Border security, or border sanctuary, dominates the headlines. George W. and The Terminator get in fights over it. CNN’s Lou Dobbs has made a career talking only about it. The furor always seems to center on Mexico. Some people want to build a fence. A few retired guys with nothing else to do in Arizona (obviously not golfers) take it upon themselves to play John Wayne.

Whatever we do let’s wait … long enough to import the great attitudes of Mexico’s hospitality workers.

No U.S. service business could use this cheer lift more than the golf industry. Spend time playing golf in Los Cabos - Mexico’s seaside wonder corridor - and it’s like you’ve dropped into an unknown fourth dimension of service. All the golf pros and clubhouse workers actually smile at you. They truly seem happy to be there and not just bitter they’re not out on the PGA Tour chasing Tiger Woods themselves. And (gasp!) … they go out of their way to help any golfer.

It’s shocking and hard to digest. Your first few days playing golf in Mexico, you’re liable to keep waiting for the other spike to drop. Surely, this is some kind of scam. It’s golf. Customers don’t come first. That’s crazy talk.

Only the more time you spend around guys like Fernando Ortiz, the pro at the Cabo del Sol Ocean Course, the more you become convinced it’s real.

“Golf is supposed to be a joy of life,” Ortiz said, throwing his arms up in air.

This service phenomenon is not just limited to the golf courses either. The hotel staffs are noticeably nicer, noticeably more determined to please.

An American who’s worked in major hotels explained it this way: “In the U.S., people give good service because they think they can get something out of it: A tip, a good rating. In Mexico, there’s a real pride in just delivering that service.”

Do whatever you want with the borders. Just make sure some of these hospitality lessons manage to leak into this country first.

For a counterpoint to this, check out Brandon Tucker’s entertaining, but admittedly ill-informed blog. Tuck comes right out and says he’s only been to Cozmuel in all of Mexico. But he still feels free to generalize.

That’s like saying you’ve only been to Mexico City, but you’re certain that kidnappings are part of everyday life all over Mexico. Or saying you’ve only been to Nebraska, but you’re sure everyone in the U.S. wears huge belt buckles with their names on the back (joke stolen from a true Nebraskan on staff).

These sheltered kids today. Go see the world, Tucker. Until you’re blocked at the border.

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