How to Play the Chileno Bay Golf Course

Taming the spectacular Chileno Bay Golf Course requires more than just a good swing, it calls for a thoughtful strategy from the first tee to the final putt. This Tom Fazio design in Los Cabos is a visual feast, but every beautifully framed view hides a strategic puzzle. This guide will walk you through a game plan for navigating the course's unique challenges, focusing on smart play for some of its most memorable holes so you can post a score you’re proud of.

Understanding the Canvas: The Character of Chileno Bay

Before stepping onto the first tee, it helps to understand what makes Chileno Bay tick. Tom Fazio has created a course that feels like three distinct experiences woven into one. The early holes wind through classic desert foothills and canyons, demanding accurate tee shots to avoid gnarly arroyos. The middle of the round transitions into rolling, elevated terrain with dramatic views. Finally, the course brings you to the Sea of Cortez for a breathtaking coastal finish where the wind becomes a major player.

Here are the defining features to keep in mind:

• Elevation Changes: You'll face numerous uphill and downhill shots. Playing the correct yardage, not just the number on the sprinkler head, is essential. Downhill shots might require one or two fewer clubs, while uphill approach shots will need more.
• Strategic Bunkering: Fazio’s bunkers aren’t just decorative, they are strategically placed to challenge your decision-making. They guard the optimal landing areas and protect the greens. The smart play is often away from the sand, even if it leaves a slightly longer approach.
• Paspalum Greens: The Seashore Paspalum turf on the greens runs beautifully but has its own tendencies. Pay attention to the grain. Putts heading towards the water or with the setting sun will generally be faster, while putts into the grain will be noticeably slower. Learning to read this is a big part of scoring well here.

A Strategic Walk-Through: Conquering Key Holes

While every hole at Chileno Bay presents a unique test, learning how to handle a few of its signature holes will prepare you for the entire round. We won't go through all 18, but let's break down a handful that represent the heart of the challenge.

Hole 4: The Stunning Par-3 Drop

This is likely the first hole that truly takes your breath away. You’re standing on an elevated tee, looking down at a beautiful green that seems to be floating in a sea of sand and desert landscape. It's often downhill and downwind, making club selection very tricky.

How to Play It:

• Club Down Creatively: This is a classic "less is more" shot. An 8-iron might fly like a 6-iron. Trust the elevation drop and pick at least one, maybe even two, clubs less than the yardage suggests. A smooth swing is better than trying to force a shorter club.
• The Smart Miss: The green is large, but trouble lurks everywhere else. The front bunker is impressively deep. The safe miss is almost always long and slightly left. It leaves you with a relatively simple chip straight back up the green. Don’t get mesmerized by the pin if it's tucked near trouble. Playing to the center of this green is a win every time.

Hole 7: The Risk/Reward Par-5

After a stop at one of Chileno’s legendary comfort stations, you arrive at this incredible downhill par-5. Off the tee, the fairway splits around a massive arroyo and a collection of bunkers. The a big tee shot opens the door to go for the green in two, but a misplaced drive can lead to a big number.

How to Play It:

• Your Tee Shot Choice: Big hitters can try to carry the trouble down the right side for the shortest route home. This is the high-risk, high-reward play. A much safer, and for many, smarter line is to play left of the central bunkers. It leaves a longer second shot, but it takes the enormous fairway bunker and the arroyo largely out of play.
• The Second Shot Decision: If you're out of position, the only play is to lay up down the left-hand side, leaving a simple wedge into the green. If you hit a great drive and are considering going for it, be realistic. The green is well-protected. Often, the best course of action is to lay up to your favorite wedge distance (say, 100 yards). It almost guarantees a chance at birdie and avoids the potential double bogey.

Hole 13: The Deceptive Par-4

This beautifully simple-looking par-4 is anything but. It's a testament to Fazio's genius. The fairway is generous, but the ideal angle of attack to the elevated green is from the right side. A large, waste-area wash cuts across the fairway about 100 yards from the green, complicating both the tee shot and the layup.

How to Play It:

• Tee Shot Placement Matters: Many players will aim down the middle, which is fine, but it can leave a tricky angle over a deep bunker to a shallow green. The preferred play is to flirt with the left side of the fairway. This sounds counterintuitive, but it opens up the green for your approach, taking the deep front-right bunker out of play. It might mean less club off the tee to ensure you stay short of any trouble.
• Approach with Precision: This green is tricky and slopes from back to front. Any shot that lands pin-high or long is going to leave you an extremely fast downhill putt. The golden rule here is to leave the ball below the hole. Take enough club to get up the slope, but aim to land it on the front half of the green, regardless of the pin location.

Hole 17: The Windy Oceanfront Par-3

Welcome to the Sea of Cortez. This stunning hole plays right along the water, and the wind is a primary defense. The green is wide but not very deep, and it's surrounded by sand. Judging the wind direction and strength is everything here.

How to Play It:

• Check the Wind. Then Check It Again: Feel the wind on your face, toss up a few blades of grass, and look at the flag. Is it helping or hurting? Coming from the left or right? This hole can be a 7-iron one day and a 4-iron the next. A low, penetrating shot is often better than a high, floating one that can get knocked down.
• Aim for the Middle: Do not get greedy. The pin position is almost bait. Water waits short and right, and difficult bunkers guard the left. Your target is the dead center of the green. Hitting the green and two-putting for par here feels like a birdie. Embrace that mindset on the tee.

Course-Wide Mental Game and Strategy

Beyond specific holes, a successful round at Chileno Bay is built on a few core principles that you should carry with you all day.

Play the Course, Not Your Ego

Chileno Bay is a "second-shot course." This means that where you place your tee shot is often more important than how far you hit it. Take less club off the tee if it guarantees you a cleaner look at the green for your approach. Trying to overpower this course will only lead you to find its many hidden troubles.

Make the Comfort Stations Part of Your Strategy

The comfort stations are famous for a reason. They're a chance to reset, refuel, and mentally break the round into smaller, 4- or 5-hole segments. Don't rush through them. Grab a taco, hydrate, and clear your head before tackling the next stretch of holes. This small mental trick can keep you centered and prevent one bad hole from turning into three.

Think About Your Misses

On every approach shot, ask yourself, "Where is the one place I cannot afford to hit this?" Usually, it’s a deep bunker, a water hazard, or a sharp drop-off. Once you identify that spot, you can aim away from it. Give yourself a margin for error. A shot that lands 30 feet from the pin on the "safe" side is always better than one that misses by 3 feet on the "danger" side and ends up in your pocket.

Final Thoughts

Playing Chileno Bay is a memorable experience, and a smart game plan transforms it from a potentially frustrating test into a profoundly enjoyable one. It’s a course that rewards thinking, precision, and humility over raw power and aggression, so focus on playing to the right positions and you'll walk off the 18th green with a smile, no matter the final score.

We built Caddie AI to make this kind of strategic thinking simpler for every golfer. You can get instant, expert advice on how to play any hole on any course, taking the guesswork out of where to aim and what club to hit. If you’re ever facing a tough shot - like a tricky lie in a waste area or trying to judge the wind on a coastal hole - you can get a clear recommendation in seconds, helping you play with confidence and make smarter decisions on the course.