Firm, fast conditions prevail at Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course
Costa Palmas Hole #3, credit: Evan Schiller
Los Cabos, Mexico (November 25, 2020) – Costa Palmas Golf Club, the flagship amenity of a 1,000-acre beachfront resort community fronting the Sea of Cortes on the undiscovered East Cape, marks its one-year anniversary this month.
The golf club, which includes a six-hole, par-3 short course and a 30,000-square-foot putting green lit for night play, was designed to attract a broad range of golfers. Its centerpiece is a links-style course built by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. that’s accessible to community homeowners as well as guests of the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas.
The multi-themed layout, with five sets of tees ranging from 7,221 to 4,590 yards (par 72), is a core golf course, with hotel and residential buildings spaced around its perimeter. The club’s new superintendent, Victor Zarate, has realized the designer’s vision for the facility by producing firm, fast playing conditions, especially on and around the greens.
Described by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. as “a golf symphony composed of three movements and two transitions,” the golf course occupies a rolling expanse of coastal desert that rises to nearly 40 meters above sea level. The first six holes, the layout’s “dunescape,” features prominent sand hills and greens with open, unguarded entrances, a links-style characteristic that encourages golfers to play bump ‘n run shots.
The par-5 seventh, crossed by an arroyo, serves as a transition to the course’s second movement—six “upland” holes that offer panoramic views of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains. This parkland-style section, generously wide off the tee, is flanked by large-scale bunkers and groves of mesquite trees.
The layout’s dramatic finishing stretch provides glimpses of the estuary and azure-blue coves that make Costa Palmas a world-class sport-fishing destination. The 18th hole, a majestic left-to-right par 4, returns players to the sea and the resort community’s marina.
“We were given a spectacular site and moved over a million cubic yards of material to shape a golf course generous to the golfer that takes advantage of ocean views without being right on the water,” Jones said. “The challenge comes into play as the contouring around the green complexes can either be forgiving or rejecting. It takes an imaginative short game to score at Costa Palmas.”
While the non-returning nines create a true golf “experience,” the flexible course design offers shorter loops that make a six- or seven-hole round of relaxed social golf possible.
The experience is further enhanced by Bouchie’s a casual café located beside the practice facility that welcomes novices, experts, families and friends. With its comfortable indoor and outdoor seating, Bouchie’s, serving everything from ice cream to hand-crafted cocktails, is a great place to relax and unwind.
Costa Palmas has partnered with Patronus Medical on a health and safety initiative for the resort community, including the golf course. The program has two guiding principles: prevent contamination from the outside through a comprehensive symptom and temperature check for all visitors prior to arrival; and reduce the possibility of community spread through strict PPE requirements, including reduction of traffic in common areas and enhanced sanitary measures. Program components include staff COVID-19 antibody screening and daily temperature checks; on-site medical doctor and access to a Patronus physician via telemedicine; social distancing; and heightened protocols for transportation, housekeeping, dining and more.
In addition, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has entered into a consulting agreement with Johns Hopkins Medicine International, the global division of health care leader Johns Hopkins Medicine, to inform Four Seasons health and safety decisions during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Grounded in the principles of care, trust and service, the “Lead With Care” program has been be implemented at Four Seasons properties worldwide, including the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas.
