Diamante Cabo San Lucas - The Dunes Course

First off, Diamante is an incredible property, we had a great time during our 5 night visit. The facilities and resort staff are amazing.

The Dunes driving range and practice area really fun and you feel like you are somewhere special.

Caddies- we were 2 players. We specifically requested a month in advance a caddie that would walk with us and were told "no problem". 5 minutes before our round we were told that our caddie had a sore back and therefore could not walk with us. Furthermore, even though we were willing to pay for our own caddie to drive our cart so we could walk, they refused and only gave us one caddie for a group of 4 people. This may sound like a petty complaint but for $315 they could have handled it way better.

The course- while breathtakingly beautiful, the layout and routing seemed off. Bummer that all tee shots with drivers/woods literally plugged or spun backwards once hitting the ground. Like the layout didn't fit the conditions. Too many blind shots that seemed silly and contrived. Most shots to greens were all carry, no place to run shots up. To call this a top 100 course in the world reeks of corruption. Golf Digest must have been payed off for this ranking.

Comfort stations were ok at best. They should take a look at Quiveras stations and see how it should be done.

We played the Cardinal course the next day and it was spectacular. I would recommend playing Tiger's course and skipping the Dunes. Save your $300, play somewhere else.

I returned from Cabo 4 days ago and all I can think about is how much I want to play this course again. I was hesitant to shell out $350+ but I don’t regret it one bit. The driving range is the nicest, most interesting range I’ve ever seen and it’s not close. You are met by a bar as you walk onto the range, as well as your caddie. The range is expansive and gorgeous, hitting ProV’s and enjoying the dozens of targets you can aim at. The real fun begins on the first hole - a demanding par 5 that requires a well struck tee shot. Once out on the course, you wonder how Davis Love even envisioned the holes amongst the large, sprawling dunes. As you wind through the next few first holes, the elevation changes and demanding nature of the course becomes very apparent. A caddie is mandatory but there’s no other way to play this place for the first time, caddies are invaluable. I’d write a hole by hole analysis, but suffice it to say the back 9 is one of the best 9 hole sides in the world. You have winding dunes amongst the Pacific Ocean that require a focused eye or a big number awaits. I’m a low handicapper, I had 4 birdies and 4 double bogeys... the place is demanding and requires well struck shots - especially on the par 3’s. It also requires a well placed approach shot... the greens are undulating and challenging - large, tiered and fast. Just hitting the green isn’t good enough, I saw a few 4-putts! You have to know where to miss and take advantage. Dramatic is the best word I can think of when describing this course; just an amazing layout and an absolute treat. Hospitality could not have been better and I couldn’t be more impressed with the condition of the course. It’s pure and true.

Played this course with my wife while we were in Cabo a couple of weeks back.

Staff were fantastic. Course conditions and layout were a good test of golf for the better golfer while still being fun for lesd experienced golfers.

It took me three years to finally complete my full round on Diamante Dunes. I played the front nine in 2015 when I was on property to see the new El Cardonal course by Tiger Woods.

I played the back nine in Dec. 2018 after arriving straight from the airport. The round was a bit disjointed as my two-some was stuck behind a five-some of members. No worries, though. We just hung out at the comfort station longer to enjoy the food and drink sthat are free for all players.

Unfortunately, the construction of the Hard Rock and Nobu hotels have robbed the routing of many of its sea views, but there is a silver lining. Guests at these hotels will have access to the courses for the first time.

As the name suggests, the dunes are simply fantastic. The fairways and greens roll as wavy as the sea, so good luck making any putts or finding a flat lie.

The blind shot at no. 14 really baffled us without proper guidance, but it shouldn't be an issue for most groups, which are required to take a caddie (which we didn't have).

The 17th provides the showstopping highlight, a par 3 with uninterrupted views of the water. The relatively new 18th hole - a replacement for the original, more mundane finisher - is a beastly par 5 with a split fairway and elevated green.

For a loop redone multiple times in just nine years, it's amazing the course still looks this good.

I play from the middle of the 5 tees at 6099 yards on this links type course. The fairways are reasonably wide but a slight miss which finds any rough makes finding your ball nearly impossible. The fairways undulate and slope so most shots are hit on some sort of incline. The greens are large and immaculate so a 60-80 foot putt is not unusual. The greens also slope so each putt is an adventure. The front nine may be a warm up for the back but it has a couple of very challenging par 3 holes. From the middle tees hole number 2 is 201 yards and hole 7 is 223. By the time you finish on the front you have hit the "comfort stations" twice (plus the station at the driving range). Each station has a stocked bar and lots of food such as tortilla soup, tamales and snacks of all kinds. We pick up lots of munchies and usually non-alcoholic drinks. Others go all in with margaritas and such but their game suffers. The back nine is spectacular as you wind along the Pacific ocean. There are more challenging holes, more comfort stations and incredible ocean views on the back 9. Diamante is a "private" course where owners have access. Others can get free golf by sitting through a timeshare presentation. The course was rated as #36 in the world by Golf Magazine in 2017-2018.

I just can't say enough about our round here. We played with 24 guys from our club, and every detail was met by the pro shop with unwavering precision. The course was all we expected it to be.

I can't officially rank the Dunes course a five-star experience like others have until I see the back nine. The front nine was good, but to most golfers, it's considered a mere warm up to the back nine's spectacular ocean holes. I only had time to play the front nine, which was a shame. Paul Cowley, the lead architect for Davis Love III, has built two new holes supposedly better than the original 12th and 13th holes that date back to 2009. Towering sand dunes block the ocean views on the front nine, although they're used perfectly for a handful of elevated tees and greens. DL3 and Cowley designed several interesting "half-par" holes. The par 5 sixth hole plays like a long par 4 of 468 yards from the second set of tees. The par 3 seventh hole takes back that half stroke by playing almost like a downhill drivable par 4 at- 247 yards from the second set of tees. Diamante bills itself as a "private resort" where only property owners and those who rent accommodations inside the community are allowed to play golf. These "Stay & Play" renters must sit through a sales presentation to gain access to the courses. Free food and drink are served at the Dunes driving range (try the breakfast sliders and smoothies) and several on-course comfort stations.