There is no shortage of world-class golf courses in Los Cabos. To the contrary, the pool of gorgeous 
seaside layouts from big-name designers just keeps growing and growing. The newly opened Twin Dolphin Golf Club, a collaboration between PGA Hall-of-Famer Fred Couples and Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design, is the latest example, bringing the total of playable courses in the area to 16. Three of those 16 are currently ranked among the 100 best in the world, and more championship-level courses are on the way, including the Greg Norman designed Rancho San Lucas, expected to open in 2019, and a second 18-hole layout from Jack Nicklaus at Quivira, expected to break ground in 2020. Truly, there is no place in the world quite like Los Cabos when it comes to destination golf.
But if the number of golf courses keeps climbing, the number of prominent local tournaments has remained quite modest. There are a few primarily charity focused tournaments like Paws n’ Claws (for the Los Cabos Humane Society) and Stars & Stripes (for children’s charities), and the Cabo Collegiate at Querencia, which hosts golfers from a dozen Division 1 schools. But when it comes to bigger, headline grabbing tournaments, there are really only two, and both–perhaps not coincidentally–are hosted by Cabo del Sol.
Cabo del Sol, after all, is one of the granddaddies of Los Cabos golf. Admittedly, granddaddy is a relative term. The first true 18-hole layouts weren’t sculpted until the early 1990s–a fact which actually bolsters Los Cabos’ standing as an unprecedented golfing destination–and those were built by the greatest champion of them all, Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear’s initial efforts, at Palmilla and Cabo del Sol, put Los Cabos on the golfing map, and as far as accolades and acclaim go, Cabo del Sol has remained the region’s benchmark site since.
Nicklaus himself famously referred to what is now known as the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol as “the best golf property I’ve seen.” Many others have agreed. It’s been rated one of top 1oo in the world for close to two decades, and currently sits as the no. 2 rated course in Mexico. The Ocean Course title was added to distinguish it from Tom Weiskopf’s Desert Course, which opened for play seven years after Nicklaus masterpiece, in 2001. Weiskopf, although not as heralded a golfer or designer as Nicklaus, is a major champion with some incredible course layouts to his credit. The Desert Course is one them, a dramatic loop that winds through desert and mountain foothills and features some breathtaking views of the Sea of Cortez.
These two courses, Ocean and Desert, play host to the top two golf tournaments in Los Cabos. One is the Adidas Golf Invitational, formerly known as both the TaylorMade Invitational and Jim Flick Invitational, which welcomes pros and amateurs alike each November for individual and team competitions on the Cabo del Sol tracks. The second is the upcoming Los Cabos Pro-Am, which returns for its highly anticipated annual appearance on January 14 – 18, 2019.
Stay and play packages for the tournament include five days and four nights of accommodation at the Sheraton Grand Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, as well as three rounds at the participating courses, plus an invitation to the opening and closing cocktail parties, and daily breakfast at one of Hacienda del Mar’s excellent onsite restaurants. Overall team prizes are another lure for amateurs.
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.
Photo credit: Nicklaus Design
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
Please let me know what you think about this!