Nine new holes open for play at Puerto Los Cabos

Nine new holes designed by Nicklaus Design have opened for play at the Puerto Los Cabos resort community on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

Puerto Los Cabos is now home to 27 holes of golf. Nicklaus Design was the firm behind nine existing holes at the resort, with another nine designed by Greg Norman’s firm.

The new holes are reminiscent of the original Nicklaus holes at Puerto Los Cabos, with subtly contoured greens, large bunkers and elevation changes.

“We did our best to match up the new holes with the pre-existing holes,” said Jim Lipe, a design consultant for Nicklaus Design who worked on the original layout. “We softened things a little, but the green sizes and bunker shapes on the new holes are about the same as before. Unless you knew so beforehand, you wouldn’t be able to tell that the two nines were built at different times.”

The new nine holes start with a par five hole playing directly to the Sea of Cortes, while the par four second hole sees players having to negotiate a large central bunker to reach a slightly elevated green.

The nine’s closing holes lie on higher ground, with the par four sixth hole featuring a well-protected tabletop green, and the seventh hole playing uphill to a wishbone-shaped green.

The green on the par three eighth hole is also heavily protected, while the new ninth hole occupies the same corridors as what was formerly the opening hole on the original nine Nicklaus and team designed at Puerto Los Cabos. This new version plays in the opposite direction however.

What was formerly the fourteenth hole at the club is now the fifth hole on the new nine, while Nicklaus’ team has created a new tenth hole and fourteenth hole on the original nine.

Played together, the 18 holes designed by Nicklaus Design at Puerto Los Cabos stretch to 7,194 yards.  

Sean DudleySean Dudley

Other posts by Sean Dudley

Contact author