In November 2023 Tiger Woods’ first golf course design, El Cardonal Course at Diamante Cabo San Lucas, debuted as the site of the PGA Tour’s Worldwide Technology Open in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.
The event brought the usually low-key PGA Tour tournament to life.
“I don’t think anyone else can move the needle like he has for us,” said Ken Jowdy, CEO and developer of Diamante. “Tiger brings it to another level.”
The success of Los Cabos and golf outside of the United States — but within the Americas — follows the track of golf’s continued growth.
The National Golf Foundation reported record numbers of U.S. golfers traveling to play the game, with more than 12 million Americans moving about each year since 2022, up from 8.2 million in 2018.
According to a study by market research company HTF Market Intelligence, the global travel market is projected to grow from $50 billion in 2023 to $130 billion by 2032. The global golf tourism market is on track for substantial growth, driven by interest in luxury travel experiences and golf-centric tourism activities worldwide.
Jason Deegan, managing editor at NBC Sports Next’s GolfPass, said the U.S. golf industry has always been a world leader when it comes to the game, leading to a trickle-down effect.
“As Americans get more comfortable with participating in off-course golf — simulators, Topgolf and other entertainment-based golf experiences away from an actual course — eventually other countries throughout North America will follow along,” Deegan said. “Plus, the dramatic rise in women and minorities playing golf post-pandemic can only help participation in other countries as well.”
The influence of professional and high-level amateur competitions is instrumental in building awareness for many destinations in the Americas outside of the U.S., beginning in 2010 when the Korn Ferry Tour (then the Nationwide Tour) started playing in South America in Bogotá, Colombia.
That led to the creation of PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2012 by the PGA Tour in collaboration with promoters, clubs and national golf federations in Latin America, originally featuring 11 tournaments in seven countries in the Latin American region.
PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Canada merged to form PGA Tour Americas in 2024, with eight Latin American events in the first half of the schedule and nine Canadian sites for the second half. There was only one American venue.
The PGA Tour plays four events in the…
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