Palmilla Golf Club - The Arroyo/Mountain Course

Palmilla’s three nine-hole courses are punctuated by extreme barrancas and sandy washouts that force some brawny carries, mainly on approach.

The Mountain nine is pretty benign, and should afford numerous opportunities to card good scores, until the treacherous fifth hole, where it ratchets up with a stern par 4 that requires carries over ball-swallowing ravines off the tee and on the second shot. No. 9 is another memorable hole, where an aggressive drive over the cluster of bunkers on the inside right of the fairway’s dogleg can yield a flip wedge in.

The Ocean nine demands a lot from your game, particularly from the second hoke to the clubhouse, which features dramatic elevation change down across the highway to the sea and back. Nos. 2-4 are sensational holes, and extremely tough pars.

My only criticism is that at $250, I’m not quite sure the value matches up to other public options in the area, like Cabo del Sol’s Desert course and Cabo Real, which are much better conditioned and about $65 cheaper.

Could use an upgrade of golf carts, as there is no electronic gps system to provide yardages. Given the cost per round, this should be part of the package

Great tracks. Where were the cold wet fragrant towels at the end.

Pricey, busy holiday weekend, but amazingly beautiful desert course. Amazing views