Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2016 - 16

fico, which is probably a bundle, since
the course is open only to residents or
guests at either the Four Seasons or St.
Regis resorts.
But Nicklaus ups the ante at Pacifico
anyway, with eight seaside holes along
the Pacific or Banderas Bay. Not to
mention another track altogether, Bahia,
which opened in 2009. The pair of
courses more than doubles the experience
and leads to healthy debate-at the
multitude of drinking and dining options
at the resorts-over which course
is preferable. Bahia is unquestionably
more difficult, more rolling from tee
to green, but both have equivalently
lovely water views and the Sierra Madre
mountains as a backdrop.
Any time would be a good time to be
at Punta Mita, but gourmands might
want to pencil in Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2017,
for the seventh Punta Mita Gourmet and
Golf Classic extravaganza. Event participants
are rendered virtually senseless,
happily enough, with ever-flowing food
and drink and golf.
In between his work on the two Punta
Mita courses, Nicklaus returned to
Puerto Vallarta to create Vista Vallarta
(clubcorp.com) in 2001. Distinctly more
of a mountain than an ocean course,
though with views of the entire Bay of
Banderas, the course was promptly embraced
as tournament-worthy. It hosted
the EMC World Cup in 2002; the course
record of 62 was set in the third round
by some guy named Phil Mickelson, so
visitors have that to shoot for.
They'll also be shooting over numerous
arroyos and creeks,
negotiating
abrupt changes in elevation and trying
to skirt palm and ficus trees and scads
of strategically placed bunkers. Clearly
Mickelson must have been using plenty
of strength, muscle and jungle work to
hack his way to a 62.
The par-3 ninth hole is a particularly
nasty bit of business, an island green of
sorts, surrounded by dense foliage that
would foil the hardiest ball retriever.
Pretty to look at with the backdrop of
the Sierra Madre mountains, but treachery
all around. You may not need any
14
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2016
Cabo del Sol
badges, but a few extra golf balls might
help, especially if you want to play the
adjacent Tom Weiskof-designed course,
both ClubCorp properties.
When the new Nicklaus course opened
in Cabo at the end of 2014, it was apparent
that the Quivira Golf Club (quivira
golfclub.com) was going to give the
Ocean Course a run for its money. The
two are already tied in some golf rankings,
but Quivira is still young and likely
to evolve more as the master-planned
community of Quivira Los Cabos continues
to flower under the umbrella of
Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and
Spas-meaning the off-course amenities
here are as lush as the fairways.
But there's no question that this is a
stunner of a golf course, ranging from
sea-level holes, through desert corridors
and up vertiginous cliffs with one spectacular
vista after another. The switchback
cart ride from the fourth hole to
the fifth may be one of the longest (10
minutes) and most elevated (285 feet)
in all of golf. When one almost arrives
at the fifth tee, it's first time for a snack
at one of four comfort stations along the
way, although " snack " doesn't quite do
justice to the spread at hand.
The fifth and sixth holes at Quivira
are bound to spark the most conversation-a
play-it-safe iron tee shot on the
par 4 or a go-for-broke drive that would
have to curve out over the ocean to find
the potentially reachable green. Followed
by a dizzying downhill par 3, one
could easily draw into the watery depths.
Yet while the course looks as fearsome
as any Nicklaus course, it's actually eminently
playable.
It's tempting to say we've saved the
best for last with Quivira, but the usual
advice prevails: Play them all. And when
golf fatigue sets in? You can always go
fishing. MG
Palmilla Golf Club
Vista Vallarta
www.mngolf.org
http://www.clubcorp.com http://www.golfclub.com http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2016

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