Jack Nicklaus was born in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Charlie and Helen Nicklaus. He attended the Upper Arlington High School, where he competed in basketball, baseball and track and field. Within three years of taking up golf at the age of ten, he had broken 70 at his father’s club, Scioto, and was playing off a +3 handicap.

Nicklaus participated in the first of forty-four consecutive US Opens in 1957 but it was the US Amateur where he first tasted national success, winning the championship in 1959 and 1961 whilst still attending Ohio State University. He studied pharmacy there with the intention of following his father into that profession but he later switched to insurance.

After marrying Barbara Bash, a nursing student at the same university, Jack cut short his studies in 1961 to turn professional though he didn’t win his first event until the following year (at his 17th attempt) when he beat 

 at Oakmont in a playoff for the US Open – the Golden Bear was already on his way to racking up a record number of Major victories.

Although Jack was fully immersed in the business of winning competitions on the PGA Tour during the 1960s, he was also dipping his big toe into the bathtub of golf course design. For example, 

 had asked Jack to take a look at one of the first courses he had ever designed for an insurance company in New Albany, Ohio and he was impressed with what Jack had to say about the par three 3rd hole, in particular.

Jack didn’t want to get involved in a project just to endorse what somebody else was doing. He had a contribution to make and wanted his voice to be heard. Another offer came his way to work with Press Maxwell on a course in Long Beach, California but, after flying out to meet the architect on site, he found out none of his suggestions would probably be implemented.

Jack called the oil company behind the project to give back his design fee: “I take some pride in the fact that at 28 years old I was able to walk away from the situation that presented plenty of money but no credibility,” he said later. “ It sounds obvious, but you’ve got to be paid to do a job and you’ve got to do something to be paid… I would have diluted my reputation in design before my career even got started.”

Mark McCormack, who oversaw Jack’s business interests, then offered him the chance to design the Harbour Town course at Hilton Head Island for a developer called Charles Fraser. Remembering his tie up with Pete Dye a few years earlier, Jack called Pete in to work on the layout with him, making twenty-three trips back and forward to the site during the design and construction. As Jack later said: “I was just getting my feet wet, but I enjoyed it.”

Pete and Jack worked on a few other courses before Putnam Pierman, the financier for Muirfield Village, introduced Jack to Desmond Muirhead, who might best be described as an iconoclast, having visited the great courses of North America and Great Britain and Ireland then declaring: “those courses have no mystique whatsoever. I owe very little allegiance to St Andrews.”

Muirhead had studied architecture and engineering at Cambridge and horticulture at the University of British Columbia and Oregon University before working as a landscape planner on retirement villages in Canada and the United States. Jack and Desmond worked on several commissions: two public courses in Cincinnati; St Andrews in Japan; Mayacoo Lakes in Florida; a couple courses at La Moraleja in Spain, as well as their best known assignment, the 18-hole layout at Muirfield Village in Ohio.

The land for this course was acquired during the mid-1960s but construction didn’t start until 1972, with the official opening taking place two years later. The first edition of Jack’s Memorial Tournament took place in 1974 and it’s been a permanent fixture on the PGA Tour ever since then. The Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, US Amateur and US Junior have all been held here too so there’s absolutely no doubt about its major tournament credentials.

After parting ways with Desmond Muirhead, Jack was ready to start out on his own. His first solo design was for Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, home of the Royal Canadian Golf Association and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. The Canadian Open was played here the year after the course opened in 1976 and the event has returned to this venue many times since then.

The rest, as they say, is history – golfing history, both on and off the course. Jack’s name will forever be associated with greatness on the golf course – 18 professional major championships testify to that – but it’s his golf course design work that should also be remembered in equal measure to his magnificent competitive achievements on the links.

Nicklaus Design now has more than four hundred courses in play – number 400 debuted in 2016 when Jack’s company installed a new nine-hole circuit for free at the American Lake Veterans Golf Course in the grounds of the VA Hospital in Lakewood, Washington – and they’re located throughout nearly every state in the United States and in almost fifty countries around the world.

Expect that number of worldwide courses to keep climbing as, at any one point in time, there might be fifty or more under construction or in some stage of planning.

