[henrye]

Anyway, on to the course.  This is not a walking course.  Hell, you'd need a massage just humping it from the clubhouse to the first tee.  Your cart comes with your own GPS gun, ballwasher, club cleaner, and a rake (a nifty cartball solution to the "where should the rakes be kept" argument).   I suppose you COULD walk the course with some shuttling around, but I doubt that anyone does.  Obviously there were some constraints in terms of proposed real estate lots which caused this routing, but they did a nice job of segregating the two elements, although it's a bit hard to tell as the only houses built thus far are near the clubhouse and there are posts and signs all over the place.  

I'd like to get a better understanding of why the cartball strategy as the topography looks pretty flat.  Tom, doesn't look like a lot of earth movement, but also doesn't look like very inspiring land - perhaps you could comment?  Perhaps the photos don't do it justice; Jud, apologies for the insinuation.

[Jud_T]

Henry,

It's quite a distance from the clubhouse to the first tee, and there are several long green to tee distances.  This was, I believe, due to the proposed real estate element.  As I stated, it's a bit confusing at the moment as there are signposts all over for the various holes and proposed real estate lots, so I'm not even sure how walkable it is in theory. (i.e. at the moment, you head down the road to the beach club for lunch or drinks at the turn which is quite a hike.)  The holes themselves are certainly walkable.  At the very least you'd need a shuttle to and from the clubhouse (as at Diamante) to consider walking, but again it was a bit of a maze finding your way around so I got a bit disoriented...The land is better than what the photos show, also the back nine heads into the hills into some more interesting topography...

[Carl Rogers]

 [/quote]
I'd like to get a better understanding of why the cartball strategy as the topography looks pretty flat.  Tom, doesn't look like a lot of earth movement, but also doesn't look like very inspiring land - perhaps you could comment?  Perhaps the photos don't do it justice; Jud, apologies for the insinuation.
[/quote]
Wait until hole 8, the topography is just warming up.

What I have noticed thus far is the attractive but non-terrifying bunkering.  When I was there, Tom told me that he was not trying to do a "killer" course.

[Jud_T]

Hole #7: Par 3- Blue-222, White 176, Red- 125
Handicap #2

"From the 175 yard range, this downhill par 3 offers a wide green.   Short and right is best and gives you a chance to roll it on, but the bunkers on the left aren't too penalizing.  If you go long, you will be on #8 tee box with an easy chip back.  Take one club less for the downhill."

From the tee:


zoomed in:


a bit further up:


short left:


some more nice bunkering:

[Jud_T]

the depression short of the green:


from the 8th tee overlooking the green:
seems like long is the play again...

[Jud_T]

Hole #8: Par 4, Blue 325, White 307, Red-286
Handicap 4

"The arroyo running diagonal through the fairway gives you two options.  Play with a 220 yard club to the left side (STAY LEFT, OVER THE BUNKER ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE), or try to hit a 270 yard shot over to the right.  The approach will be simple from either side, and the slopes in this green feed into the center most of the time, with a bailout area to the right.  Anywhere but in the arroyo and you can make par."

A very fun hole.  The wind off the bay can make both the tee shot and the approach pretty entertaining.  Unusual to see a 325 yard par 4 as the number 4 handicap..

From the tee:
 

Zoomed in.  If you're not going to bomb one up the right side, line is just over the right edge of bunker on left:


from behind bunker on left fairway:


from the left fairway:


zoomed in:

[Jud_T]

View from right fairway, a pretty good poke to get here into the prevailing wind:


Front of green.  A sense of some of the green contour here:


Judge the wind correctly or you may end up here:


Better pic of left greenside bunker:


front left of green:


another view:


bailout area to right of green:

[Jud_T]

Lunch break at the beach club.  Do I really need to get accosted by 2 separate groups of members about Michigan football, in rural Mexico? Might help if I didn't wear the hat.  Only bummer was I couldn't enjoy a couple of Negro Modelo as I knew I'd be white-knuckling it back through the mountains to hit Cabo by sunset in a few hours.  As with most places south of the border, the salsa is killer...



View from the beach club bar.  Not too shabby...

[Carl Rogers]

Is the Beach Club named "The Giggling Marlin"?

[Jud_T]

It's called the 1535 Club...

[Greg Tallman]

Is the Beach Club named "The Giggling Marlin"?

Carl, Used to be a night club/bar at the north end of the bay by that name. The name originates from one of the former investor's popular watering hole here in Cabo by the same name. The investor, Gary Wagner, is no longer involved and I believe the bar changed names as well.

