Diamante, a 1,500-acre private resort that fronts the Pacific Ocean in Cabo San Lucas, has debuted The Oasis Short Course, a brilliantly conceived 12-hole layout designed by superstar Tiger Woods and TGR Design and the 15th course to open in Los Cabos.
Two years after he unveiled El Cardonal, a playable yet challenging 7,363-yard layout with an “Old California” design motif that marked his architectural debut, Woods, alongside baseball legend Roger Clemens, played the inaugural round on The Oasis Short Course. The versatile design features 12 enticing par 3’s ranging from 41 to 143 yards. The course can also play as a three-hole course featuring a 374-yard par 4, a 143-yard par 3 and a 540-yard par 5. Each layout can be played in about an hour.
The Oasis Short Course occupies the site of the former 12th and 13th holes on the Dunes Course, the club’s internationally-ranked course by Davis Love III. These inland holes, routed around an attractive water feature, were an ideal place to build a family-friendly design that will appeal to golfers at all ability levels, from novices to experts.
“I learned how to play on a short par 3 course in Long Beach, California,” Woods said, noting that the military club where his dad was a member required juniors to be 10 years or older. “When I was a kid, a 100-yard hole for me at Heartwell Golf Course was a driver and a 7-iron, so I can relate to the challenges faced by younger players,” he stated. “Building this course really brought me back to my roots.” Woods said his goal was to design “a fun, playable course that brings people together and brings golfers back to the game.”
Noting that there’s only one forced carry on The Oasis Short Course, Woods said a putter can be used from nearly every tee, as he and Clemens demonstrated during their exhibition round. “My favorite courses are links courses where golfers can use the ground as a friend and an ally,” Tiger explained. “Players here can use the slopes and contours to guide the ball to the target.” Woods, like many other golf industry leaders, believes too many modern courses are too difficult to play.
“People today don’t have the time (for leisure pursuits) that they used to have,” Woods said at the gala party following the round. “We need the ability to play fast and have it be enjoyable.” Diamante owner Ken Jowdy, says the park-like atmosphere of The Oasis Short Course was conceived as a “green space” for a variety of recreational pursuits, from golf and croquet to beanbag and Frisbee tossing.
“Golf is all about rules and formality, but our new layout is all about having fun,” Jowdy said. “The informal tee boxes and built-in flexibility of the course enable players to play as many holes as they wish. They can also convert a couple of the par 3’s to longer holes. It’s an exciting venue. We’re very pleased with it. We envision lots of afternoon play from golfers following their rounds on the Dunes Course and El Cardonal. We also expect family outings, from mothers and daughters to fathers and sons.”
A nominal fee for a week’s access to The Oasis Short Course will be established for Diamante members and their guests while free club rentals are available to men, women and juniors.
Unlike the Dunes Course and El Cardonal, which are surfaced in paspalum, fast-running Bermudagrass was used to surface The Oasis Short Course from tee to green. “The new short course is a preview of The Oasis Course, a lushly landscaped 18-hole design by Tiger Woods and TGR Design that’s now in the planning stages,” Jowdy stated.
For more information, visit: diamantecabosanlucas.com