A new golf course is always cause for celebration in golf mad Los Cabos. The tropical paradise at the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula has birthed over a dozen world-class layouts since the early 1990s, including three courses currently ranked among the 100 best on the planet.
It’s not just the high-quality courses that distinguish Los Cabos as a golfing destination, however,but the star power behind them. Major champions like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Tom Weiskopf have all designed courses in or around cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.
World Golf Hall of Fame inductee recently collaborated with Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design on the picturesque layout for Twin Dolphin Golf Club, a new seaside loop overlooking Santa Maria Bay in the Los Cabos Tourist Corridor.
The newly opened course is the centerpiece of a 1400-acre, master planned community, which is also called Twin Dolphin in a nod to the iconic early resort which once occupied some of the same real estate. The upscale community includes the122-room luxury beachfront resort Montage Los Cabos, as well as the private residences of Maravilla Los Cabos.
Couples and Eckenrode’s masterpiece is a par-72; its 18 holes stretching a challenging7,156 yards from the tips. Play ability for handicappers of all levels is a major focus, however, with four optional sets of tees (including one for kids),and subtle mounding in spots to safely corral errant drives. Stunning views of the Sea of Cortez and interior Sierra de la Laguna mountain range on each and every hole also bring another level of enjoyment to the golfing experience.
“We wanted this to be a course that all players can enjoy,” Couples explained. “With its multiple sets of tees, it varies in length and features undulating greens,dramatic elevation changes, impeccable fairways and natural bunkering. It’s a great second shot golf course with several spectacular tee shots. The architecture makes great use of the natural topography and the ocean views make each hole incredibly memorable.”
“Without question, this is the most incredible site we have ever had the pleasure of working on,” agreed co-designer Todd Eckenrode. “The land has a sense of place all its own, as if it was discovered rather than built. The course is set among the dramatic rugged arroyos of the native terrain, with broad ocean views and classic architectural styling. An environmentally-sensitive clearing plan was established from the outset, leaving mature desert flora and rock formations intact. Fred’s excellent vision and passion for the project contributed immensely to the design.”
Planned and planted for more than a decade before its official opening, the course occupies some of the most beautiful land in Los Cabos, and features some of the area’s most majestic ocean views. Set 180 feet above sea level, and nestled between rugged desert and mountains and a gorgeous horseshoe-shaped cove that opens into a protected marine sanctuary, Twin Dolphin is as much a nature preserve a sit is a golf course…a fact not lost on superintendent Russell Hewitt.
“Environmental stewardship is very important to us, especially with the National Marine Preserve status of Santa Maria Bay and its Blue Flag beach certification,” he noted.
Couples is equally enthusiastic, perhaps more so given he is not only the course architect, but also a resident and member of the community. As such, he enjoys the same course-adjacent views as other owners, from horizon-stretching ocean vistas to the three major arroyos that give the layout much of its character.
“The routing showcases constant variety, particularly in how it utilizes the arroyos that predominate throughout,” Eckenrode added. “Golfers will play along, across and even through these signature arroyos, which lend a memorable identity to the course.”
The course is memorable, but one will have to be a member of the community or a guest a ton site resort Montage Los Cabos to find out, as Twin Dolphin Golf Club is very definitely private. It joins other notable local courses in that regard,including Querencia, El Dorado, Chileno Bay, Quivira and Diamante.
For more information about events, activities and villa rentals in Los Cabos, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.
- Chris Sands is co-founder of CaboVivo, co-writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, Editor at Baja.Ca, and a contributor to Forbes, USA Today and Cabo Living, as well as other websites and publications.
Photo credit: Twin Dolphin Golf Club
Upcoming Event Calendar
December
Sabor a Cabo Food & Wine Festival – Dec. 1
Dressed to the K-9s Charity Gala – Dec. 1
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27
Virgin of Guadalupe Feast Day – Dec. 12
Start of Whale Watching Season – Dec. 15
Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24
Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25
Día de los Inocentes – Dec. 28
Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31
January 2019
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Día de los Tres Reyes Magos – Jan. 6
Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 10 – 20
Los Cabos Pro-Am at Cabo del Sol – Jan. 14 – 18
La Ventana Classic (Kiteboard and Windsurfing Tournament) – Jan. 16 – 20
February
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Feb. 2 – 9
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28
Todos Santos Artists’ Open Studios Tour – Feb. 9 – 10
Día del Amor y la Amistad (Valentine’s Day) – Feb. 14
Carnaval La Paz – Feb. 28 – Mar. 5
San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend
March
Cabo Collegiate at Querencia – March 3 – 5
Carnaval La Paz – Feb. 28 – March 5
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – March 6, 13, 20, 27
Baja Shakespeare Festival – March 8 – 10, 13 – 16
End of Whale Watching Season – March 15
East Cape Arts Festival – March 17
Todos Santos Film Festival – Dates Yet to Be Determined
7th Annual Cheese & Wine Festival at Sheraton Grand Los Cabos – Dates Yet to Be Determined
April
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – April 4, 11, 18, 25
NORRA Mexican 1000 – April 26 – May 3
Paws n’ Claws Golf Tournament – Dates Yet to Be Determined
Sabores de Baja in Miraflores – Dates Yet to Be Determined
May
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival in Todos Santos – May 17 – 19
June
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – June 6, 13, 20, 27
Magestic,but, I most probably, will never be able to enjoy it as it is private!