February 2026 – Just got back from a guys’ trip to Cabo. This was a new group for me – it was my buddy Erik’s trip where one guy had to back out because he wasn’t allowed in Mexico so I took his place. I may not be allowed back to Mexico with how bad I played! Anyway. it was a fun group who I introduced to my way of ranking courses starting with access to booze. I’ll go more into it later but needless to say, I give both Diamante courses top 100 billing in the access to booze category!
We came down in the middle of the El Mencho/Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) nonsense but had no issues with it whatsoever in Cabo. It’s been a really shitty winter in the Northeast so was glad to get away. In fact, I had to push my flight up a day to beat a storm. We got absolutely dumped on – over a foot at my house and going on two feet at the shore house. Photo below from the Ring Camera.
I was super excited to play Diamante. To get on we had to stay on property so we got two casitas and pre-stocked the places with mucho food and beverage. Then Erik set us up to play at both the Diamante courses (they moved the Mexico PGA Tour event from Mayacoba to the Cardonal course here) and the Dunes was recently ranked by Golf Digest as the 47th best in world course outside the US. That’s mighty high praise. We played SolMar next door and Cabo del Sol as well. Plus, I played Campestre on my bonus escape the snow day.
All that said, let’s discuss the following then:
- What makes a World Top 100 golf course?
- Diamante accommodations and Cabo as a guys’ golf trip.
- The Dunes and El Cardonal courses themselves.
World Top 100 Course: As noted above Diamante ranks 47th outside the US by Golf Digest. That really intrigued me. Most of the raters for these rankings are golf architecture nerds and low single digit handicaps. The aesthetics of a course are secondary maybe even tertiary to other factors like fitting into a classic design template, walkability/routing, history, linksiness and other non resort-typical features. UK and Irish courses own the ranking (49 of the 100 are UK or Irish courses) which I also like, but a resort course? Not designed by MacKenzie, Ross, MacDonald or the hot new guys (Kidd, Coore/Crenshaw, Hanse)? Diamante Dunes by David Love III – No. #47? This had to be special for this to be parked at #47 by those nerds.
Then there are my rankings. So you have a links course here that I love. You have a Wow factor as you go from desert to dramatic ocean-front holes. If you look through my rankings, I have more desert courses than GD and more dramatic ocean-front courses of the non-links variety, too. This is a perfect combination for me. Then, Access to Booze; they have halfway houses that all booze is included and which are strategically located so you’re never more than four holes away from one. I am truly in nirvana. Right?
I think you can sense where I am going. I just didn’t think Dunes was worthy of that lofty of a perch. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it for all of the reasons mentioned above but #47 in the world? Nah. Conditioning was lacking for sure. But after playing SolMar (which was way wowier and better conditioned than Dunes) and even the El Cardonal course here that didn’t creep up as close to the ocean as Dunes, Dunes ranked three out of those courses let alone over a hundred of others I’ve played. “Maybe it’s me,” I thought. So I asked the guys (mostly single-digit handicap guys) and to a man, everyone agreed that it was the third best course we played. In fact we had a replay round scheduled here that we re-booked at SolMar since we all liked it so much better. That’s kind of harsh for a course I really like, but to be #47 my expectations were so much higher. Maybe the omnipresent construction? The conditioning which was partially firm and fast, partially shaggy and spotty, It certainly wasn’t because of the lack of access to booze, though.
Accommodations/Guys’ Golf Trip: We stayed on property. Two casitas. Loaded up with booze and food and brought in a chef in for three nights (sushi, Mexican, Italian). We went out twice. Once to Javier’s which was a favorite of mine in Laguna Beach and which moved up to Newport but is still a favorite. I was out there last year right around the same time and did Javier’s and only then I learned there was one here. Didn’t disappoint. We also ate at the steakhouse at the Nobu Hotel on property called Ardea. It was good, as well, but not in my top 100 steakhouses.
Casitas were great. Great common area to hang out and a pool and hot tub.
Add the accommodations to the fact that Cabo boasts multiple courses and I give it high grades as a guys’ golf destination. Cabo del Sol (Desert) which we played was good but they’re in the middle of a redesign and the clubhouse and grill were temporary “containers.” See picture below.
Campestre was a little less good. SolMar was in my top 100 and is just next door. Will do a review on that and come back and link it. Of the ones I didn’t play, the Cabo del Sol Ocean course (now Cove) is great and also ranked in GD’s top 100 at #100. Then heard great things about the two Q’s (Querencia and Quivira) but understand these are a little tougher to get on and you may need to stay there which means moving residences if you also want to play here and stay here.
