Cabo del Sol (Desert)

Los Cabos, Mexico’s world class vacation destination, lies along the 20-mile shoreline between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo on the south side of the Baja California peninsula and it’s a golfing Mecca for many Americans who travel down from the west coast of the USA.

Jack Nicklaus designed the original Ocean course (now re-branded the Cove Club) at Los Cabos in the mid-1990s and it’s rightly regarded as one of the very best on the entire American continent. The Weiskopf-designed course followed in 2001 and, although it has not quite received the plaudits of Jack’s layout, it is nevertheless a first class track, fully deserving of its high national ranking.

Designed with ocean views from every hole, the course has generously proportioned fairways that feature bunkers which are a little less penal than those next door on the Ocean course. Weiskopf and his associate Phil Smith also specified a number of short par fours that might tempt some big hitters to pull out the driver and go for the green in one.

A couple of water hazards on the final two holes also catch the eye here. A lovely pond with a fountain guards the left side of the 17th green, set at a 45-degree angle to the fairway. From this point, water flows into a rocky creek that runs along the entire left side of the fairway before crossing and falling into a pond that protects the front right side of the green – a pair of closing holes that would grace any great course.

As Tom Weiskopf, the 1973 Open Champion, says, “with its dramatic views of the Sea of Cortez from every hole, The Desert course at Cabo del Sol is one of the most unique layouts I've designed. The natural beauty of desert, mountain and ocean provides an ideal setting and some of the best terrain for golf anywhere in the world. My design incorporates traditional bunkering, expansive greens, wide fairways, multiple tee areas, natural waste areas and spectacular ocean views”.