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When the spectacular Pueblo Bonito Resorts Quivira Golf Club in Las Cabos opened in 2014 on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, it became one of the world’s top golf, fun, and sun destinations. I was one of the fortunate journalists invited to meet its legendary golf course designer, Jack Nicklaus, attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony and play the seaside marvel.
I fondly remember telling Jack how much I enjoyed his design, and he rewarded me with a hug and a signed visor. I had a hunch that Quivira would be lauded. Ten years later, I have returned to celebrate the course’s tenth anniversary.
Put Quivira Golf Club in Los Cabos on your Bucket List
Quivira Golf Club is one of the world’s most scenic golf courses and it has garnered a long list of accolades. To name a few:
- Golfweek’s Best –”Top 50 Courses of Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic and Central America,” No. T10–2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
- Golf World–Top 100 World Resorts 2023.
- Golf Digest–Editors’ Choice Award for Best Golf Resorts –Mexico/Central America, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
- Golf Digest–”Best Golf Courses in Every Country,” Mexico #3–2018, 2021, 2022 and 2024.
- Golf Magazine-Top 100 Resorts in North America in the Luxury category –2019 in the ‘Best Mexico & Central America’ category.
Here’s how Jack Nicklaus describes Quivira: “Cabo’s golf experience did not need redefining, but Quivira adds to it greatly. I think Quivira is loaded with unique golf holes. There is good golf even before you get to the ocean holes, which are unlike anything else in Cabo or many other places.
I’ve never seen any place with three holes hanging out over the ocean like this golf course. They are unbelievable. This is a diverse golf course with inland settings–it’s got desert, it’s got ocean, it’s got rocks; it has a little bit of everything.”
Anita Draycott at the 7th par-three of Quivira, one of the top golf courses in the world and the best course in Las Cabos, Mexico.
Created as an exclusive amenity for guests of Pueblo Bonito Resorts and the centrepiece of the Quivira Los Cabos residential development, this bold risk-reward design, marked by vertical cliffs, massive dunes and rolling foothills, features panoramic views and dizzying drops from tee to fairway. In a sun-splashed destination renowned for its unique ocean-desert-mountain ecosystem, Quivira offers more oceanfront exposure than any other course in Los Cabos. An unforgettable test from any set of tees, this scintillating layout may be the most daring and eclectic course Jack Nicklaus has ever built. Since its debut, Quivira has become a ‘bucket list’ course for golf aficionados from around the world.
All 18 fairways feature panoramic views of the Pacific. You will likely spot whales leaping in the wild blue yonder from December to March. Because the terrain is so dramatic, the course appears tough. However, Nicklaus deliberately designed it to be user-friendly and pleasurable for the higher handicapper, yet still challenging from the tips for the pros. The track starts at sea level, scales cliffs more than 275 feet above the Pacific, spans canyons and arroyos, meanders through dunes and desert, and returns to the sea at the finish.
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The tail of a whale at Los Cabos, Mexico.
Quivira Golf Course Challenges
In December 2022, to accommodate a new Beach Club and ongoing projects around the site, and in anticipation of an upcoming second golf course, the holes have been rerouted. The former 18th is now number one; number one is now number 2…and so on.
There’s never a dull moment at Quivira. For example, the ten-minute drive to the sixth follows a switchback route up the side of a mountain. The fairway, slanted below a dune on the right, traces the edge of sheer granite cliffs to the left as it tumbles downhill to a transition zone before dropping to a rock-walled, cliff-hanging green 106 feet below the tee.
Carved into the base of a massive dune, Quivira’s par-three 7th, faced into the prevailing wind, is a gem. The long narrow green, propped on bluffs high above the roiling sea and a deserted beach, drops off to a cavernous bunker and oblivion on the left.
The tee boxes at the par-four 8th are set near the historic lighthouse at Land’s End, the oldest standing structure in Cabo San Lucas. Behind the bunkerless green of the colossal, double-dogleg par-five 13th is a sharpened pole fence, a remnant from the movie set of Troy, a swords-and-sandals epic.
The petite par-three 14th has its own stage set to die for. A tiny, wafer-like green sits atop a massive pinnacle of fissured granite rising 150 feet from sand and surf. There’s a bailout area to the left, but the hole, 144 yards from the tips, commands a do-or-die shot over a yawning abyss. Bring your camera.
