Quivira Golf Club: A Thrilling Baja Cliffhanger
By Tim Cotroneo
Quivira Golf Club, located in Cabo San Lucas, is ranked as one of the top 100 golf courses in the world. To put this lofty ranking in perspective, as of 2024, there are over 38,000 golf courses worldwide spread across 206 countries. So that begs the question, “What is it about the Jack Nicklaus-designed Quivira that makes it an extraordinary golf experience?”
For golfers staying at one of the neighboring Pueblo Bonito Resorts, once the shuttle drops you off in front of the Quivira clubhouse, it takes all of two minutes to note that Quivira’s upper echelon reputation is well deserved. Quivira’s Clubhouse, pro shop, and Steakhouse all feature a Pacific Ocean backdrop that is a panoramic feast for the eyes. Keep in mind this present state of admiration is before you’ve even hoisted your clubs on one of the E-Z-Go golf carts.
In a sport where focus is paramount, you are forgiven if your eyes veer west toward the turquoise sea. While warming up with a few wedge shots on the practice tee, you’re greeted by a dazzling vista of green fairways, an infinite beach, more turquoise, and two luxury hotels in the distance. Are you getting the picture? As they say in Cabo, so far everything you’re seeing is “muy bien.”
North America on the First Tee Box
One of the Quivira attendants introduces a golfer from the Midwest to three golfers from Quebec. First tee pleasantries abound in English, Spanish, and French. The excitement builds as the foursome steps up to 389-yard, Par 4, first hole.
From the first tee box, the Midwesterner points to a mountain towering behind the clubhouse. He shares that the golf cart seen soaring skyward on this arching landscape is the same trek they’ll soon experience leading up to the famous 6th hole. The Canadians smile, nod, and say something amongst themselves in French. Pierre, the golfer sharing a cart with the Midwesterner, smiles and states in perfect English, “We’ve heard about this golf hole.”
Save for a bounty of sand traps, Quivira’s initial golf holes tease newcomers with pristine conditions and the Pacific Ocean framing the 5th hole green. After draining his putt, a member of the foursome pivots upon spying a humpback whale breaching near a fishing boat. This sparks more French, more smiles, and a readiness to navigate the miles-long cart path rising to Quivira’s first comfort station by the heavenly sixth tee box.
Comfort, Incredible Views, and Drama on the Tee
You may be asking, “What is a comfort station?” At Quivira, it’s a sheltered outdoor food and drink emporium that adds a bit of flavor to your Quivira 18 holes. The comfort station at the 310-yard, Par 4, 6th hole delivers an incredible view of the Sea of Cortez, the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and Sunset Resorts, and a postage stamp-sized tee box waiting for golfers with the courage to drive from the black tees.
For the Midwesterner and his three Quebec playing partners, a breakfast burrito and rum cocktail featuring a mango lemonade blend seemed like the best way to salute their morning golf fiesta. After tipping the bartender for the entrée included in their green fee, they head tentatively to a golf hole that is an Instagram favorite.
The 6th is only 310-yards, but the severe right to left dogleg includes a vertical drop to the green and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Any shot going long will serve as bait for the blue and black-striped marlin that draw fishing enthusiasts to Cabo from all over the world.
Back-to-Back Ocean Stunners
After surviving the 6th hole, the North American foursome is met with a Par 3 for the ages. The 180-yard 7th hole is buffered by a huge slope on the right and a sheer cliff plummeting to the Pacific on the left.
From the tee box, the group alternates shooting cell phone photos of this epic golf hole. Three out of four members of the Canada and American connection find the green with their tee shots. High fives are exchanged as no one marks their scorecard with more than a bogey.
Old Lighthouse Sighting
One-of-a-kind experiences appear throughout Quivira’s 7,085-yards. Where else will you find a historic lighthouse built in 1905, perched smack dab in the middle of your Quivira golf journey? The Old Lighthouse is situated at the exact spot where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. This will soon be the centerpiece to Los Cabos’ most luxurious residential community.
About the time you think Quivira is going to ease off on the gas, you approach the 635-yard, Par 5, 13th hole. Nicklaus is at his imaginative best as the hole goes left, then right, and then left with the Pacific on full display at the finish. The 13th feels like an Olympic ski slope turned golf hole.
Catch your breath, because this shifting beauty is followed by the petite Par 3, 14th hole. This one is all carry with rocks worthy of Jurassic Park baring their teeth before the green. The radiant blue ocean is an all-world distraction on your right. You’re reminded that nature and golf wrestle as one throughout Quivira’s roller coaster 18 holes.
Edge of 17 and the Grand Finale
The Par 4, 473-yard 17th hole is home to one more comfort station. The elevated ocean view from the comfort station and tee box is panoramic with a capital P.
Your second shot on 17 must contend with stacked giant boulders in the middle of the fairway about 100 yards from the green. Rather than eliminate this real-life Jenga during course construction back in 2014, Nicklaus said, “Let’s keep ‘em.” Another visual for the Quivira memory books.
The 18th hole, the Quivira finale, is a chance for the Midwesterner to tip his cap to his playing partners from Quebec. What a day for Canadian and American golfers on one of Baja Mexico’s finest golf tracks. As the foursome converged on the Quivira bar and restaurant to celebrate their round, the sun was in the early stages of setting on the Pacific. Perfect timing, and another perfect view at one of the Top 100 golf courses in the world. https://www.quiviraloscabos.com/golf
