22 GCA spoke with golf course architect Todd Eckenrode about his new Twin Dolphin course, which opened in late 2018 near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Can you give us some insight into your design process for Twin Dolphin? Overlooking one of the most beautiful stretches of the Sea of Cortez coastline, a key element in the design process was fully capturing the stunning ocean views that appear on nearly every hole. But we also focused on how to best utilise the natural characteristics of the ground in as many varied ways as possible. The predominant feature of the land is the network of arroyos that are interwoven throughout, so the routing plays alongside, through and over these on nearly every hole. The shaping of the fairways tried to emulate the smaller little washes and rivulets that derive from the effects of natural erosion and eventually form these arroyos. In another sense, the routing focused on laying the course on the land in an unobtrusive fashion, refraining from disturbing the incredible natural character of the land, such as the beautiful native vegetation and dramatic rock formations. In fact, a great deal of time and effort was paid to seeking these features out, so that the golf could play alongside them and showcase them fully. We spent well over 100 days on site during construction, which is quite a bit on an TEE BOX “We strove to make this the most unique and natural course in Cabo” THE INTERVIEW with Todd Eckenrode
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