Cabo del Sol Ocean Course

The verdict

Few courses have a billing quite like the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol. When it opened in 1994, Jack Nicklaus described the property as the best he had ever seen and called the closing holes the three finest finishing holes in golf, running along the rocks above the surf of Whale Bay on the Sea of Cortes. For a generation it was the marquee public round in Los Cabos, seven holes touching the ocean and a back nine that defined Cabo golf for visitors.

The picture has changed. In 2020 the famous closing 17th and 18th were demolished and replaced with inland holes to free up oceanfront land, and the course was rebranded as the Cove Club, now a private members' club. The Nicklaus design heritage and the dramatic coastline remain, but general daily fee access has gone. We profile it honestly: a landmark layout of par 72 and about 7,091 yards that is now private, with public golf at Cabo del Sol focused on the Tom Weiskopf designed Desert course alongside.

The holes worth the trip

The Ocean Course made its name on the run of holes along the Sea of Cortes, where the fairways tumble toward the water and the wind and the carry over the rocks become the questions of the round. Nicklaus used the desert, the arroyos and the coastline as the hazards, framing the holes with cactus and granite as much as with bunkers. Seven holes border the ocean, and the original closing stretch above Whale Bay was the stuff of golf magazine covers.

Inland, the course shows its length and its teeth, with elevation changes, forced carries and large, contoured greens that ask for precise distance control. The 2020 reworking moved the finish away from the water, a decision driven by real estate that disappointed many who had played the original, even as the wider property kept its Nicklaus pedigree.

For a golf trip to Los Cabos today, the practical point is access. The Ocean Course as the Cove Club is private, so the marquee public Nicklaus and Weiskopf golf is found at the Desert course and across the corridor at Quivira, Diamante, El Dorado and the rest. We can advise on what is genuinely playable for visitors and build the trip around it.

Where to stay nearby

The Los Cabos corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo is lined with resorts, from the marquee names along the beach to quieter boutique properties, most within a short drive of the Cabo del Sol gates. It is one of the great golf coastlines, so a base here puts a dozen courses within easy reach.

Because the Ocean Course is now private, build a Los Cabos golf trip around the courses that genuinely welcome visitors, pairing the Cabo del Sol Desert course with the public and resort golf along the corridor. We can match the hotel to the courses you can actually play.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Cabo del Sol Ocean Course.