Los Cabos already has one of the strongest collections of destination golf courses in Mexico, but a new oceanfront layout is preparing to add another compelling reason to pack the clubs.
Oleada Golf Links is an 18-hole, links-style championship course designed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els. Set within Oleada Los Cabos, an 860-acre resort and residential community on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, the course is Els’ first design in Mexico.
Preview play began in July 2026, ahead of an official opening planned for November. Golfers can now find tee-time information through the Oleada Los Cabos website.
A Golf Course Shaped by the Baja Landscape
Rather than imposing a heavily manufactured course on the coastline, Els and design partner Greg Letsche worked with the property’s existing dunes, sandy ridges, elevation changes and natural corridors.
The result is a 7,336-yard layout that moves through a desert-meets-ocean landscape along a mile-long stretch of Pacific beachfront.
Els, a two-time winner of The Open Championship, has considerable experience playing traditional links courses where wind, firm ground conditions and strategic angles are central to the game. At Oleada, those influences have been adapted to Baja’s warmer climate and dramatic terrain.
Minimal earthmoving was used where possible, allowing many of the holes to follow the site’s natural contours. Dunes frame fairways, sandy ridges extend into playing corridors and changing elevations create a variety of approach shots.
The design is intended to be visually dramatic without becoming punishing for recreational golfers. Generous landing areas should help players keep the ball in play, but width does not necessarily make the course easy. The best angle into a green may require golfers to challenge a ridge, bunker or exposed section of fairway.
Wind Will Be Part of the Strategy
The Pacific wind is expected to play an important role in every round at Oleada Golf Links.
A hole that feels manageable in calm morning conditions could require a completely different strategy when the afternoon breeze arrives. Players may need to adjust club selection, trajectory and even which side of a fairway they choose from the tee.
That variety is one of the defining characteristics of links-inspired golf. Instead of asking golfers to repeat the same aerial shot throughout the round, Oleada is designed to encourage creativity.
Lower shots may be useful when playing into the wind, while the firm, sandy terrain could allow golfers to use slopes and contours to feed the ball toward a green. Wide fairways also create multiple routes from tee to hole, giving confident players opportunities to take on more risk in exchange for a better approach.
The emphasis on angles should make the course interesting for different levels of golfer. Higher-handicap players can use the available space, while experienced golfers will need to think carefully about positioning.
Three Holes Closest to the Pacific
Although Oleada promotes ocean views throughout the course, three holes are positioned particularly close to the coastline.
The par-three fourth, par-five sixth and par-five 16th occupy some of the most dramatic ground near the Pacific. These holes are expected to become the visual signatures of the course, combining exposed seaside conditions with long views across the water.
The par-five sixth follows the natural contours beside the ocean, introducing both strategic and visual distractions. The 16th provides another late-round encounter with the coastline, when wind and fatigue may make decision-making more difficult.
Most of the remaining holes travel through dunes and sandy interior corridors. Only the first, ninth, 10th and 18th play close to the clubhouse and Pacific Villa residences, giving much of the round a sense of separation from the surrounding development.
This routing is important. Golfers may be playing within a large resort community, but the course has been planned to preserve an immersive experience across the majority of its 18 holes.
Ernie Els’ First Course in Mexico
Oleada Golf Links represents a notable addition to the Ernie Els Design portfolio.
Els recorded 79 professional victories during his competitive career, including four major championships and two World Golf Championships. His international playing experience has influenced a design philosophy centered on attractive courses that offer strategic choices without excluding everyday golfers.
At Oleada, that philosophy can be seen in the wide playing corridors, multiple approach angles and effort to preserve the property’s natural landforms.
“Man cannot improve on what Mother Nature has created over the eons,” Els said of the project. “The golf course that we create at Oleada will be there long after I’m gone. That means something, and it makes me feel very proud.”
The course also arrives at a time when Los Cabos continues to strengthen its position as a major golf destination. The region’s established layouts already include designs associated with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Davis Love III.
Oleada gives visiting golfers another interpretation of Baja golf: one that places greater emphasis on dunes, wind, natural sand and links-style strategy.
Planning an Oleada Golf Trip
Oleada is located on the Pacific coast approximately 15 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas. Its position gives travelers access to the restaurants, marina and nightlife of Cabo while placing the course in a quieter coastal setting.
A Grand Hyatt Los Cabos is scheduled to join the development with 300 rooms, restaurants and event facilities. Conrad Los Cabos is also planned, with 130 hotel rooms and 40 residences overlooking the ocean.
Until all of Oleada’s resort components are operating, golfers interested in preview play should confirm tee-time availability, transportation and current visitor facilities directly with the course. The Oleada website includes an online booking option as well as contact information for golf reservations.
Beyond golf, the wider community is expected to include nature trails, private beach access, outdoor fitness areas, a yoga pavilion, ocean-view meditation spaces, a wellness center, gardens, an orchard, dining and gathering spaces.
Pacific Villas Add a Residential Side to Oleada
Golf may be Oleada’s centerpiece, but the development is also taking shape as a private residential community.
The newly introduced Pacific Villas comprise a limited collection of 43 single-story homes designed by Arquitectos Legorreta, the acclaimed Mexican architecture firm led by Victor Legorreta. Interiors are by Uribe Krayer, with locally influenced materials, warm natural textures and layouts designed to make the most of ocean light and coastal breezes.
Two floor plans are available. Oasis places its bedrooms together within one wing of the home, creating a layout suited to families and shared living. Horizonte provides greater separation, with two ocean-facing primary suites and a guest bedroom positioned toward the rear.
Both designs offer three bedrooms plus a flexible room that can function as a fourth bedroom, office, fitness room, studio or media space. Open living areas, terraces and connections between indoor and outdoor spaces reflect the relaxed coastal lifestyle associated with Los Cabos.
Owners are also expected to receive community privileges that include priority golf access, private events and concierge-style services. Conrad Residences will eventually add another ownership option, pairing private residences with access to the services and amenities associated with the future Conrad Los Cabos.
For golfers considering a second home in Baja, that residential component creates the possibility of living beside one of the region’s most anticipated new courses. For everyone else, Oleada Golf Links offers a fresh reason to revisit Los Cabos—and a new test shaped by Pacific wind, natural dunes and the design experience of Ernie Els.
