By Anita Draycott | Los Cabos
Arguably, the hottest news in golf course architecture was the December 2014 official opening of El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico. Why? Because it’s the very first track in the world to be designed by Tiger Woods.
Just six miles from Cabo San Lucas, Diamante is a master-planned luxury community with two 18-hole courses—the Dunes by Davis Love III (opened in 2008) and now El Cardonal by Woods.
Tiger, who maintains a home at Diamante, was given an interior parcel of land set well back from the Davis Love III-designed Dunes Course routed in mammoth dunes above the Pacific. The 7,363-yard, par-72 course presents a superb strategic test, without a weak hole in the mix.
“I hope my golf course designs reflect what I love about golf,” says Woods. “They should be memorable, challenging, and fun to play. As a player who has always focused on course management, I try to make my courses strategic, with risk-reward opportunities that call for lots of different shot options.”
El Cardonal is private, however, tee times for prospective property buyers are available. If you rent a house, golf villa, beach estate or two-bedroom condo unit at Diamante, you can also play the course. Green fees are approximately $275 U.S., comparable to the Dunes course rates.
Your green fee buys more than a round of golf. At both El Cardonal and the Dunes courses, golfers are in for the royal treatment. Several comfort stations on the courses provide custom-made margaritas and other cocktails as well as a full range of snacks, including bean and tortilla soup, tamales, fruitsicles, candy bars and more. Off course, the Diamante community features the largest salt-water lagoon pool in Mexico, several dining options, spa and fitness centre, horseback riding, organic gardens and more.