If you’re thinking of coming down here because the peso is weak and it might be cheaper? Dream on – this was pricey but did I tell you for most courses all booze is included in the greens fees? It was safe too – never felt uneasy wearing my “El Mencho Sucks” t-shirt. OK, I didn’t really have one but I do have a Trump head cover and got nary a second glance with it. So I give it good grades for a guy’s trip but would recommend you stay on property as the roads and San Jose are a little f*cked up and we’re not the kind of golfers to go hang out at Cabo Wabo, get drunk and hit night clubs all night. Sorry Sammy and also sorry that Van Hagar sucks compared to the original. That said, if you’re east coast (like me), it may not be worth the long flight versus a Caribbean island or Cancun trip but I liked Cabo – just keep your expectations on the Dunes in check.
To the courses.
Dunes Course
Dunes Course: We played from the II/III combo tees (about 6,300 yards) which is in GHIN but not on the scorecard so I’ll give you both distances. We also started on 10 (as we did the next day at El Cardonal as well). Starts with a par three on 10. I also did not keep the scores so only have a blank card so I won’t torture you with a hole-by-hole rundown of my scores.
Hole 1 (554/526 yards, #8 handicap, par five): Maybe Dunes would be in my top 100 if we started at one. For Pebble you start out away from the ocean and you slowly build anticipation until you are smacked by it on your approach on three. We didn’t get the slow build-up effect here. As noted the holes away from the dunes are very deserty.
Hole 2 (229/201 yards/#16 handicap/par three): The guy at Breaking Eighty does a pretty good job describing the hole-by-hole experience and since I generally forget a lot of the holes, go there for a better description.
Hole 3 (365/341 yards/#6 handicap/par four): Into the dunes was generally a lost ball.
Hole 4 (358/323 yards/#12 handicap/par four): Put my drive into the dunes. When you do find your ball, the sand is so soft that I couldn’t move it forward at all and lost a ton of strokes in the various dunes.
Hole 5 (154/143 yards, #18 handicap/par three): Wanted to show you the green here so you can see I finally had a birdie putt.
Hole 6 (475/468 yards, #4 handicap, par five): Length is not what makes this a tough par five. Width is.
Each rest station offered different eats and drinks. While there were no Miller Lites, I did enjoy palomas, margaritas Modelos and Pacificos, A paloma is tequila and grapefruit juice.
The carts had knobbies as you needed to traverse the dunes on several holes. I couldn’t tell you how many times I nearly tripped getting out of the cart which was a good six inches higher or more than the typical golf cart.
Hole 7 (247/223 yards, #14 handicap, par three): A long ass par three!
Hole 8 (374/355 yards/#10 handicap/par four): Unless you can out drive it (I can’t) it is an almost statistical certainty that you will end up in the sand here.
Hole 9 (484/440 yards, #2 handicap/par four): Yes from the II tees it’s further than the par five 6th. From the same tees. Then there’s this stupid strip that I put my hybrid into on my approach and took me two to get out of the tire track riddled beach sand. You see how deep the tracks are to get through this. Silly IMO.
Hole 10 (158/145 yards/#17 handicap/par three): There’s three more par threes on the back making six in all. We started on 10. .
Hole 11 (453/428 yards, #3 handicap/par four): I like how they made the cart paths out of railroad ties. Added to the aesthetic but also made for some bumpy rides. A par five for the ladies – one of FOUR on the back for them.
Hole 12 (180/165 yards, #13 handicap, par three): Big up hill par three and generally into the wind.
Here’s our buddy Kris trying to hit out of the greenside dunes to the 12th green. Here I know I was pitifully short but hit a really nice 54 degree into the green.
Hole 13 (499/482 yards/#7 handicap, par five): From my approach. You see the shaggy fairways and construction spoiling the views? #47 in the world?
Hole 14 (358/327 yards/#11 handicap/par four): Short par four. Again look at the conditioning.
Approach on 14.
Hole 15 (568/544 yards, #1 handicap, par five): Long hole surrounded by dunes.
From the fairway on 15. Nice peek at the ocean but again conditions are wanting and the construction cranes hurt the aesthetics and are there to build stuff that will permanently hurt the views.
Hole 16 (390/359 yards/#9 handicap/par four): The first hole at the Dunes course that offers an unbelievable straight-on ocean view. Well it was for us.
Hole 17 (154/130 yards/#15 handicap/par three): The signature hole at the Dunes.
