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The rugged Pacific coastline of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula makes a dramatic setting for the new Quivira golf course in Cabo San Lucas.

After an eight-minute drive in the cart between the fourth green and the fifth tee at Jack Nicklaus's newest golf course design, Quivira in Cabo San Lucas, it's worth pausing to look across the expanse of this Mexican paradise and try to imagine what things looked like last September.

That's when the Baja Peninsula was struck by its worst hurricane on record. Winds peaked at 200 kilometres an hour, tearing roofs off buildings, and causing damages estimated at more than $1-billion (U.S.). But in less than three weeks, recovery efforts were well under way in the bustling tourist hub of Cabo San Lucas and neighbouring San Jose del Cabo.

And two of golf's best-known figures – Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus – weren't about to let Mother Nature interfere with the launch of their Mexican masterpieces, which opened in December. The high praise given to Nicklaus's Quivira and Woods's El Cardonal have helped lead Cabo's post-storm comeback.

Nicklaus's Quivira, set at the tip of the peninsula on granite cliffs, is a feast for the eyes and the senses. The course itself is both a beauty and a beast. The fairways are wide, and there is no rough, making it fairly playable for all levels of golfers. But, measuring more than 7,100 yards from the back tees, even the most-experienced player will want to bring extra golf balls. Yes, it can be played as short as 4,300 yards, but Quivira's water hazards – including the crystal-blue Pacific – are eager to gobble up any errant shot.

Just as the acclaimed Cabot Links course in Nova Scotia features views of the Atlantic from every hole, so does Quivira with the Pacific. A number of stunning holes are set on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and the dips and rises of the natural, rugged terrain can make you feel as if you're the only player there.

And, unlike at most places that are strict on pace-of-play, the staff at Quivira encourage guests to slow down. After the eighth hole, a 12-minute break is scheduled for duffers to indulge in complimentary tacos filled with chorizo, baby shrimp or pulled chicken, a light sprinkle of cheese, and a variety of fresh salsas with just enough zing to warrant a cold cerveza before continuing with the round.

Woods's course, El Cardonal at the Diamante Club, is the first in the world finished by his design team, and comes after a few false starts (in Dubai, North Carolina and in a different layout on Mexico's Baja Coast).

The course is very player-friendly, perhaps surprising given his own well-known competitive approach to the game. As Woods told Golf Magazine before the course opened, he "didn't want people to lose a dozen balls" on the course.

El Cardonal gives golfers of all levels a number of options around the greens, wide landing areas for tee shots, and topography that climbs and climbs until it reaches the final stretch of holes that overlook the rest of the Diamante property and the ocean.

Diamante is also home to the Dunes Course, ranked 52nd in the world by Golf Magazine, giving golfers a strong double option at this club. For Quivara, guests at any of the four Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resort & Spas in Los Cabos can reserve tee times, for a fee. And Nexus Tours, a worldwide tour and excursion agency, can assist in arranging tee times at both Quivira and El Cardonal.

Cabo has been a growing golf destination over the past decade, and these two new courses reaffirm it as world-class. Other outstanding courses, which are open to the public, include Cabo San Lucas Country Club, and the dramatic Ocean Course at Cabo Del Sol, another Nicklaus design, where seven holes hug the Pacific.

One hole at Cabo Del Sol has an "infinity" green – like a swimming pool, it appears as though the back of the green drops into the ocean. The final three holes on the course, Nicklaus has boasted, are "the three finest finishing holes in golf."

If you're looking for a magical golf experience – beyond the standard golfing locales such as Florida or Myrtle Beach, S.C. – then Cabo offers it. And it doesn't matter if you're new to the game or an experienced player: Cabo has something for every skill level.

Greg Tallman, general manager at Cabo Del Sol, summed up the area's golf scene this way: The "worst golf" in Cabo will still be some of the best golf you'll ever play.

The writer travelled courtesy of Signature Vacations, which neither reviewed nor approved this article.

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