;DWigler
Thanks for posting your article on ElDorado. I always find it interesting on how different people view different courses. That is what makes golf course discussion boards the most intriguing to me.
I definitely agree with your appreciation of the ocean/dune holes 7,8,9 and 16,17,18. I thought the routing was ingenious to finish both nines on the ocean side of the highway basically playing in opposing directions, which can be factor with the wind direction changes from morning and afternoon.
I am not sure I understand the differentiation you made on the "parkland" holes in he valleys across the highway. They all had he same feel to me. It seemed obvious that the designers had major wash areas to incorporate into the course design to move water through the valleys. I know it doesn't rain very often in Cabo, but when it does two or three times a year, it is a flash flood type situation. So your comments about the course looking like DM or SM in Scottdale, was a little unclear to me. Afterall, Cabo is a desert climate with desert plantings all the way to the ocean. That is one of the things that appeals to me, is that the desert goes all the way to the ocean.
I also agree that the back nine is very strong, but I like holes that you didn't mention. lol. My favorite par fours are #10
#11 and #12. You mentioned #12 as the cape hole, but I actually think that is #11. Nice hole. But 10 and 12 are two very strong par fours with two of the more interesting greens on the course. Tough holes, but I like strong par 4's.
My thoughts on the weaker holes, and I only say that relative to the other holes, would be, on the back, #14 and #15. They are nice holes but not as interesting as the others on the back to me.
On the front nine, I actually liked the opening two holes "to get the round going without major demand". #3 was a difficult, but interesting Par 3. What a green!
#4 is a short, strategic off the tee, birdie hole. Then I agree with your assessment of the remaining holes on the front nine. My two favorite holes on the course are #7 and #9. #16 and #13 are not far behind. Especially #13 from the far right back tee. You may not have played or even seen tha tee. Not many know it is there. But, since I play there quite a bit, the project manager showed it to me. It makes #13 dogleg more to the right and puts quite a premium on the drive to play close to or over that large bunker on the right corner of the dogleg. I do like that little green tucked into the rocks, also.
Anyway, you can tell that I like the golf course. I would rate it higher than you do and not far, at all, behind whatever Cabo del Sol is rated. I think you liked most it anyway, from what I could tell from your article. You didn't however, tell me which 6 holes you thought were weak. So, by elimination, I am assuming it was 1,2,3,4, 10,12. How did I assume? Thanks for showing me your article.
Did you know, btw, that the owner is making plans to eliminate holes 8,9 and 18 to put in condos on the beach? This breaks my heart. I am not sure how Nicklaus is going to reroute 3 new holes. This can't be good for the course though.
