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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO | A few top PGA Tour professionals decided not to play in the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec near Mexico City this past week. But I could not resist an invitation to travel south of the border during that same time.
My destination was different, however, and rather than heading to the country’s capital, I ventured instead to this sun-drenched, seaside community at the southernmost tip of Baja California to play a bit of golf as I also checked out the new Greg Norman course at a resort community called Rancho San Lucas. It was a trip I was only too happy to make, for Cabo is among my favorite places to tee up. Especially this time of year.
After all, what’s not to like about skies that are almost always clear and temperatures that linger in the low 80s during the day? Breezes off the Pacific Ocean or the Sea of Cortez keep things from ever getting too hot when the sun is up, and this arid area cools down nicely at night. The tequila – whether blanco, anejo or reposado – flows freely, and so does the wine, including some very good red, white and rosé varietals made in Mexico. And the food is fresh and first-rate. Tacos are my go-to meal down here, filled with grilled fish, lightly fried shrimp or tender beef cooked slowly over open fires and slathered with salsa that boasts the right amount of bite. Ceviche is pretty tasty, too, especially when chefs use just-caught seafood seasoned with cilantro and drizzled with lime juice.
They know how to throw a party in Cabo, and the one hosted at the Rancho San Lucas opening by Norman’s partner in this venture, Francisco “Paco” Bulnes, featured four bands, including one that performed soulful mariachi music, and a tequila donkey.
Then, there is the golf, and though the Norman track has only just opened, it already deserves to be regarded as one of the best in town. I liked the diversity of the terrain and the way he routed the holes through scrubby hills filled with cardon cacti; in, over and around massive sand dunes; and along the Pacific Ocean. The fairways are ample, the greens big but not too bold and the bunkering minimal yet quite strategic. And the visuals are superb, such as the one from the fairway on the second hole to a green backed by oyster white sand and cerulean waters beyond, with the rumble of waves crashing onto the beach in the background. That gives the target the feel of an infinity pool, and just as I felt I had discerned what club to hit on my approach, a pair of humpback whales spouting in the distance broke my concentration.
I can’t wait to get back here.
John Steinbreder