes are ranked among “The 500 Best Holes in the World” according to Golf Magazine.
Players can expect nothing short of perfectly manicured fairways carved into a mile or so of craggy coastline with views that may make it hard to keep your head down – but losing a few balls and adding a few strokes to your scorecard are well worth it when you have scenery like this. Club rentals feature Taylor Made woods and irons.
GREEN FEES
The Ocean Course will have 9 holes open for play through October 4th. The following schedule and special rates will apply until the full 18 holes open for play on October 4th. 18 holes rounds will consist of two loops around the nine holes open on the day of play.
May 25 – August 2, 2009 (Holes 10-18)
9 Holes - $ 99.00
18 Holes - $137.50
All Day (unlimited golf) - $165.00
August 3 - September 20, 2009 (Holes 1-9)
9 Holes - $ 99.00
18 Holes - $137.50
All Day (unlimited golf) - $165.00
September 21 – October 4, 2009 (Holes 10-18)
9 Holes - $ 99.00
18 Holes - $137.50
All Day (unlimited golf) - $165.00
October 4 - December 31, 2009 (18 holes)
7:00am - 10:50am - $350
11:00am - 1:20pm - $250
1:30pm + - $195
For more information on Cabo del Sol courses or to book tee times:
http://www.cabodelsol.com
Article by Richard Chudy – CabosBest.com - June 2009
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Last Revision - 15 June 2009 - jat
Cabo San Lucas Country Club - Golf in Cabo - Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, BCS, Mexico
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