then we tried to figure out, how are we going to get there in between it? “How do you take a spectacular
situation like that,” he continued, “and take that shelf that the green sits on, and how do you utilize it?” On the heels of the unforgettable
fifth hole is No. 6, which can play anywhere from 180 yards to 107 yards. Nestled between granite cliffs and
sand dunes, it’s less of a heart-thumper but every bit the thrill to play as its predecessor. “I found that little dune down
there on the hill, I said to one of the guys who was working for me, ‘Go and see how much room we’ve actually got here.’ We were play- ing with him, and I’m afraid the guy almost had a heart attack going up and down the hill. There were some spectacular landforms.”
The Supporting Cast There are more than two holes to
love at Quivira. Just looking at the scorecard,
you know you’re in for something different. The par-72 layout features a front-nine par of 34, with a back- nine par of 38. That’s chiefly the result of the
unique layout.
Barely a year old, the 7,139-yard, 18-hole golf course that sits just outside Cabo San Lucas was named the 2014 Best New International Course by Golf Magazine.
A historic lighthouse marks the tip of Baja and Land’s End (where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez).
The four opening holes sit together
near sea level, a blend of coastal dunes and desert sprinkled with cactus and an occasional roadrunner. Some of the highlights include the
potentially drivable par-4 third, while the par-5 fourth has a St. Andrews feel with pot bunkers in the middle of the fairway. After the fifth and sixth, the course becomes a chameleon, turn- ing into a links-like layout for two holes one would find in Ireland or Scotland. The par-4 seventh’s tees sit near a historic lighthouse marking the tip of Baja and Land’s End (where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez), while the left side of the fairway on the par-4 eighth is guarded by massive sand dunes. Some have compared No. 7 to something you’d see at Kingsbarns, while No. 8 mimics the 11th at Turnberry. Following a stretch of inland holes,
it’s back to the top of the dunes for more thrills. The tee boxes on the par-5 12th sit high above the fairway with a long carry over dunes and the wind at your back. Reachable in two by long hit- ters, the bunkerless green sits just in front of the beach. Behind the green of the double-dogleg is a sharpened wooden pole fence, leftovers from a
scene filmed for the movie “Troy,” starring Brad Pitt. At the short par-3 13th, you get
one last taste of the cliffs. It’s all carry to a bowl-shaped green, with spectacular granite spires below shooting up from the shoreline below. The two are another set of
memorable back-to-back holes, even for their creator. “The 12th hole is a spectacular
par 5. You are standing way up on top of this dune, and the hole is nearly 600 yards from the back tee, but it won’t play like that simply because you have a 150- to 200-foot elevation change that goes down to the ocean,” Nicklaus said. “Then we’ve got a spectacular little par 3 with tees along the edge of the cliff playing into a rock outcropping that comes out into the ocean, and the green sits right in the middle of these rock outcroppings high above the sea.” Up a short cart ride ahead, there’s
more fun and more vistas. The green on the sharp dog-leg
right par-4 14th can be reached from the tee if your game is on, while the par-5 15th offers a change of pace in scenery—this time a fantastic view of the mountains surrounding Cabo San Lucas. It’s the only tee shot you have all day facing the mountain background.
WINTER 2016 /
NCGA.ORG / 35
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