TPC Danzante Bay
Loreto
Hole 17 — 167 yards, par 3

Remarkably, Danzante Bay’s signature hole wasn’t a part of the course’s original routing. Once the site was discovered, however, modifications were made to incorporate the dramatic, drop-shot par 3. Perched atop the cliffs and encircled by a horseshoe-shaped bunker, the 17th hole’s 6,250-square-foot green sits 250 feet above the Sea of Cortez (main image, photo: Eric Ruben). Its creator, Rees Jones, drew inspiration from the orientation of the green on Augusta National’s famous 12th hole; but unlike Golden Bell, Danzante Bay’s iconic par 3 owes much of its difficulty to elevated tees. “You have to convince yourself that you need one less club,” Jones explains. “The hole gets into your head.”

Dunes Course at Diamante
Cabo San Lucas
Hole 17 — 175 yards, par 3

Cabo San Lucas is 5,530 miles from the Old Course, but Davis Love III was getting strong St Andrews vibes almost 20 years ago when he walked the site where his Dunes Course now sits. That’s thanks to the natural sand dunes that blanket this part of the Diamante resort. In fact, the hole that provides the course’s postcard image—the par-3 17th—commences from tee boxes that rise above the dunes and plays to a generously sized green that rolls quick but true, with the Pacific Ocean serving as a backdrop. There’s even a resemblance to the Old Course’s famous 11th hole.

Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
Costalegre
Hole 12 — 157 yards, par 3

When you arrive at the tee box of the ninth hole at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo’s once-private golf course, you’ll encounter a severe drop-shot par 3 with a green complex perched precariously along the edge of a steep cliff that tumbles to the ocean. Remarkably, it’s not the course’s most picturesque hole. That honor belongs to a different par 3—the less extreme drop-shot 12th (above), which boasts a green complex backed by a collection of palms with a sliver of undisturbed beach beyond. Notably, it was along that beach where, years ago, the course’s owner found a rare tamarind tree, which gives the resort its name.

Bahia Course
Riviera Nayarit
Hole 17 — 387 yards, par 4

The penultimate hole on the Bahia Course at Punta Mita—a resort community that’s home to two Jack Nicklaus Signature courses and hotels from Four Seasons and St. Regis—is a dogleg left that gives players free rein off the tee. With the ocean running along the entire left side of the par 4, golfers face an either-or situation: Either they take a more aggressive line down the left side of the fairway with their drives and face a shorter approach with a safer angle, or they play conservatively down the right knowing that they’ll need to hit a longer shot to the green, which could bring the ocean into play. In that way, the Nicklaus creation is spectacular on two fronts—for its scenic beauty and its inherent strategy.

Quivira Golf Club
Los Cabos
Hole 13 — 635 yards, par 5

Quivira’s cliffside holes on the front nine understandably steal most of the spotlight, but the second par 5 on the back—a long, serpentine-shaped adventure that plunges downhill—is one of the routing’s best-designed holes (above, photo: Channing Benjamin). Players enjoy panoramic views of the Pacific from tee to green while taking on risky shots with high rewards not once but twice. Those who decide to play more conservatively will benefit most by shaping tee shots left to right and second shots right to left. Throughout its 635 yards, this is a hole that forces players to be fully engaged at all times. 

El Dorado Golf & Beach Club
Los Cabos
Hole 16 — 151 yards, par 3

Many of the holes included in this story—whether par 3s or par 4s—play adjacent to or along the periphery of the beach. At the final par 3 at this private resort community’s Jack Nicklaus–designed course, however, the shot plays directly over the beach. El Dorado’s signature hole features a green perched atop a sand-colored rock outcropping, giving it an almost sandcastle-like appearance. Not surprisingly, ocean breezes blowing in from the left often require players to aim their tee shots left of the putting surface. And you can bet that those same breezes regularly spritz the green with sea spray when the tide is in.

Nauka
Riviera Nayarit
Hole 3 — 356 yards, par 4

When you have two-and-a-half holes positioned directly on a white-sand beach, as Nauka does, it’s easy to understand how they serve as the private club’s primary selling point. That said, the most engaging and architecturally captivating holes are found elsewhere on the course (which is open on a limited basis to guests of the community’s Ritz-Carlton Reserve resort). The frontrunner, if you ask us, is the short, uphill par-4 third (above). The hole tempts players to be aggressive with their tee shots, although out-of-position drives will present challenging recovery shots to an elevated, boldly contoured green. The hole is equally tantalizing from an aesthetic standpoint, as the swath of rainforest behind the green provides a compelling background. 

PGA Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya
Hole 14 — 584 yards, par 5

The first “wow” moment during a round played on Robert Trent Jones II’s PGA Riviera Maya course comes on the approach to the par-4 sixth, where the green is effectively guarded by a large cenote to the left. Yet the 584-yard, par-5 14th sees that drama and raises it with limestone rock walls that flank the playing corridor and provide a striking backdrop to the green (though, hopefully, not in a literal way). The natural rock amphitheater makes this marathon of a hole especially memorable.