Quivira (Cabo) - Photo Tour - All 18 holes posted

[Tim Book]

Greg, is the intent for access to be to specific hotels and time share developments?  Is the wind as prevalent as at Diamante?  From the photo tour it looks like a nice addition to the golf scene in Cabo.

[Greg Tallman]

Greg, is the intent for access to be to specific hotels and time share developments?  Is the wind as prevalent as at Diamante?  From the photo tour it looks like a nice addition to the golf scene in Cabo.

The official line for now is only those guests of the Pueblo Bonito family of resorts along with property owners in terms of access but I do not believe that is set in stone. 

[Greg Tallman]

#12 - Par 5 - 635/595/578/520/482

I have dubbed this one "Zorro" as it is a Z shaped hole, at least that is how the turf is laid out.

Teeing off from a perched position atop the dune with a strong wind at your back this is the ultimate "let it fly" shot at Quivira. Another pick your poison and bit off what you want... a little local knowledge will go a log way at Quivira.

You see the Z layout of the hole with the green down against the water at the end of the expanse of turf.


As you drive down to the fairway you get a good look at the turf snaking its way toward the Pacific Ocean


From a well it tee shot played along the "base of the Z" to the end of the turf line the yardage suggests a layup is the best play but after doing so I find that I could have reached with a perfect hybrid and easily with a 3 metal. That said it appears to be an all or nothing shot for those going for it, again that is deceiving...


...as only long would be in trouble and there is miles of bailout right



Mishit the tee shot and you may be forced to layup to this position, again leaving a shot that looks much harder than it is


Interesting green, must be 90 yards long, quite narrow and full of movement... no bunkers


Looking back on what used to be a big area for adventurous ATV riders

[Greg Tallman]

#13 - Par 3 - 148/135/122/108/85

Similar looking hole to the one being finished these days at Cabot Cliffs.

Here the trailing wind makes the hole harder as it is tough to hold the very small green. Just a wedge or 9 iron but it better be struck properly and a very exact distance...

[JWL]

Nice job Greg
Looking forward to playing it with you.

[Greg Tallman]

Nice job Greg
Looking forward to playing it with you.

Bring you knockdown driver and an open mind. See you in a couple of weeks.

[Greg Tallman]

#14 - Par 4 - 355/348/310/244/236

Another 90° dogleg right with the wind hard from the left with the green nowhere in sight as it is set behind a sizeable dune ridge and at the base of the largest dune on the site. Sounds appealing but this hole was not to my liking. Again, given the severity of the conditions this is another hole screaming for more width. As I continue saying that please understand this is coming from someone who hits the ball very straight with the driver most days.

The green is set in the right of the photo just below the large clumps of vegetation on the second dune in the distance


The view from my playing companion's tee shot in the right half of the fairway not quite to the dogleg, faced with a blind 90 yard pitch over the dune


The view from my badly necked attempt at a high cut wind rider that ended up being a bullet straight up the gut of the fairway


Interesting green with a high front that is not quite deep enough to pin but makes depth perception difficult... I thought my approach was within 5 feet, only to find it at least 3x that


Looking back from the green you get the sense of how little area there is to place the conservative tee shot and have a look at the green. That is the 8th green in the distance


green view from cart path shows the severity of the slope up to the back tier, quite a few two tier greens on the course

[Greg Tallman]

#15 - Par 5 - 564/526/496/439/430

Once again you head to the back side of the dune and find a beautiful golf hole. Here again I think the effective width is lacking for the average player as few, if any, will consider the left side much of an option upon first glance. Perhaps after numerous plays that would change but I suspect peeling away a bit of the wonderful dunescape the bisects the fairway would provide a more playable experience while not changing the play for the strong player at all.

You can just may out a strip of fairway left of the dunes but it seems obvious the play is up the right side, hugging the central dune as close as possible. That said with the hard left to right wind perhaps those playing the gold or black, from where the left fairway presents itself better, might start the ball on that line and let the wind bring it back... and if they hit it straight, they are OK


A well hit tee shot will actually sneak past the dunes though doing so on the fly requires a carry of about 295 from the black markers. From here you must carry the cross bunkering, fit one through a relatively tight space or lay up at the top of the hill. You can see the smallest round bunker in the center of the fairway that is about 50 yards short of and 30 feet above the green surface, carry it and the ball should trundle down around the green


A better sense of the relationship of the cross bunkering/dunes and the green


Lay up and you are left with an attractive and relatively problem free wedge from the top of the hill


As you see here, nothing but sloping fairway between the center bunker and green. The green falls from higher right shelf to lower left shelf and presents a largely flat surface for all but the longest of putts


Again, a ton of room short and right to miss it

[Greg Tallman]

#16 - Par 4 - 493/449/428/425/285

Longest par 4 on the course that plays far shorter than either the 7th or 8th that are 90-100 yards shorter in actual yardage. Another perched tee, downwind let it fly moment though this one is a bit tighter than the one at 12. The slightly angled fairway keeps you just a bit off balance in terms of where to aim... just hit it at the rocks in the fairway.