[Jud_T]

Hole#9: Par 5, Blue-533, White-517, Red-469
Handicap #18

"This short uphill par five requires an accurate drive, but the second shot opens up into a wide landing area leaving a simple third shot to the green (longer hitters can reach this in two depending on the wind).  No trouble in front or right, so play it well and take advantage of this birdie hole."

View from the tee:


Zoomed in a bit:


Short of fairway bunker:


from fairway zoomed in:


View back toward the tee:

[Jud_T]

Approach shot:


zoomed in:


another view looking back down the fairway, notice the slope:


from short of the green:


left greenside bunker:


back left of green:


right of green:

[Jud_T]

Hole #10: Par 3, Blue 169, White 149, Red 105
Handicap #11

"Play this par 3 at the yardage you see despite being uphill a bit.  This is a very large green not entirely visible from the tee, so be confident in your shot and, if anything, favor the left side."

From the tee:


Zoomed in:


Right greenside bunker:


Front-right of green:


Back left- greenside bunkering:

[Greg Tallman]

OK - Now it gets fun gentlemen.

I may have undersold BDLS. Going through this picture tour is reminding me of all of the good aspects of the golf course and the quality design that made the holes on the less compelling land fun to play.

The back nine is indeed excellent and to be honest the front is no slouch with #1 being the only somewhat boring hole... though the setting of the first tee is rather special.

Jud - Gun to your head and you had one round to play... Diamante or Bay of Dreams?

[Jud_T]

1 round, probably Diamante. But as a club to join and play day in and day out, probably BDLS.

[Greg Tallman]

1 round, probably Diamante. But as a club to join and play day in and day out, probably BDLS.

Interesting take - your lesser is more approach in terms of clubs is taking hold.

[Jud_T]

Well ideally one would have a home at each...

[Jud_T]

Hole #11: Par 4, Blue 352, White 335, Red 226
Handicap 13

"This is where things get interesting.  This hole is visually deceptive, but there is actually plenty of room off the tee if you hit it around 260.  Stay right of the bunkers lining the left side and you will have a short iron in.  If you are a long hitter, an accurate draw off the tee will leave you with a chip and putt on this short, yet testy, par 4."

Bridge to #11 with green in the distance:


From the tee.  One of the more demanding tee shots on the course with a bit of pucker factor:


Zoomed in:


from beginning of fairway:


Stay right or have enough carry otherwise you end up with this as your approach:

[Jud_T]

Approach from center:


falloff on right side of fairway short of green:


Bunkers short left of green.  Reachable for the big hitter who tries to be aggressive and turns it a bit too much:


Short left of green:


front right of green:


from back of green:


looking back up toward the tee (zoomed in).  Who said this was a flat site again?

[Jud_T]

Hole #12: Par 4, Blue 497, White 464, Red 311
Handicap 1

"An intimidating tee shot leads to a wide open green at the bottom of this long and difficult par 4.  Split the bunkers off the tee (for shorter hitters you can play out towards the right bunker and probably won't reach it, but splitting them is ideal).  A good drive will set you up for a downhill approach."

View from the tee:


Zoomed in:


Left fairway bunker:


Approach shot:


Zoomed in:

[Jud_T]

Another view to get a sense of the fairway movement here:


Short right of green:


zoomed in:


left side of green:


front-left of green:


front-right of green, nice slope here one can use to feed the ball in:


looking back up fairway from green:

[Jud_T]

Hole #13: Par 5  Blue-518, White- 481, Red- 421
Handicap 15

"A straight forward par 5 heading towards the water offers great views and a fun hole.  On your second shot, the bunkers short and right are not ideal, so favor the left side leaving an open shot into this green."

From the tee:


Zoomed in:


Looking back up towards the tee from fairway (zoomed):


From fairway, a good poke to get home into the prevailing wind:


Zoomed in:


from behind left fairway bunker:

[Jud_T]

Approach from short left:


time to flirt with the cacti?


fairway contour short left:


another view short right:


fun approach from just short left:


unfortunately I don't have any good shots of this green, apologies....

[Carl Rogers]

If my memory serves me ....

Still pictures make it hard to understand the topography change from holes 9 through 12.  Those holes go up from the beach, around, over and then down.  Look at the picture of this hole of the shot back at the elevated tee.  The 13th hole transitions back into a more gently sloping terrain back toward the beach.

Perhaps Tom may weigh in how he determined to route those series of holes over the more challenging terrain and the, I suspect, the insights or trade-offs necessary.

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