Top Golf Communities in Cabo: Where to Live on the Course

Picture this. You finish your coffee, walk out the back gate, and you are on the 6th tee of a Jack Nicklaus course, a 180-yard par 3 hanging on a Pacific cliff. Then you walk home for lunch. That is the dream in Quivira, and Cabo has four more golf communities that pull off the same trick in their own way.

Here is what makes each one special, who it suits, and how buying a home in one actually works.

Quivira: Nicklaus on the Pacific cliffs

Quivira sits on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas, and the golf is the headline. Quivira Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, a full 18 holes and par 72 that stretches to 7,085 yards from the back tees. Pueblo Bonito says it has more oceanfront than any other course in Los Cabos, with Pacific views from every hole.

The famous one is hole 6. Nicklaus Design calls it one of the most spectacular one-shotters Jack has ever built: a long, narrow green on cliffs high above a quiet beach.

Here is the fun part for owners. Tee times at Quivira go only to Quivira Los Cabos residents and guests at the Pueblo Bonito resorts in Los Cabos. So the course feels like your own backyard.

Who it suits: Pacific sunset people, golfers who want a famous course close to home, and anyone who likes resort amenities next door. See the Quivira community guide.

Querencia: Fazio's private club on the Sea of Cortez

Querencia is Tom Fazio's first course in Mexico. Golf.com reports that every hole on the front nine looks out at the Sea of Cortez, and the club has a 12-acre practice area for the days you want to work on your game.

It is a private, members-only, gated community of about 1,800 acres in the San José Corridor, roughly 15 minutes from the Los Cabos airport. Off the course you get a beach club with calm surf and a swim-up bar, a spa and gym, racquet sports, hiking and biking trails, and a kids' club.

Who it suits: buyers who love a private club life, where everyone on the first tee is a neighbor. See the Querencia community guide.

El Dorado: you aim at the beach on 16

El Dorado is a private Jack Nicklaus course that opened in 1999, between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. Golf fans know it for the par 3 16th. It plays across a sandy cove on the Sea of Cortez, and with the breeze off the water, you often aim your tee shot at the beach to find the green.

The community has over a mile of private Sea of Cortez coast, a members-only beach club, a day spa and fitness center, and a lifestyle concierge team that plans things for owners on and off the property.

Who it suits: families and owners who plan to spend real time in Cabo and want a beach club life right at home. See the El Dorado community guide.

Cabo del Sol: golf and a beach you can swim at

Cabo del Sol sits in the heart of the Corridor, on the Sea of Cortez. The Cove Club course is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, and the club calls it one of the Top 100 courses in the world. Right next to it is what the club calls one of the best swimmable beaches in the region. A calm beach next to a championship course is a rare combo.

The neighborhood keeps growing, too. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo del Sol and Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo del Sol are both here, and Ánima Village adds shops, dining, wellness and art.

Who it suits: golfers with kids who want ocean swims, and buyers who like hotel restaurants and services a short walk away. See the Cabo del Sol community guide.

Diamante: the ranked one

If you collect rankings, Diamante is your place. The Dunes Course by Davis Love III opened in 2009. Golf Magazine ranked it #36 in the world in 2017, and Golf Digest named it the #1 course in Mexico in 2016.

And that is only one course. Diamante also has El Cardonal and the Oasis Short Course, both by TGR Design, plus a putting course and a big practice area. You could play here every day for a month and still have new shots to try.

Who it suits: golf-obsessed buyers, Pacific dune lovers, and owners who want more than one course outside the door. See the Diamante community guide.

How buying in a Cabo golf community works

Good news first: yes, you can own here. Los Cabos is inside Mexico's restricted zone, the land within 50 km of the coast, so foreign buyers hold property through a fideicomiso. That is a bank trust. A Mexican bank holds the title, and you are the beneficiary with all the rights of an owner: you can use it, rent it, sell it, and leave it to your family. The first term is 50 years, and you can renew it.

A notario público, a government-licensed lawyer, handles every property transfer in Mexico. We walk through the full process in our fideicomiso guide and the Cabo buyer guide.

Golf adds one more question: how do you get on the course? Each community does it differently. Querencia is members-only, Quivira is for residents and Pueblo Bonito guests, and El Dorado is private. Ask how club access works for the exact home you like before you make an offer.

FAQ

Can foreigners buy a home in a Cabo golf community?

Yes. Los Cabos sits inside Mexico's restricted zone, the land within 50 km of the coast, so foreign buyers own through a fideicomiso. A Mexican bank holds title in trust and you are the beneficiary, with the right to use, rent, sell and leave the home to your heirs. The trust runs 50 years and can be renewed.

Do I have to be a club member to play the course?

It depends on the community. Querencia is a private, members-only community. Quivira Golf Club is open to Quivira Los Cabos residents and guests of the Pueblo Bonito resorts in Los Cabos. El Dorado's course is private. Ask how membership works for the exact home you like before you make an offer.

Which of these communities has a swimmable beach?

Cabo del Sol is known for one. The Cove Club calls its beach one of the region's best swimmable beaches, and Querencia's members-only beach club is known for soft sand and calm surf on the Sea of Cortez.

Which course has the biggest rankings?

Diamante's Dunes Course by Davis Love III was ranked #36 in the world by Golf Magazine in 2017, and Golf Digest named it the #1 course in Mexico in 2016.

Key takeaways

• Five Cabo golf communities: Quivira, Querencia, El Dorado, Cabo del Sol and Diamante.
• The designers are Jack Nicklaus (Quivira, El Dorado, the Cove Club at Cabo del Sol), Tom Fazio (Querencia), Davis Love III and TGR Design (Diamante).
• Pacific side: Quivira and Diamante. Sea of Cortez side: Querencia, El Dorado and Cabo del Sol.
• Foreign buyers own through a fideicomiso, a bank trust with a 50-year renewable term.
• Golf access rules are different in each community, so ask before you buy.

Just visiting and want to play first? Start with our Cabo golf resort guide. Ready to look at homes? Browse homes for sale in Cabo and tell us what you want. We will connect you with a local agent we trust, and you can walk the fairways before you fall for the view.