Cabo del Sol, One&Only Palmilla, and Quivira tapped for accolades
LOS CABOS, Mexico (July 27, 2019) — Three premier golf resorts in Los Cabos, the “Golf Capital of Latin America,” have received a prestigious Editors’ Choice Award from Golf Digest for “Best Resorts in the Americas.” Award winners were featured in the June print issue of the magazine.
Now in its fourth year, the publication’s Editors’ Choice Awards annually honor The Best in Golf, with an emphasis on lifestyle properties, products and services across the globe. In the ‘Destinations & Accommodations’ sector, editors examine criteria beyond golf, determining which properties offer a well-rounded, multi-faceted experience.
In the ‘Best Golf Resorts in Mexico and Central America’ bracket, Los Cabos claimed three of the seven spots, more than any other destination in the region.
Heading the winner’s list is Cabo del Sol, the 36-hole facility that placed Los Cabos squarely on the international golf map when its epic Ocean Course debuted in 1994. Intent on producing the ‘Pebble Beach of the Baja’ on what he described as “the best piece of golf property I’ve ever seen,” designer Jack Nicklaus routed holes across gently sloping terrain creased by sandy arroyos and backdropped by rugged mountains.
Tall cardon cacti, tawny granite outcrops and deep sculpted bunkers frame the fairways and greens. Few earthworks were required to create this seaside layout, which at full stretch (7,096 yards) calls for a handful of do-or-die shots to be played across swaths of desert or inlets of the sea. Forward tees place most of the danger out of harm’s way for average players. The Ocean Course is currently ranked No. 70 on Golf Digest’s“World 100 Greatest Golf Courses” list.
Cabo del Sol’s second venue is the Desert Course, Tom Weiskopf’s first design effort in Mexico. Shoehorning holes into craggy desert terrain crisscrossed by canyon-like arroyos, Weiskopf produced a brilliant design, weaving holes around rock outcrops and through a thick cactus forest. To defend the greens, which feature long slopes and subtle rolls, Weiskopf built large bunkers with distinctive capes and bays. Featuring an enticing blend of long and short holes as well as numerous risk-reward options, the Desert Course presents a classic test and ranks among Weiskopf’s finest designs.
Cabo del Sol is anchored by a 40,000-square-foot, hacienda-style clubhouse, its spacious open-air verandas and terraces offering picturesque ocean and fairway views. On-site hotels include Sheraton Grand Los Cabos Hacienda del Mar; and the all-inclusive Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos. Each offers a lovely beachfront setting, excellent accommodations and a superb array of restaurants.
One&Only Palmilla can rightly claim to be the “Grande Dame” of Los Cabos. Palmilla Golf Club, the first Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Latin America, is located five minutes from a legendary hideaway built in 1956 by the son of a former president of Mexico. The glamour and ambience of the original resort was carefully preserved at One&Only Palmilla, which opened in 2004 following a $90-million expansion and refurbishment. This ultra-luxe property, a favorite of Hollywood A-listers, is set on a rocky promontory that juts into the sea, its protected sandy beaches fronting azure-blue waters calm enough for swimming.
Palmilla’s Mountain and Arroyo nines, dropped into in a box-shaped canyon walled in by steep stony peaks, set the stage for top-shelf golf in Cabo when the core 18 opened in 1992. Routed around boulder-strewn arroyos and cactus-covered foothills, Palmilla was the first course in the hemisphere to partake of the region’s unique mountain, desert and ocean ecosystem. While tournament-tough from the tips, the layout’s wide fairways and open-entry greens accommodate players of lesser attainment. The Ocean nine, added in 1999, features a 600-foot elevation change that carries players from the mountains to the sea.
Treated to several recent refurbishments, Palmilla’s 27-hole complex is better now than when it was new. Game improvement? Installed last year at the club’s practice facility, RoboGolfPro is a new robotic swing trainer endorsed by PGA Tour pros and “Top 100” teachers.
Also receiving an Editors’ Choice Award this year is Quivira Golf Club, a spectacular layout grafted onto a dazzling site at Land’s End at the place where the Sea of Cortes meets the Pacific Ocean. Arguably the most daring, eclectic course Nicklaus has ever built, Quivira is an aesthetic tour de force and an unforgettable test from any set of tees. That claim is validated by the fact that the course, opened in 2014, vaulted onto Golf Digest’s elite roster of the “World 100 Greatest Golf Courses” at No. 93.
Highlighted by risk-reward options and dizzying drops from tee to fairway, Quivira offers more oceanfront exposure than any other course in Los Cabos. This multi-themed layout starts at sea level, climbs the face of a mountain, tiptoes along sheer cliffs, meanders through massive dunes, and rambles across desert foothills. The links-style finish is memorable: the infinity-edge green at the par-4 18th appears to float on the ocean.
An all-inclusive facility, Quivira serves complimentary refreshments and Mexican specialties at four comfort stations. The club is accessible to guests of Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts’ five properties. Golfers gravitate to the nearby Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort, a deluxe adults-only enclave where the accommodations, dining options and technicolor sunsets are exceptional.
About Los Cabos
Situated at the tip of the 1,000-mile long Baja Peninsula, Los Cabos is home to award-winning hotels, resorts, championship golf courses, rejuvenating spas and world-class sport fishing. With a unique landscape of dramatic desert and dazzling beaches, Los Cabos is an exotic escape within easy reach of most U.S. and Canadian cities. For more information, images and videos from Los Cabos, visit online www.visitloscabos.travel,