Hole 18 (536/499 yards/#5 handicap/par five): Approach. Meh conditioning and building blocking the ocean views. So beyond Golf Digest, as I looked at the blogs like Breaking Eighty and Golf Course Gurus, they give the course great grades. Not sure what we missed or what they did but this was definitely NOT in my top 100 and as I play more it will drop out of my top 200 (maybe even this year). It’s a shame with a course that has such potential with the gigantic dunes and ocean setting.
El Cardonal
Tiger designed El Cardonal and the course will host the World Wide Technology PGA Event November 2 – 8. It’s a really nice course and that’s not due to the fact that it was the only course during our week that I actually played well. Also, my expectations weren’t sky high like they were at the Dunes. It will be interesting to watch the pros here this Fall. We started again on the back and I know I missed a ton of holes so will do my best in labeling these. I do still have the scorecard on this one though. I’m also a lot less critical of El Cardonal below than I was for the Dunes. That’s all based on expectations of a 47th world-ranked course and one that doesn’t hit the radar. These are essentially ranked the same in my book.
We played the III tees (6,291 yards/70.9/127). The pros play from about 7,400 yards.
Hole 1 (487 yards, #17 handicap, par five): As you see #1 heads down to the ocean. As you also see, they didn’t do as good of a job integrating the cart paths into the natural look like they did at Dunes. El Cardonal is definitely more forgiving on errant shots but the dune-ish areas still generally yielded a lost ball – especially with no forecaddie like we had at Dunes.
Hole 2 (183 yards, #15 handicap, par three): If you got to golfscrapbook.com by way of social media then great. If not, I launched the social sites and am posting a photo every day/week/when I feel like it. This was the first trip since I launched the site and posted this photo from El Cardonal. Will probably post it again in November when the pros are here but use a different photo. Here are the sites Facebook and Instagram. Nice punchbowl green here but surrounded by bunkers.
Hole 4 (379 yards/#1 handicap, par four): I missed the third (297/#13/par 4) and this is the hardest hole on the course. Plays over 480 yards for the pros into a prevailing wind. Was tough enough as is from the III tees. This has double written all over it.
Hole 5 (359 yards/#9 handicap, par four): A great hole with sand all along the right. More desert-like sand here than below on the Dunes course so a little easier to get some distance out on a recovery from there. Would do so and bogey.
Hole 6 (514 yards, #7 handicap, par five): Pros will play this from over 600 yards. Features a phallic bunker bisecting the green. Interesting.
Hole 8 (418 yards, #3 handicap, par four): Would miss 7 (407 yards/#5/par four) Bogey with a pop to keep us alive in the match. Eight is a tough golf hole. You’d swear you’re in Scottsdale but no, you’re not even a quarter of a mile from the ocean. You see conditioning was overall much better here than at the Dunes. Would double and get closed out on the back and totals.
Hole 9 (147 yards, #11 handicap, par three): Since we played 10 first, we ended the day on this par three into the setting sun. Would bogey net par for the useless winner in a closed out match.
Hole 10 (290 yards, #18 handicap, par four): So what should you do with the shortest par four and easiest ranked hole on the course? You should birdie it which I did. Pretty wide open. Actually makes a nice benign opener.
Hole 11 (141 yards, #16 handicap, par three): Kind of an open three where you can run it up. Don’t be left. Par for a carry.
Hole 12 (354 yards, #4 handicap, par four): If you want really good hole write-ups go here. We were on our second 18 and I was happy that I was playing well finally and celebrating with margaritas. Bogey net par and up two.
Twelve from where I was in two but a great chip gave me a shot for par and a gimme bogey.
Hole 13 (420 yards, #6 handicap, par four): An intimidating drive but I would get a GIR and two putt par for net birdie and up by three.
Hole 14 (485 yards, #8 handicap, par five): You see there are some homes that line some of the holes. Points off but still a top 200 course. There’s a wash that runs between the main fairway and a side fairway that runs into the green. I stayed right until I could get across and would par net birdie to fight off a birdie from our opponents.
There’s the wash of whence I spoke on 14.
Hole 17 (416 yards, #12 handicap, par four): Would miss the #2 handicap 15th where I would double for the first time on the back (which was our front) but that halved us and then my partner cemented the front with a par push on the 107-yard par three 16th. Here was an intimidating drive where I would earn my second double.
Hole 18 (490 yards, #14 handicap, par five): I like when a finishing hole on an ocean course finishes with the ocean as a backdrop HOWEVER that is for the Atlantic. This one into the setting sun would blind you coming in. As it was it was our ninth. In all, I like El Cardonal. Definitely bottom half of my top 200 with enough ocean holes, tour pedigree and conditioning for a great round.
Golf Scrapbook 