El Dorado Golf and Beach Club

The verdict

El Dorado is Jack Nicklaus at his most expansive in Los Cabos. Opened in 1999 on the stretch of coast known as the Golden Corridor, it is a par 72 of about 7,322 yards, with a course rating of 75.9 and a slope of 148 that hint at how much teeth it carries from the back tees. Nicklaus routed it to make two separate runs along the oceanfront, three holes on each pass, so the round keeps returning to the Sea of Cortes rather than saving the water for a single finishing flourish.

The rest of the design works the land in between, with fairways threading through stark desert canyons, two interior lakes bringing water into play and rock formations framing greens that demand precise distance control. It is a desert meets sea masterpiece, and the conditioning matches the ambition. The honest note for visitors is access: El Dorado is a members' only community, and guest play is by member invitation, so the course is profiled here as the benchmark of corridor golf rather than a round you can simply book.

The holes worth the trip

The signature of El Dorado is the way Nicklaus brings the player back to the ocean twice. Each of the two oceanfront passes delivers a trio of holes hard against the Sea of Cortes, where the surf, the rock and the wind become the defining hazards and the views pull the eye away from the line of play. Between those stretches, the course climbs into the desert, with holes set inside dramatic canyons and framed by bristling cardon cactus.

Length and accuracy both matter here. The two interior lakes add water to several approaches, the greens are large and contoured, and the slope rating of 148 reflects a layout that gives back nothing to a loose swing. Played from the correct tees, though, it flatters as much as it tests, which is part of why it has been so highly regarded since it opened.

Because El Dorado is private, a Los Cabos golf trip is built around the corridor's public and resort courses. The good news is that the same Nicklaus and Norman pedigree runs through the courses you can actually play nearby, so the standard stays high even when the gate stays shut.

Where to stay nearby

El Dorado sits on the Golden Corridor, the same stretch of coast that holds many of the region's marquee resorts and quieter boutique hotels. A base here keeps you within a short drive of the corridor's public golf and the beaches of San Jose del Cabo, which makes it an easy hub for a buddies trip or a couples week.

Since El Dorado itself is private, we build the trip around the courses that welcome visitors and match the hotel to your group and your dates. The Nicklaus stays on the aspiration list while the rest of Los Cabos provides the golf.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near El Dorado Golf and Beach Club.