A bit more comforting angle from the blue tees just left of where this photo was taken


From about 200 yards out the approach can be quite intimidating, the green is set in a bowl behind and well below the bunker


A well hit tee shot to about 150 yards out will provide just a glimpse of the top of the flag over the bunker. I question the necessity of the bunker here... extra clutter or perhaps necessary directional aid?


High on the left side you get a sense of the sunken nature of the green and surrounds some 35 yards beyond the bunker


Finally from above the green on the left side you see the entire bowl within which the complex is located

[Greg Tallman]

#17 - Par 4 - 478/454/440/410/310

Another longish 4 that does not play to the yardage, in fact for many driver will not be the club of choice from the tee as you have to fit the ball into a smallish area and avoid going through the fairway into the natural wash that winds its way down the hole. Once again with a helping wind the hole does not play to the card yardage.


A well positioned tee shot will leave anything from 165 to 200 into the green that is disappointingly protected well short by a sizeable bunker, making the player carry the hazard rather than allowing a running shot to find the surface. While this does not bother me or influence the way I would play the hole I see it as a flaw when considering the for the average resort player.



One of the more entertaining greens on the course as it falls away from right to left...


...throwing a pronounced mound/accent point into the mix about 1/3 of the way into the green

[Greg Tallman]

#18 - Par 4 - 486/444/401/385/318

Unlike the last pair this one plays its yardage and then some as you have turned ever so slightly into a wind now quartering against from the right. One of the few holes where finding turf seems a forgone conclusion, wish this type of width had been seen throughout. Aim it at the bunker on the right and keep it low


Be prepared to have a "I have how much left?" moment when you arrive at your tee ball, not quite like 7 or 8 but as noted the hole plays long, don't put the headcovers back on the fairway woods and hybrids just yet. You can just make out the flag set on the front right in front of the dune in the distance as the green just out into the dune angling right to left. Plenty of room afforded a run up here and once again tons of room to miss short right


From just a bit closer where the likes of MWP might hit their tee ball, not me. Better look at the cool green complex and awesome setting


Still closer you begin to get the sense of the significant contouring of the final green


And from the bailout area you see the long, wild green on the home hole. The final two greens are pretty cool and seem to fit the rugged surroundings better than those that precede them. That said there are some good complexes dotted throughout but for me none match the final pair

[Greg Tallman]

Course Summary

Front 9 - Par 34
3051
2859
2601
2357
1769

Back 9 - Par 38
4088
3842
3615
3241
2557

Total - Par 72
7139
6701
6216
5598
4326

[John Kavanaugh]

Thanks for the effort.  What is that building directly on the beach?

[Greg Tallman]

Thanks for the effort.  What is that building directly on the beach?

Golf clubhouse that will eventually be the beach club when the golf offering is expanded and likely rerouted a bit.

"Thanks for the effort" not real encouraging but considering...

[John Kavanaugh]

Thanks for the effort isn't chopped liver.  I usually hate photo tours but thought you had just the right mix of pictures.  And I do understand that it took considerable effort and am thankful for that.

That is one impressive location for a clubhouse/beach club.  If I were the type to go to Mexico this is where I would love to go.  Drunken cart ball 4 hour 15 minute rounds is what I love.  Doing shots at the comfort stations while looking at the ocean, wow.  The course should be uber-successful.

[Greg Tallman]

Thanks for the effort isn't chopped liver.  I usually hate photo tours but thought you had just the right mix of pictures.  And I do understand that it took considerable effort and am thankful for that.

That is one impressive location for a clubhouse/beach club.  If I were the type to go to Mexico this is where I would love to go.  Drunken cart ball 4 hour 15 minute rounds is what I love.  Doing shots at the comfort stations while looking at the ocean, wow.  The course should be uber-successful.

Once they are up and fully running you better add another hour and fifteen minutes to that estimate. We zoomed around pretty good, using the comfort stations as passing zones only to catch a group that I would guess teed off at least two hours ahead of us on the 17th hole. The last two holes took us 50 minutes, if not more. The golf director is planning on rounds approaching 5 hours 30 minutes so be prepared.

