Golfing In Los Cabos, Mexico

Golfing In Los Cabos, Mexico

Members of the Fairway team recently went to Mexico for New Years in hopes of catching some sun and some links. Believe it or not, in a “Golfer’s Paradise” like the Los Cabos peninsula, we found organizing golf outings to be quite tedious (and expensive). This is not like the US, where you click on the “book a tee time” link on the course’s website. With that in mind, we thought sharing a few tips on how to best plan your golf rounds in Cabo would be helpful to others. 

We also list our Top 5 Courses in the Area (this is our inaugural travel destination rankings, with many more cities to come)!

Tip #1 - Plan In Advance. Cabo Golf is some of the best (and fun) golf we’ve played. There are many courses, but not all of them are accessible. Plan in advance to figure out which course you are dying to play (see our top 5 below). Some of them have public access bookings others, not so much.

Tip #2 - Ask, ask and ASK! Courses like Quivira, Dunes (F.K.A. Ocean Course at Del Sol), Diamante’s Courses are all resident / resort guests only. However, there are ways around this. I’d suggest emailing them (e-mails found on the respective web pages) and enquiring about it. If you get denied, you can always pull the “I’m interested in the property” card. Most often (Quivira, Diamante etc) they will make you sit in on a ~1 hour “timeshare” type presentation in exchange for a trial tee time. ABSOLUTELY worth it if you’re in the area for more than a few days - especially for

Tip #3 - Check the Costs (and what’s included!). Playing golf in Cabo will set you back a few dollars, that’s for sure. Most courses charge $200-300 per round, although some twilight rate may be in the $150-200 range. A few of the Cabo course are ALL INCLUSIVE courses, which means free drinks (beer, liquor, sodas, sports drinks, water, etc) and free food (salads, hot dogs, burgers, tacos, snacks and more!). 

Tip #4 - If all your bets are off, Negotiate. If you aren’t able to secure some of the more “prestigious” courses through e-mail, just negotiate with some of the vendors when you land. On arrival at the airport, plenty of “taxi” people will try to sell you adventures. They can be a lot to deal with (they are salespeople afterall), but just be straight to the point: “Hey can you get me a tee time at Quivira?”. They will set up the sales presentation and usually be able to give you a discounted green fee. 

 

As for our Top 5, here it is:

  1. Rancho San Lucas: An absolute stunner of a course. The course was designed by Greg Normal (future Premier Golf League commissioner?) with 5 ocean front holes, and a signature par 3 island greed hole (a-la-TPC Sawgrass # 17) that is just next-level stunning. The course is (almost) brand new, and opened in 2020. It is still a somewhat hidden gem in Cabo! We loved the sand dunes and the “on the beach” holes of the course. Plus, it is an all-inclusive course with delicious food and drink options for you and your friends. Did I fail to mention? Some of the best greens I’ve played in the last year. https://ranchosanlucas.com/ - this is an e-mail to book course. 

  2. Quivira: Don’t get me wrong, Quivira is the best course in the area with stunning ocean views and cliffs. However, it is quite more complicated to secure a green fee (unless you are staying at hotels on property), and hence, it ranks below Rancho. Quivira is a world-class Nicklaus course that opened 5 years ago. It is a bucket list golf course for many, and it deserves its place there. We recommend talking to the vendors at the airport (or your hotel concierge) to help you secure a tee time (it will most definitely involve a selling presentation). The course also includes “comfort stations” with great food and drinks. https://www.quiviraloscabos.com/golf  

  3. Puertos Los Cabos: This is a top of the line 27-hole golf facility. And the best of it, is that it’s easy to book online at www.questrogolf.com. The three nine holes were designed by Nicklaus (18 holes) and Norman (9 holes). We recommend playing Nicklaus 1 and Nicklaus 2 for the most ocean view / ocean front holes, although all three courses are stunning. 

  4. The Dunes at Diamante: The Dunes is a must if you’re going to be in the Los Cabos area. It has received many worldly recognition in the past, and still ranks very high on our list. On the course’ you’re always playing on the ocean, towards to ocean or away from the ocean, making for interesting golf shots with different wind effects. We suggest talking to your concierge to get a tee time, or staying at Diamante Resort or  the Nobu. https://diamantecabosanlucas.com/golf/dunes-course/

  5. Cove Club at Cabo Del Sol (F.K.A. the Ocean Course): Historically a “must play” in the region with some saying it is Jack Nicklaus’ best work (after Muirfield Village). The Golden Bear himself even called it the “The Pebble Beach of Baja”. The course was redesigned in 2019, and now “only” has 4 ocean front holes. This course has recently turned to members only, but there are creative ways to try it as a guest. The desert course, which sits away from the ocean but is known for green quality and tremendous bunkering is open to the public and is also a great alternative in Cabo. https://www.cabodelsol.com/desert-course/

 

Hit ‘em Straight!
The Fairway Team

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