Of course, Jack can’t do everything by himself so he’s actually the head of a talented team that includes designers who work both in the field and in the design studio. It’s a large group of people who are trained in landscape architecture, agronomy and state-of-the-art technology, working out of eight offices in six nations across three continents.

 and Jay Morrish back in the early days and they were followed by others such as Gene Bates, 

, Rick Jacobsen and Greg Letsche. His sons Jack Jr. and Steve are also involved in the business, as is his son-in-law Bill O’Leary. Gary, Jack's fourth of five children, was also involved in the business and has a handful of designs to his name, including Dalhousie and Machynys Peninsula.

Senior designers include Dirk Bouts, who oversees the European office; Chris Cochrane, who now works from the Florida office; Chad Goetz, who’s also now based in Florida; and Sean Quinn, who heads up the operation in South Africa.


The company employs around twenty Design Associates worldwide, tasked with ensuring Jack's vision is carried out on every golf development. They also take the lead role on every course branded as a "Nicklaus Design" layout. Jack is proud of the many designers who have worked with his company since the mid-1970s, with literally dozens of them going on to attain membership of the prestigious American Society of Golf Course Architects.

Jack’s collaborations have been limited down the years but three readily spring to mind: World Golf Village (King & Bear) in St Augustine, Florida with 

 in 2000; The Concession in Bradenton, Florida with Tony Jacklin in 2005; Sebonack in Southampton, New York with 

concludes his profile of the Golden Bear with this: “Jack is widely recognised as a ‘signature’ designer. The Nicklaus name is well known throughout the world and that association is highly sought after by developers or owners, seeking to heighten their project’s reputation. Furthermore, over the years – and perhaps more regularly than any other modern golf architect – Nicklaus has modified his design style and marketing focus to mimic popular trends (links-style golf, for example) within the industry. Ultimately, his abilities, coupled with those he employs to oversee his projects, have produced several Top 100 golf courses in the world.”

 by Jack Nicklaus and Chris Millard, Pete Dye had this to say about working with Jack:

“We worked on four or five course together, but the best-known fruit of that partnership is certainly Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Since I was in my mid-forties when we took on that project and Jack was only 28, and since I was the design ‘veteran’ of our twosome, most people assume I brought Jack in on that project.

The fact is that Jack was the one who was originally approached for the job. He probably could have done it on his own, but he brought me in. He has always been gracious enough to give me the lion’s share of the credit for Harbour Town, but the course would never have been so well accepted if it hadn’t been for his involvement.

Our partnership lasted only a few years. Jack was thinking bigger than I was. He’d been that way in everything he’d ever done. I never really wanted to expand and Jack did. He threw himself into the design scene worldwide. I didn’t. Those were lifestyle decisions made in mutual respect and understanding. I admire Jack. I have enormous regards for what he has accomplished and still is accomplishing in and for the good of golf design.”

In the same book, Jack concludes the final chapter with this:

“I never could have guessed, back in 1965, that a walk in the woods with Pete Dye would put me where I am today. Since then it’s been a lot of work, hundreds of thousands of miles travelled, but always thoroughly enjoyable. Even now, when I struggle with my golf game, design keeps me close to the sport I love. I’ve been able to make money at it, and to meet fascinating people all over the world.

My work has been singled out for honors and my courses have been ranked (they’ve also been criticized but that’s fair). It keeps me young, and it keeps me close to my family. But the best part of being a course designer is knowing that the courses I design today will be around long after I’m gone. I hope they serve as living, growing testimonials to my love of the game.”

 by Jack Nicklaus and Chris Millard (2002)

World Golf Hall of Fame – Class of 1974: “I never could have guessed, back in 1965, that a walk in the woods with Pete Dye would put me where I am today. Since then it’s been a lot of work, hundreds of thousands of miles traveled, but always thoroughly enjoyable."

Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus will forever be associated with greatness on the golf course, but it’s his design work that should also be remembered in equal measure to his magnificent competitive achievements on the links.

