Rancho San Lucas Golf Club
Centerpiece of an 834-acre resort and residential community fronting the Pacific Ocean 15 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas, the Greg Norman-designed course at Rancho San Lucas is poised to become the destination’s next great venue.
Known for employing a ‘least-disturbance’ approach in his design projects, Norman has created a multi-themed layout that features sweeping ocean views from every hole. The site’s contours and topography, he said, were ideal for the routing of a world-class course.
“When we were first asked to build a golf course here, I drove over the top of the hill and saw all the arroyos and dunes set back from the sea, and I said ‘Wow, this is the most spectacular piece of property I have seen in a long, long time,’” Norman enthused.
Spanning three different ecosystems, the golf course rambles across huge windswept dunes at the start, climbs through a thick cactus forest creased by winding arroyos in the middle of the round, and returns players to the beach and sea on the back nine.
The versatile 7,210-yard, par-72 layout has a handful of holes on the beach, notably the par-3 third, which parallels the sea and will give players fine views of breaching whales during the winter months. There’s also a signature island green at the par-3 17th hole.
Course enhancements at Rancho San Lucas included an extensive re-vegetation plan to conserve flora and fauna. “We look at integrating indigenous landscapes and grass varietals that use the least amount of water,” Norman said. “Our goal is to build a sustainable course that is playable from all perspectives.” The club has enrolled in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses through Audubon International.
During a recent site visit, Norman discussed numerous course enhancements at Rancho San Lucas, including re-vegetation plans to conserve flora and fauna. “We look at integrating indigenous landscapes and grass varietals that use the least amount of water,” he said. “Our goal is to build a sustainable course that is playable from all perspectives.” The club is in the process of enrolling in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf through Audubon International.
Tees, greens and fairways at Rancho San Lucas are surfaced in Paspalum, a disease-tolerant, drought-resistant cultivar that requires a fraction of the amount of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizer required by normal grasses. Pasplaum tolerates brackish water and can be irrigated with recycled water, an important consideration in the Baja desert. The grass responds well to lower mowing heights; the speed of ball roll is comparable to that of hybrid Bermudagrass.
One of the defining characteristics of the links-style course is its revetted pot bunkers. These sharp-edged, steep-walled sandy pits are the product of a British company that uses recycled materials to construct golf bunkers. Built from reprocessed artificial turf, the fairway and greenside bunkers at Rancho San Lucas are nearly identical to the natural sod-walled bunkers found on British seaside links courses. They lend Norman’s first 18-hole course in Los Cabos a distinctive look.
With two well-positioned comfort stations on the course, players will enjoy a relaxing, all-inclusive experience during the round. A handsome ranch-themed clubhouse with an indoor-outdoor restaurant and event lawn overlooks the fairways and sea.
