Ernie Els Design creates 18-hole course on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula
By Richard Humphreys |
A new 18-hole golf course by Ernie Els Design is to open for preview play in July 2026 at Oleada Pacific Living & Golf, a new 860-acre oceanfront resort community on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.
“This is one of the most spectacular projects on our books,” said Els, who is working with design partner Greg Letsche on the project. The 7,336-yard layout has been built along one mile of Pacific beachfront and serves as the centrepiece of the Oleada resort community, which will include The Grand Hyatt Los Cabos and Conrad Los Cabos hotels.
Read more about the goals of the Oleada course and the resort development in a 2023 GCA article.
A rendering of the par-five sixth, one of three holes that play directly beside the ocean (Image: Harris Kalinka)
Els and Letsche have made full use of the site’s natural sand, ridges and dunes for their course. They’ve used them to separate and frame holes, jut into fairways as a hazard, to design interesting greens and create multiple angles of attack. Wind will also be a key factor in a round at Oleada, so the pair have designed wide landing areas to ensure for a ‘find your golf ball experience’.
Most holes play near the beach, with only one, nine, ten and eighteen playing near the clubhouse and Pacific Villa residences. The par-three fourth, par-five sixth and par-five sixteenth have been laid out nearest the ocean.
Ernie Els Design has designed the course on a naturally sandy site, which has ridges and dunes featuring throughout the property (Image: Harris Kalinka)
The official opening is planned for November 2026.