Lots of hit and hunt for the average player out there. I would guess it is not a course you would play multiple times if vacationing in Cabo.
   

[John Kavanaugh]

5 hrs and 30 minutes.  Have they legalized murder in Mexico?

[Tim Leahy]

Greg, do you think it is better than the original Diamante?

[Greg Tallman]

Greg, do you think it is better than the original Diamante?

Tim, I do not. Not in the same league as Diamante or CDS Ocean.

[Greg Tallman]

5 hrs and 30 minutes.  Have they legalized murder in Mexico?

Mainland Mexico? Perhaps.

Cabo? No, have another tequila and enjoy the view.

[Matthew Petersen]

Course Summary

Front 9 - Par 34
3051
2859
2601
2357
1769

Back 9 - Par 38
4088
3842
3615
3241
2557

Total - Par 72
7139
6701
6216
5598
4326

3051-4088 is one of the more unique cards I've ever seen.

Course looks like it has lots of potential, but the pictures definitely make it seem insanely narrow, and that's without considering the wind. I know photos can be tricky, but if you noted that concern as well ... pretty disappointing.

[Greg Tallman]

Course Summary

Front 9 - Par 34
3051
2859
2601
2357
1769

Back 9 - Par 38
4088
3842
3615
3241
2557

Total - Par 72
7139
6701
6216
5598
4326

3051-4088 is one of the more unique cards I've ever seen.

Course looks like it has lots of potential, but the pictures definitely make it seem insanely narrow, and that's without considering the wind. I know photos can be tricky, but if you noted that concern as well ... pretty disappointing.

Again there is plenty of bail out for approaches but a lot of tee balls that your average player is simply not going to get in play more than 25% of the time. Overspray into the native areas will only complicate matters but the need for some vegetation is immediate to stabilize the sand.

Tee selection will be VERY important.

Width Assessment hole by hole

#1 - Hard left to right wind... width provided by 18th fairway
#2 - Par 3 sufficient
#3 - Sufficient width cluttered with too many hazards hurting the average player far more than the stronger, longer player
#4 - Sufficient width
#5 - Complete lack of width (Into the teeth of wind... ITW)
#6 Par 3 - no width, hit green or else (though I made three from the dune above the cart path  ) - ITW
#7 - Lack of width on otherwise fantastic golf hole - ITW
#8 - Lacking a bit, add some to the right would not hurt at all given the hurting, left to right wind on tee shot and uphill ITW approach
#9 Par 3 - sufficient
#10 Tee shot sufficient second shot pretty tight and ITW, a little more room right up through 80 yards wouldn't hurt at all
#11 Lack of width perhaps compensated by strong tailwind
#12 Sufficient width compromised for many by leaving a brow of dune across the fairway near landing area for many... those landing there are left with a tough second anyway, why penalize more?
#13 Par 3 - hit green or else, significant kicker slope left but distance must still be exact
#14 Lack of width considering strong left to right winds
#15 massive and wide central dune leave perhaps 35 yards width on either side... tough shot for most
#16 Looks tight but tailwind helps and there is a bit more room than it looks OK here
#17 Probably too narrow for resort play but I really liked the tee shot though I failed to execute... my fault
#18 This is what I wish the entire course looked like... WIDE fairway, beautiful approach with plenty of room for those playing safe and considerable challenge for those attacking the hole

I could play 1,2,7,8,9,12,15,16,17,18 all day long. Included 7 as the approach is the best on the course
 
Front nine (2900) from the gold tees I hit approaches with
-PW
-4 iron
-SW
-SW
-Chip over the hill
-4 iron
-4 iron
-6 iron
-5 iron

Back nine (3900) from the gold tees I hit approaches with
-Half SW
-Half SW
-Half SW
-PW
-SW
-Half SW
-9I
-5I
-Hybrid

[Greg Gilson]

Greg, thank you for this fantastic tour. I appreciated the commentary & the pictures.

[Brad Tufts]

Awesome tour Greg...every time I read one of these I start looking at plane tickets and testing my wife's patience...

One question...so will a new clubhouse totally change the unique (or odd?) split between the length/par of the two nines?  Does the "new clubhouse" site make the eventual numbering sequence of the 9s more equal?

[Eric Strulowitz]

Greg

Thanks so much for sharing, I loved the pictures.

My wife and I are thinking about a return trip to Cabo next spring, this course is high on the list!