LOS CABOS (Mexico) — Playing golf on several courses in the southernmost part of the Baja Peninsula is a joy. The comfort stations are stocked with all the candy, snacks, and drinks you could ever want.
Five years ago I visited Twin Dolphin. It was a course designed with Masters champion Fred Couples by Todd Eckenrode. The marketing guy told that the “Red Door Comfort Stations” were going to be better than anything else. They did not disappoint.
Couples filmed a show for Golf Channel’s Feherty at the one on the fifth hole, which was a lavish location that many thought to be Fred’s house. Couples is a candy lover. The store’s sugary treats would make Willy Wonka blush. He says, “I love the Snickers Kisses and Hershey Kisses but I stay away from there.” “If I stay there for seven days, that’s a losing proposition.”
A full-time bartender was on duty, making me a salted margarita, and convincing me to try what he called the best tequila he’d ever had. Did I mention fresh guacamole and fish tacos? If anyone is ever hungry or thirsty, there is a second red door between holes 12-13. It’s also accessible from hole 15 to 16 There’s no need for lunch or dinner. Don’t forget the sliders!
Mike Abbott was on the practice tee of El Cardonal, Diamante’s host course for the World Wide Technology Championship, when I ran into him. Abbott was resplendently pink as he returned to Diamante, where he will be running the Legacy Club – a third golf course that is being marketed as a members’ club, and may well become the home of the World Wide Technology Championship. Abbott is well-versed in comfort stations. When I told him that they’d jumped the shark and become Costcos, he said “They have turned into Costcos.”
He added, “That was not the purpose of comfort station.” It was to provide a few unique items that were specific to the facility. Some nuts and snacks, a bit of candy, and something to refresh your drink.
Abbott should know. He is considered the “Godfather” of the comfort station. Abbott, who was vice president of Operations at Discovery Land Company and oversaw the development of golf courses like Vaquero in Dallas, El Dorado near Los Cabos in Mexico, and Mirabel Scottsdale, Arizona, introduced and perfected comfort stations with the intention of giving golfers an unexpected surprise. Diamante offers tamales, tacos, and black bean soup. He described how he came up with the idea at Vaquero and Kukio in Kohala Hawaii, an oceanfront golf and beach resort.
“We had no place to put a chef, so we threw them in the bathroom. “I figure that when I die I will be known as the guy who runs the bathroom,” he said. “But when we first started, there was no clubhouse so we used bunsen stoves and smokers. This was a great way to sell real estate.
Abbot spent several seasons at Diamante, before combining his experience with the luxury resorts and private clubs industry to create Abbott Golf Management. He then partnered in the development and construction of Blue Jack National in Houston. This course was designed by Tiger Woods and the comfort stations feature locally grown fruits and treats. He promised Diamante developer Ken Jowdy that if there was a third golf course built, he would return.
Cabo is the starting point for clubs to compete in comfort stations. We can do anything better. Will Legacy Club comfort stations follow suit to top Twin Dolphin Club and other clubs at their own game and compete with them?
Jowdy explained: “We discussed it in great detail and decided to go the opposite way. Let’s keep it simple, have a traditional halfway house, and know that everyone can get whatever they want on the course when they want it.” “We won’t try to beat everyone else.”
It’s not just that the all-inclusive package is expensive. Some comfort stations are so luxurious, you’ll stop to stuff your favorite snacks into your bag. The result is that the game slows down. Abbott says that Legacy Club is designed to be a members only course, with a limit of 250 players.
He said, “We are going to change it again.” It will have a creaky door, a greasy hamburger and all of the wonderful smells that you associate with this place.