Greg Norman, nicknamed The Great White Shark, was born in Mount Isa, Queensland to parents Mervin and Toini Norman in 1955. His mother, the daughter of a Finnish carpenter, played off a single-figure handicap and it was her who introduced Norman to the game when the family moved to Brisbane.

In 1975, he served as an assistant professional at Beverley Park Golf Club in Sydney, New South Wales before quickly moving back to Brisbane and the Royal Queensland Golf Club, where he worked for six years before becoming a tournament player.

After winning his first event, the West Lakes Classic, during his rookie season at The Grange, he decided to join the European Tour the following year, allowing him to compete at a higher level. He won his first event on that circuit – the Martini International – at Blairgowrie in 1977 so now he was off and running with the big boys.

In a playing career that lasted until 2009, he amassed an incredible total of 88 wins around the world: 18 on the PGA Tour (including the Players’ Championship in 1994); 14 on the European Tour (featuring two Open victories, in 1986 and 1993); 31 on the PGA of Australia Tour (with five Australian Open titles between 1980 and 1996); and 25 other tournaments (such as three Suntory Match Play Championships in 1980, 1983 and 1986).

Norman was loved by many for his bold, aggressive style of play and he was regarded as one of the best drivers of the golf ball in his era. In the fourteen seasons between 1984 and 1997, Norman finished in the top 20 for driving distance on the PGA Tour twelve times and in the top 6 nine times. His long and straight driving off the tee with a persimmon wood intimidated many of his fellow professionals, with a high ball flight carrying the ball a very long way.

Greg spent 331 weeks as the number 1 player in the world, ending the year on top of the rankings seven times between 1986 and 1997. He was the first golf player to earn more than $10 million in career earnings – topping the PGA Tour’s money list three times in 1986, 1990 and 1995 – and he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

He established Greg Norman Golf Course Design in 1987 and in three decades of operation since then, the company – described by one commentator as “one of the most prominent 'celebrity' design firms in the game” – has worked on more than a hundred projects across thirty-four countries in six different continents.

Much of the firm’s design work has been carried out on the ground by design associates such as 

 and for a long time the company had two offices working largely independently to each other. The Australian premises closed in 2010, however, leaving just the West Palm Beach headquarters in Florida to handle business throughout the world.

Around a third of Norman’s courses are located in America, with a dozen of these situated in the Sunshine State of Florida. One of his earliest assignments in this state was at The Medalist in Hobe Sound, which was originally co-designed with 

 in 1995, but was subsequently reworked by Greg in the new millennium.

The Australian office’s best efforts were National Moonah in Victoria, Ellerston in New South Wales and The Grand in Queensland, with honourable mentions due to The Vintage, Pelican Waters and Settlers Run. Norman’s most recent Victorian layouts at Eastern in Yering and Cathedral Lodge in Thornton have both been well received.

Across Asia and the Middle East, the three Norman designs currently operating in Vietnam are among his best offerings, as are his two 18-hole layouts in the United Arab Emirates and a recently opened course in Jordan. The Allegria in Egypt and the Championship course at Al Mouj in Oman are ranked as the number 1 tracks in their respective countries.

In Europe, Norman’s portfolio is a little threadbare, with only three Spanish courses to his name, along with Doonbeg in Ireland, which has just been remodelled by 

 for its new owner. Elsewhere, Greg has one-off designs in diverse countries such as Canada (Wyndance), South Africa (Eye of Africa) and India (Jaypee Greens).

Closer to Greg’s home base in Florida, the Norman design brand can be found in four of the Caribbean nations and his architectural stamp can be seen in several locations across Mexico, from Puerto Los Cabos on the Baja California Peninsula to Playa Mujeres in Cancun, on the opposite side of the country.

After parting company with his management company IMG back in 1993, Greg founded Great White Shark Enterprises, which has since been renamed the Greg Norman Company, and this umbrella organization oversees his design work, vineyards, clothing, real estate projects and more than half a dozen other golf-related ventures.

From the World Golf Hall of Fame: “Norman won 20 times on the PGA Tour and was the first to surpass $10 million in career earnings. He won three Arnold Palmer Awards as the tour’s leading money winner (1986, 1990 and 1995) and three Vardon Trophies (1988, 1989 and 1994). He was PGA TOUR Player of the Year in 1995. But despite his numerous wins, Norman is frequently remembered for his historic losses. He is the only player to have lost all four majors in playoffs.