When asked to predict how Quivira will impact his legacy, Nicklaus says, “I think some people will say it’s the most spectacular and best golf course they have ever seen and others will say, ‘You have got to be kidding.’ I don’t think there will be a lot of middle ground.” If you look at the game of golf as having a fun experience and playing in an exciting and beautiful place, you will absolutely love it. From start to finish, I’d say Quivira has as much pace, variety and spectacular beauty as any course I’ve ever designed.”
I can’t argue with you, Jack.
Pueblo Bonito Resorts All-Inclusive Golf Experience
In order to play Quivira you must be a resident or guest of one of the Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas in Los Cabos: the adults-only Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and Towers of Pacifica; the family-friendly Pueblo Bonito Sunset (all share property with Quivira); Pueblo Bonito Rose or Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (both located on El Médano Beach). Stay and play packages are available.
For residents and guests alike, a golf day at Quivira Golf Club starts with a complimentary shuttle service to the club from the Pueblo Bonito resorts and communities. Grab a snack and warm up on the double-sided range set directly on the beach.
After the first five holes, golfers will experience the “greatest drive in golf” as they manoeuvre their carts to the first comfort station perched 200 feet above the ocean, where more complimentary snacks and drinks are offered. Perhaps a breakfast burrito and a Bloody Margarita?
The Oasis, which serves as a halfway house serves inventive Baja cuisine. A deluxe bar features blanco, reposado and anejo tequilas. Players may refresh themselves again at the 16th tee, which sits high above the course and marks the layout’s return to home. All food and drinks are included in your round.
The Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Resort
Culinary Excellence at Quivira Los Cabos Resort Dining Experience to Suit All
In addition to Pacifica’s four on-site restaurants, the resort’s deluxe all-inclusive plan includes access to 27 dining outlets at sister resorts within the Quivira Los Cabos resort community and at a pair of hotels on Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas.
One of my favourites, LaFrida at the Sunset Beach Resort, named for the renowned Mexican artist, has AAA Four Diamond award. The candlelit setting, colonial architecture and reproductions of Frida’s paintings on the walls create a romantic atmosphere, complimented by a pianist who performs nightly.
The alfresco Pescados restaurant serves sushi, Asian and Thai dishes. The popular Market at Sunset Beach Resort houses several themed restaurants and take-outs, including a 50s diner, coffee and juice bars, gelateria, and more—something for every palette.
LaFrida Restaurant at Sunset Beach Pueblo Bonito Resort has earned a AAA Four Diamond Award for excellence in cuisine in Las Cabos, Mexico.
Quivera Los Cabos and Pueblo Bonito Resorts Experiences and Activities
Not a golfer? No problem; there are plenty of non-swinging activities. When the Quivira Golf Course opened ten years ago, golf was the main attraction, but now there is something for everyone.
The Pueblo Bonito Resorts offer lots of water excursions and activities, including deep sea fishing, glass bottom boat rides, surfing lessons, bike, paddleboard and kayak rentals. A Q Life program encourages healthy lifestyles. There’s yoga on the beach, a turtle protection program, botanical garden and nature walks. Q Life also offers tequila and wine tastings and cooking classes.
Spa & Wellness: Indulge in Relaxation at the Armonia Spa
Head to the award-winning Armonia Spa at Sunset Beach for some first-class pampering. The Prehispanic Ritual fuses the ingredients and techniques used by the Prehispanic cultures to achieve physical, mental and spiritual balance. Or consider the Four Handed Massage when two masseuses work in harmony focusing simultaneously on upper and lower parts of the body. You could also take your massage on one of the beach beds, where the sound of the waves provides soothing background music.
Cabo Adventures
Although there are no guarantees, chances are excellent that you’ll spot whales if you sign up for an excursion with Cabo Adventures. We had amazing sightings of a female and her two babies. She was teaching them how to breach. Cabo Adventures uses different kinds of boats, but the zodiac allows them to get closest to the whales.
The guides are very knowledgeable, and the company is recognized for its safety and professionalism. They sail out of the Marina in Cabo San Lucas. Bring your camera and sunscreen. The scenery is spectacular, especially Land’s End, a rock formation at the tip of Los Cabos where the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez meet. Sea lions love to bask on the rocks.
(L) Pacifica Oceanfront massage Armonia Spa at Sunset Beach and (R) Cabot Adventures Whale Watching Tour Los Cabos.
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