By David Weiss
As a grizzled West Coast denizen of many seasons, I’ve had ample opportunity to watch the golf scene in Mexico go from quiescent to explosive in a matter of some 25 years. When I reported my first story from Los Cabos in the days of pre-Y2K hysteria, I was discomfited by the widespread poverty and aggressive panhandling in the touristic zone of Cabo San Lucas, where free tequila shots “for the ladies” drew hordes of hormonal frat-brats every spring and winter. Excedrin headaches and a night in the drunk tank – now that’s romance! But, as my then editor so patiently schooled me, I was there to golf it up and boost the destination, not go all Theodore Dreiser on my intrepid, golf-focused readers. “I just spent $10,000 on a cover shoot, and it doesn’t sound like you had a very good time down there!” he bellowed into the landline. “Can you give it another pass, make it sound more appealing? Pretty please?” That I did, indeed, and went from David Downer to ardent Cabo golf cheerleader without a coulomb of insincerity expended. I had arrived at just the right time – when higher-end resort golf hadn’t gone unaffordable for the average swinger, and considerable charm and friendly service still greeted gringo invaders from the north. Even to this day, Cabo remains relatively welcoming and cartel-lite, making it rather an easy choice for Met Area golfers looking for international intrigue but are sensitive to armed Marineros patrolling the beach as in Cancun.
Getting to Cabo, located on the tip of Baja California, is easier than ever from the East Coast, with both Delta and JetBlue offering nonstop service from JFK to San Jose del Cabo International. (Reasonably priced, one-stop flights are also plentiful.) Or for the saltier types with time to burn, jump a five-day Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise ship in Long Beach, Calif., and commune with dolphins and blue marlin while sipping margaritas on the deck. Life could be worse. A new AI-powered, interactive website makes planning a trip to Cabo a cinch, too. I continued to stay abreast of Cabo’s golf scene through the years, as beaucoup American development dollars flowed south, and front-rank designers employed the peninsula’s glorious topography for their turf-covered tapestries. From mountains to desert to rugged, sea-battered cliffsides, Los Cabos was a happy golf accident waiting to happen. There are now 18 courses in the area, with several more blueprints currently on the drafting table. It has blossomed into a true golf destination, with the attendant luxury amenities befitting same.The occasion to visit most recently was to celebrate the tenth birthday of Quivira Golf Club at Quivira Los Cabos, a sprawling residential resort community with nine mostly all-inclusive hotels set on 1,850 acres. The club has a pupil-popping design by Jack Nicklaus, who carved several holes out of raw rock like Michelangelo’s David. As has been related ad infinitum, the artist simply removed everything that wasn’t David from a single block of marble. Nicklaus faced an even headier challenge, turning undefined, wind-blown desert foothills into a crafty and varied design with visual drama and strategic choices to spare. It easily ranks as one of Jack’s best-realized projects, and the tireless Golden Bear has another 18 holes set to break ground there later this year.
The golf experience at Quivira is itself inclusive and rightly should be at around $400+ per round. Drinks and edibles (not those, por favor) are to be enjoyed without restraint, making a stop for a cold Paloma and shrimp tacos at the turn a no-brainer. The women at the bar and grill are far more gracious than they have a right to be, their food made-to-order and muy delicioso. The comfort station at Nicklaus’s stunning, signature sixth hole also offers optional liquid courage before attacking the barely visible green some 310 yards away. Unsheathe the driver but realize that the hole is dead downhill, doglegging, and surrounded by water (even breaching whales on the day I played). Bring your phone, an extra ball or two, and a prayer book to the tee. A 5-iron and a wedge is a more prudent play by far, but not half as spine-tingling or heroic. The competition for deep-pocketed Americanos proceeds apace up and down the slender peninsula. At Diamante, Tiger’s El Cardonal, host of the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship, and Davis Love’s Dunes Course are visible from nearly every hole at Quivira, as are ravishing ocean views. Word is that Woods’ layout is the most wind-bedeviled location at the tip of the cape and is arguably the weaker design. All of them, like Quivira, comprise both resort and residential developments, making bulldozers and cement trucks a ubiquitous presence. Among Cabo’s more notable golf properties is Fred Couples’ Twin Dolphin layout. Even though it’s not hard by the beach like the adjacent Montage Resort or the Maravilla private residential enclave, it has boundless views and cooling breezes courtesy of Santa Maria Bay, and its lavish practice area/range adds a luxury touch: either TaylorMade, Callaway, or Titleist Pro Vs, depending on your ball preference. If you’re wondering what to do with those gold ingots in the basement vault, a 2.5-acre site was listed recently at $90 million, but that includes membership amenities like gelato shops and art studios, a full-service spa, and private beach club. And, oh yes, those top-shelf range balls!
Just down the way is a ravishing Tom Fazio design at Discovery Land’s Chileno Bay property, which I toured when it was just grassed in a dozen years ago. It’s now available for play for members and resort guests only, as is the former Ocean Course by Jack Nicklaus at Cabo del Sol Golf, now known as the Cove Club, which is open to guests of the Four Seasons. Its sister public course by Tom Weiskopf, Cabo del Sol Course, features six newish holes courtesy of the Fry/Straka design group, winding its way through canyon-like arroyos and boasting ocean views from all 18 holes. Another outstanding public track – Palmilla Golf Club – is also a Jack Nicklaus design circa 1992, 27 holes of target-oriented golf chiseled into a box-like canyon and framed by tall stony peaks. Towering cardon cacti stud the boulder-strewn arroyos, and the ocean nine drops 600 feet from the mountains to the seaside. Up the coast near the town of San Jose del Cabo sits Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club comprising 27 holes in total – 18 by Jack and nine by Greg Norman – whose plans for another nine holes have been routinely delayed. Greens fees here are modest compared to others in Cabo, making a weekday twilight rate of $295 seem like a bit of a bargain. Expect $400 and up as a rule, but that comes with food and drinks so come hungry and thirsty to get your peso’s worth. Of course, there is life after golf for those inclined to soak up a little culture and make use of the glorious and pristine waters. Jet-skiers and sport fishermen join scuba divers and whale-watchers on the Sea of Cortez, then seek out authentic Mexican food at Mi Casa, where a smoky chipotle sauce graces the lobster enchiladas, and the hacienda setting is quaintness-on-steroids. Or if you’d rather eat like a local, $3 tacos at Tacos Guss are served in handmade tortillas and come with condiments galore and some dangerously spicy salsas. You’ve been warned. Also be advised that Mexico imposes a nebulous “duty” if you arrive with pricey toys like cameras or laptops, as if you intend to sell your precious gizmos on the beach alongside itinerant locals hustling hammocks and sombreros. All that nonsense aside, with daily winter temps around 80 and hectares of healthy fairways, Cabo remains a top-tier choice for Met Area golfers suffering winter golf withdrawal.