Norman’s 1986 season most accurately captures his exploits and crushing defeats. He led going into the final round of all four majors. On Sunday at the Masters, he hit an errant approach at 18 and couldn’t save par to lose to then 46-year-old Nicklaus, who closed with a memorable six-under-par 30 on the back nine.

At the U.S. Open Norman ballooned to a closing 78, but that paled when he had victory snatched from his grasp at the PGA Championship when Bob Tway holed an improbable bunker shot at the last hole to beat the Shark by a stroke.

Norman won only the British Open in ’86 when he authored a second-round 63 in windy conditions at Turnberry to open a five-shot advantage and cruise to an eventual two-stroke victory. The ovation he received as he walked to the 72nd green remains one of golf’s most memorable scenes.

Norman could have been defeated by his heartbreaking losses, but he wasn’t. In his instructional book, Shark Attack, Norman wrote, “Sometimes I think I have an almost perverse love of being down, even being defeated, because I know it will spur me on to greater things.”

At the 1993 British Open, Norman did add to his major tournament victories when he fired a remarkable final-round 64 to beat Faldo by two strokes at Royal St. George’s. Through his historic losses and gallant victories, Norman played the game with an intensity second to none.”

From Planetgolf.com: "The recent rebranding of the Greg Norman Company has coincided with a new three-tier pricing structure for Greg Norman Golf Course Design – along similar lines to the offerings of 

, Tony Jacklin and others. Clients can choose from the curiously named Eco Signature Design option or either a Signature Design or a GNGCD Design.

One assumes that the involvement of Greg Norman himself, as well as the seniority of the design associate involved in the project, depends on the package selected. This is not a model for design that our industry should support. Greg Norman Golf Course Design’s commitment to a project should be complete, regardless of the size of the signature fee paid.

Such a pricing structure reinforces a popular belief within the industry that they are more interested in accumulating clients than producing exceptional work."

The Way of the Shark: Lessons on Golf, Business and Life 

by Greg Norman and Donald T. Phillips (2007)

World Golf Hall of Fame – Class of 2001: “Australian Greg Norman dominated the golf world for much of the 1980s and early 1990s with his aggressive game and charismatic demeanor. Labelled the ‘Great White Shark,’ he is one of the most recognizable sports figures.”

Greg Norman

Greg Norman Golf Course Design was established in 1987 and in three decades since then, the company has worked on more than a hundred projects across thirty-four countries in six continents.

All Areas

Mexico

The spectacular 18-hole layout at Puerto Los Cabos could be said to have something of a split personality at the moment as the current hybrid configuration consists of a 9-hole circuit designed by Jack Nicklaus and a 9-hole loop from Greg Norman.

The long term plan is to double the Golden Bear’s nine holes, creating a public course called The Marina, and extend the holes on the Great White Shark’s existing track to form an 18-hole course named The Mission.

For now, the contrasting styles of the two nines present golfers with a game of two halves – literally – and they offer a sneak preview of what’s to come in the fullness of time when Grupo Questro, the developers, complete the golfing element of the Puerto Los Cabos estate.

The Norman front nine is characterised by deep and steep greenside bunkers – those positioned above and below the green at the par four 5th are particularly eye catching – whilst the Nicklaus back nine has more of a desert course feel with island tees forcing golfers to carry tee shots across native vegetation at many of the holes.

Both courses occupy hilly terrain that lends itself to some serious changes of elevation – none more so than at Norman’s 213-yard 6th, the signature hole on the card, where a lofty teebox is perched more than 200 feet above the fairway.

The best of the Nicklaus holes is the par five 14th, where an arroyo crosses the fairway as it winds its way to an oceanside green that’s positioned between a couple of small sand dunes.

Puerto Los Cabos

Edese

North America

The spectacular golf course at Puerto Los Cabos has something of a split personality as the current configuration consists of a 9-hole circuit designed by Jack Nicklaus and a 9-hole loop from Greg Norman.