Quivira golf guide: Nicklaus's clifftop stunner in Cabo
Jack Nicklaus's dramatic clifftop course on the Pacific tip of Baja — the most jaw-dropping round in Los Cabos. The course, the stay-to-play rule, when to go, and getting there.
Quivira is the most dramatic round in Los Cabos — a Jack Nicklaus course on the Pacific tip of the Baja peninsula where holes climb from the beach to clifftop tees more than 350 feet above the ocean. Opened in 2014 as part of the Pueblo Bonito resort development at Cabo San Lucas, it's one of the most photographed resort courses in North America, as much a rollercoaster ride through dunes, desert and sea cliffs as a golf course.
It's stay-to-play — reserved for guests of the resorts — which is worth planning around. Here's the course, how access works, when to go, and how to reach Cabo.
Where
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur — the Pacific tip of Baja
Course
One 18-hole Jack Nicklaus course (par 72), opened 2014
Nearest airport
Los Cabos International (SJD) ~45 min–1 hr; direct US/Canada flights
Best time
Peak Nov–Apr (warm, dry winter-sun); hot summer/hurricane shoulder
Access
Stay-to-play — for guests of the Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos resorts
Nearby
Cabo del Sol, Diamante, Cabo Real, Chileno Bay, El Dorado
Jack Nicklaus · 2014 · 18 holes · Clifftop desert · par 72
One of the most dramatic and photographed resort courses in North America
Jack Nicklaus called this one of the most spectacular pieces of property he'd ever worked on, and it shows. The routing runs from near sea level up to clifftop tees more than 350 feet above the Pacific, across beach dunes, granite headlands and desert foothills — a sequence of vertigo-inducing ocean holes strung together with cart rides through wild terrain.
It's built for the setting as much as the scorecard, and its four lavish comfort stations are part of the show. Come for the spectacle, the ocean panoramas and the sheer drama — few resort courses on earth photograph like this.
How to play Quivira (stay-to-play)
Quivira is stay-to-play: play is reserved for guests of the Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos resorts — principally the adults-only Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and the family-friendly Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach on the property, plus the group's beachfront hotels in town. You book your tee times when you reserve your stay, and a complimentary shuttle runs from the resorts to the course. The green fee includes a shared cart (essential on this terrain), the oceanfront practice facility and the comfort stations.
Los Cabos is a winter-sun destination: November to April is peak, with warm, dry, reliable weather — which is exactly when it fills with golfers escaping the US and Canadian winter. Summer and early autumn are hot and fall in the hurricane-season shoulder, so they're quieter and cheaper but weather-riskier. Book peak-season tee times (and rooms) well ahead.
Getting there
Los Cabos International (SJD) is about 45 minutes to an hour from Cabo San Lucas, with heavy direct flight access from across the US and Canada — a big part of why Cabo works as a long-weekend golf escape. The resorts run transfers, and you won't need a car if you're staying and playing on-property.
How to play it
Cabo is a golf mecca, so most trips play several courses. Beyond Quivira, the Los Cabos cluster includes Cabo del Sol, Diamante, Cabo Real, Chileno Bay, Twin Dolphin and El Dorado — a concentration of high-end desert-and-ocean golf to rival anywhere. A week here, staying at a Pueblo Bonito resort for the Quivira access and playing out from there, is North America's premier winter-golf trip.
What to pack
The kit this trip demands
Cabo is warm and bright with a stiff Pacific breeze on the clifftops — pack for sun and heat, plus a light windproof layer for the exposed holes:
Yes — Quivira is stay-to-play, reserved for guests of the Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos resorts (principally Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and Sunset Beach on the property). You book tee times with your stay, and a complimentary shuttle runs to the course.
Who designed Quivira, and when did it open?
It's a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 2014. It runs from near sea level up to clifftop tees more than 350 feet above the Pacific, and is one of the most photographed resort courses in North America.
When is the best time to play golf in Los Cabos?
November to April is peak — warm, dry and reliable, and the classic winter-sun escape for US and Canadian golfers. Summer and early autumn are hot and fall in the hurricane-season shoulder.
How do you get to Quivira?
Fly into Los Cabos International (SJD), about 45 minutes to an hour from Cabo San Lucas, with plentiful direct flights from the US and Canada. The resorts run transfers, so you don't need a car if you're staying on-property.
What other courses are near Quivira?
Los Cabos is a golf mecca — the cluster includes Cabo del Sol, Diamante, Cabo Real, Chileno Bay, Twin Dolphin and El Dorado, making a multi-course trip easy to build.
