Palmilla is where golf in Los Cabos really began. Jack Nicklaus designed it in the early 1990s as his first course in Latin America, on the hills above the old Hotel Palmilla. It grew to 27 holes and set the template for the resort courses that followed along the Corridor. Right now it is in the middle of its biggest change in decades. Only one nine is open, and only members and guests of One&Only Palmilla can play it. Read this before you plan a Cabo trip around Palmilla.
One&Only Palmilla Golf Club green fees and tee times.
During the renovation, the club says play is reserved for Palmilla Golf Club members and guests of the One&Only Palmilla resort. There is no public tee sheet and no outside green fee, so the realistic route for a visitor is a stay at One&Only Palmilla, with tee times arranged through the resort or the golf shop on +52 624 144 5250 (the club’s main line is +52 624 146 7001). Some older listings still say a resort stay is not required, but they predate the current phase, so trust the club’s own wording. Because only the Arroyo nine is open, your 18 holes will be the same nine played twice. Neither the club nor the resort publishes green fees, so ask for the price with your room booking. The practice range is for golfers holding a tee time, not for general use.
The courses at One&Only Palmilla Golf Club.
Arroyo (open)
The only nine in play during the first phase. You can go round once for nine holes or twice for an 18-hole loop. The Arroyo comfort station stays open, with grilled food, snacks and drinks, and there is a temporary range for long and short practice. Its own renovation comes last, with completion expected by the end of 2028.
Mountain (closed)
One of Nicklaus’s two original nines from the early 1990s, and the other half of the first 18 with Arroyo. It is closed for the rebuild, with new greens, bunkers, tees and irrigation, and is due back by the end of 2027 together with the new practice facility.
Ocean (closed)
The third nine, added by Nicklaus in the late 1990s (Nicklaus Design gives 1997, other listings 1999). It is being reimagined rather than restored: a nine-hole par-three course and a separate eight-hole short course. Mexico News Daily reports the work is due by the end of 2027, and the club gives the fourth quarter of 2027 for its new par-three, chipping and putting courses.
The round, in perspective.
Developer Don Koll bought the Hotel Palmilla in 1986 and hired Nicklaus, who called the result “Palm Springs by the sea”. The Mountain and Arroyo nines opened as the first 18 holes in 1992–93 (sources differ on the year), and Nicklaus came back later in the decade to add the Ocean nine. The terrain is desert foothill cut by dry arroyos, with fairways falling towards the Sea of Cortez and the hotel on the shore below. The club is a Troon Golf partner, and the design firm Fry/Straka is now leading a full renovation. The Mountain and Arroyo nines get new turf, rebuilt greens, new bunkers and tees, and new irrigation and drainage. The Ocean nine is being turned into a par-three course plus an eight-hole short course, and a new practice ground, chipping area and putting course are part of the plan. The stated aim is to keep the feel of the original Nicklaus design.
Know before you go.
Who can play
Club members and One&Only Palmilla guests only
Holes open
Arroyo nine; play it once or twice
Rental clubs
Callaway sets, US$45–85 by time of day
Practice
Temporary range, for golfers with a tee time
Make the trip work.
Think of Palmilla in 2026 and 2027 as a bonus for a One&Only stay rather than the reason for the trip. If you want a full week of golf, base yourself at the resort and add rounds at courses that take outside players, such as Puerto Los Cabos or Cabo del Sol. Callaway rental sets cost US$85 before noon, US$75 from noon to 3pm and US$45 after 3pm, which suits a late nine before dinner. The Palmilla Social Club, with Lucille’s Kitchen and Sala 56, is open to members rather than hotel guests.
Los Cabos International (SJD) is north of San José del Cabo. The club sits at kilometre 7.5 of the Carretera Transpeninsular, the Corridor highway, just south-west of San José, so the transfer is roughly 25 minutes by road. Cabo San Lucas is about the same distance in the other direction, so a hire car is optional if you plan to stay put at the resort.
Golf access goes with a room at One&Only Palmilla, the resort on the point below the course that grew out of the original Hotel Palmilla. It has rooms and suites facing the Sea of Cortez, several restaurants and a spa, and GOLF Magazine has included it in its top 100 golf resorts in the world. For a cheaper night before or after, San José del Cabo’s old town is 15 minutes away, with boutique hotels around the plaza. Those hotels do not give you a Palmilla tee time.
Make a trip of it.
Puerto Los Cabos, 15 minutes north-east beyond San José, takes the public on 27 holes by Nicklaus and Greg Norman. Club Campestre San José, another Nicklaus design, sits on the hill behind town and shares an operator with Puerto Los Cabos. Cabo del Sol is about 20 minutes along the Corridor towards Cabo San Lucas. Away from golf, San José del Cabo’s gallery district holds an art walk on Thursday evenings in the cooler months, and grey whales pass the coast from December to March.
Find your season.
November to April is the best time, with dry, settled weather and the full Corridor season in swing. May is warm but still dry. From June to September heat builds, and storms off the Pacific are most likely between August and October. Check renovation progress before booking any dates in late 2027 or 2028, when the reopened nines and closures may shift.
Partly. The Mountain and Ocean nines are closed for renovation, and the Arroyo nine stays open to be played as nine holes or twice round for 18. The Mountain nine and new practice facility are expected back by the end of 2027, with the Arroyo rebuild finished by the end of 2028.
Can I play Palmilla without staying at One&Only Palmilla?
Not during the current phase. The club reserves play for its members and registered guests of One&Only Palmilla. If you are staying elsewhere in Los Cabos, Puerto Los Cabos and Cabo del Sol both book outside players.
Who designed Palmilla Golf Club?
Jack Nicklaus. It was his first course in Latin America, built for developer Don Koll, and only the second course of any kind in Los Cabos after a nine-hole layout in San José. Nicklaus added the Ocean nine later in the 1990s. The current renovation is by Fry/Straka, who say they are keeping the character of his routing.
How far is Palmilla from Los Cabos airport?
About 25 minutes. The club is at kilometre 7.5 of the Corridor highway, just past San José del Cabo, and the airport is north of town. Cabo San Lucas is a similar drive to the south-west.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
