TPC Danzante Bay

Ocean’s Eleven: Danzante Bay Golf Course is Rees Jones’ Unfinished Symphony

Courtesy of Michael Williams
GolfWRX

Mexico’s Baja Peninsula is one of the most beautiful natural areas in the world and host to some truly special golf destinations. The newest addition is Danzante Bay Golf Club at the Villa Del Palmar Resort in Loreto, Mexico.

The course recently held a “Grand Opening” celebration despite the fact that it only has the first 11 holes open for play. The construction of the final eight holes was delayed by a combination of factors and won’t be available for play until October 2017, but the owners of the resort and the local government thought enough of what they had to let the celebration go forward.

I admit to being skeptical; it was kind of like being invited to a graduation party for a kid that had just finished his sophomore year. But after playing the course and experiencing the many charms of the resort, the verdict is there are at least 10 good reasons to visit a resort with an 11-hole golf course.

Reason #1: Rees Jones

Hall of Famer Jones has a slew of memorable tracks in his portfolio and he has brought all of his skills to bear at Danzante Bay. Jones is known as the Open Doctor for the work that he did to prepare seven U.S. Open venues, six PGA Championship courses, and the layouts for four Ryder Cups, two Walker Cups and a Presidents Cup. While he took some flack from tour pros like Phil Mickelson for turning these courses into tests that the average golfer couldn’t hope to pass, the opportunity to play a course that has been crafted from scratch by one of the legends of golf design should not be missed. Danzante Bay combine a rare landscape of sea and surf.

Reason #2: Natural Beauty

Many courses claim they are “seaside,” but only offer a few holes with a full view of the waves. Not so at Danzante Bay, where every one of the current 11 holes has a view of the sparkling blue Sea of Cortez. Jones noted that the landscape available for the course was “the most diverse I’ve ever had to work with.” Featuring, desert, fluffy dunes, rocky slopes and majestic vistas, you will likely take as many photos as you do swings as you make our way around the hills and valleys.

Reason #3: It’s a Resort Course that Plays like One

In recent years golfers have been subjected to so-called resort courses that, while scenic enough, have a level difficulty that make you want to get away from your golf getaway. At par-72 7,400 yards, Danzante Bay has plenty of challenge for the accomplished player. The 12th (which plays beside the hotel to a green that is just a few yards from the beach) and 18th (a worthy finishing hole that plays down a steep canyon towards the Giganta Mountains in the distance) are burly par fives that reward the bold and punish the foolish.

There are multiple tee boxes, and the forward tees offer just as rich of a golfing experience as the tips. The paspalum turf is meticulously maintained and the greens roll fast and smooth, but are not the tilted glass surfaces that produce four-putts on a regular basis. This is a course that can host the scratch golfer or the occasional player and leave them both smiling.

Reason #4: No. 17

On a course that is just over half finished, No. 17 is already drawing praise from around the golf world. Playing 178 yards from the tips, the player is perched on the shoulder of a cliff overlooking the Sea of Cortez. The green sits on a narrow peninsula about 30 feet below with a canyon in front and the ocean behind ready to swallow shots that land short or long. A ridge bisects the green and guarantees that hitting the wrong side of the green will leave a very challenging two-putt. But no matter your score, you will be taken in by a hole that rivals classics like No. 7 at Pebble Beach for sheer beauty. Don’t be surprised if there is a gallery of hotel guests on the tee who have hiked up to the hole just to see the view.

Jones himself acknowledges the exceptional nature of the hole. “I have no doubt that No. 17 will be [considered] one of the best in the world,” Jones said. “Neither does anyone else who has seen it.”