El Cardonal at Diamante

The verdict

El Cardonal carries a unique distinction: it is the first golf course Tiger Woods ever designed, the debut project of his TGR Design studio, and it opened in 2014 at Diamante Cabo San Lucas. Rather than the target golf that defines so much of Los Cabos, Woods leaned into the courses of his youth in Southern California, building wide fairways, firm turf and an emphasis on the ground game, so the player who flights and runs the ball is rewarded over the one who only flies it.

The course sits up in the desert hills behind the resort's coastline, with holes running broadly north to south so the prevailing Pacific wind is usually a crossing factor, and with ocean views opening up across the higher ground. It plays as a par 72 of about 7,300 yards from the championship tees, and its credentials were sealed when it became the first Tiger Woods design to host a PGA Tour event, staging the World Wide Technology Championship from 2023. It is a genuine tour test wrapped in a relaxed, options first round for the visiting golfer who can get on.

The holes worth the trip

The defining quality of El Cardonal is choice. Woods built generous fairways and firm, fast running surfaces precisely so that there is rarely one correct way to play a hole; the bold line shortens the work but flirts with trouble, while the safe line leaves a longer, more awkward angle in. That old fashioned risk and reward thinking, lifted from the public courses of his Southern California childhood, is what makes the round absorbing for a strong player and forgiving for a higher handicap who simply takes the wide route.

Wind is the great variable. Because the routing runs largely against the grain of the prevailing Pacific breeze, the same hole can ask for two clubs more on a stiff afternoon than a calm morning, and the firm turf means judging the bounce and roll matters as much as the carry. The greens are large and contoured to accept the running approach, rewarding the player who reads the slope and uses the ground rather than forcing every shot through the air.

The elevation pays off in views: from the higher holes the Pacific stretches out below, and the closing stretch gives the round a fitting crescendo. When the World Wide Technology Championship arrived in 2023 it confirmed what the design always promised, that a course built on width and strategy can still examine the best players in the world without resorting to tricks.

Where to stay nearby

Because El Cardonal sits inside a gated community, the natural way to play it is to stay within Diamante itself, where the residences and resort accommodation come with golf access that the wider public does not have. That puts both Woods' El Cardonal and the dramatic, cliff edge Dunes Course on your doorstep for a focused, high end golf stay on the quieter Pacific side of the cape.

Beyond the gates, Los Cabos is one of the world's great resort golf destinations, with the Cabo San Lucas marina, Tourist Corridor and San Jose del Cabo all within easy reach for dining and a change of scene. Many golfers pair a Diamante stay with rounds at the corridor's big name courses for a full Baja week, and a concierge can balance the access sensitive rounds with the bookable ones.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels across Los Cabos.