Nicklaus Design Around the Globe
Los Cabos, Mexico — Jack Nicklaus returned to Mexico, home to 24 Nicklaus Courses, to visit Quivira Golf Club, a stunning Jack Nicklaus Signature Course stretching alongside the Pacific Ocean. When it opened at the end of 2014, Quivira was named Golf Magazine’s Best New International Course and Golf Inc. Development of the Year. Quivira’s sights and sounds are one-of-kind, with desert cliffs and panoramic ocean views putting the property in a category of its own.
Nicklaus visited Quivira to work with the development team to tweak some holes with the burgeoning development, to address some areas on a few of the lower-lying closing holes impacted by heavy rain and wash, and to make fairway and green adjustments.
“Without a doubt, Quivira looks and plays as one of the most spectacular courses in the world,” Nicklaus said. “We are extremely proud of what the collective teams from Nicklaus Design and Quivira have created, and the response over the last few years from golfers all over the world has been tremendous. But every golf course is a living, evolving entity, and sometimes you go back in to make minor adjustments that only enhance the playing experience and at the same time keep the surrounding development financially viable.”
Beung, Thailand – A short drive and a world away from the bustling center of Bangkok, Thailand, another Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course — Laem Chabang International Country Club — is set to re-open all 27-holes including the newly renovated A Course where work was completed this summer. A world-class property featuring holes meandering across 700 beautiful acres, Laem Chabang offers players a lush, exotic and unique environment that brings each golfer closer to nature. Situated only 30 minutes from Pattaya, Laem Chabang is as accessible as it is memorable, and welcomes golfers of all skill levels for a truly special Nicklaus golf experience.
“Variety is one of the hallmarks of a great design,” said Nicklaus Senior Design Associate, Sean Quinn. “The incredible canvas at Laem Chabang gave us the rare opportunity to create three distinctive playing experiences and environments in one property. The end result is one of the most unique golf destinations in the region.”
Forest City, Malaysia – The Jack Nicklaus Legacy Golf Course at Forest City, Malaysia staged its Grand Opening this past week and it was an energetic event. Nicklaus Design President, Asia-Pacific, Paul Stringer was present to speak on the strength of the game, and open the course with an official first tee shot. The course is designed by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II with the assistance from Senior Design Associate, Sean Quinn. Often referred to as a “masterpiece”, the course has already received high acclaim from local and international media.
The facility is located just over the causeway from Singapore, and the Jack Nicklaus Legacy Golf Course will be one of three golf courses anchoring the Forest City resort and development created by Country Garden. The golf course is surrounded by 17 km of water and optimizes some breathtaking views of the local mangroves and lush landscape making it a true gem for the golfers of Southeast Asia to enjoy for years to come.
“Working hand-in-hand with Country Garden and Forest City, we at Nicklaus Design could not have imagined a better partnership or outcome for this property.” said Nicklaus Design President, Asia-Pacific, Paul Stringer. “Over the last 18-months we all put our heart and soul into this project and we could not be more pleased with the result.”
Sneak Peek: Jack Nicklaus II on Evolution of Nicklaus Design
A remarkable amount of passion, creativity and collaboration goes into each project at Nicklaus Design, often inspired by Jack Nicklaus’ exceptional vision, philosophy and design direction. At the heart of that teamwork is the relationship between Nicklaus and his son, Jack Nicklaus II, who describes his father’s influence on his design philosophy in the latest installment of our Nicklaus News video series. Click here to watch the video.
Putting Course Creates Big Impact
JUPITER, Fla. — Visitors to the newest Nicklaus Design innovation in golf will be greeted by all the familiar trademarks of the firm’s large-scale courses, including variety, strategy, and a share of tempting risk-reward decisions—all design philosophies established by Jack Nicklaus. Only this time around, it isn’t one of the Golden Bear’s famous courses hosting a PGA TOUR event or the world’s top players – it is a family putting course, the Golden Cub, in the heart of a community with a goal to impact children’s healthcare.
Having created more than 415 courses in 45 countries, Nicklaus Design opened its very first putting course this week, intended to help the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and local children’s healthcare facilities in Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Named after the Golden Cub character created by the First Lady of Golf, Barbara Nicklaus, the putting course aims to fulfill the Nicklaus Companies’ mission of giving back and bringing the game of golf to families everywhere. The Nicklaus Companies plans to introduce the new putting course model to communities nationwide to entertain golfers and families while always benefiting children’s healthcare.
Supplementing the welcoming and charitable footprint of the attraction itself, one dollar from every full-priced round purchased will be donated to the NCHCF.
“Jack and I, as well as the Foundation, are thrilled to see this unique golf experience come to life,” said Foundation Chairman Barbara Nicklaus. “It’s a great combination of making the game fun and enjoyable, bringing the community together, and funding greater resources for our pediatric patients. Our passion to support children’s healthcare in South Florida has never been stronger, and we hope this is a facility where families can create fun, positive memories that last a lifetime.”
Led by Nicklaus Design Associate, Chad Goetz, the Golden Cub is anything but a cookie-cutter miniature golf experience. Using the best artificial turf in the business, Nicklaus looked to its partner Southwest Greens to construct the course in its Golden Bear Turf. The new course, located in Downtown Abacoa and just minutes from the Nicklaus Companies headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, features holes inspired by iconic golf settings such as the Road Hole at St. Andrews; Spectacles, the notable par-five 14th at Carnoustie Golf Links, where the British Open was held this summer; and of course, design philosophies seen at some of the world’s most famous Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses.
“Our team is as proud of this development as much as any project we have developed,” said Nicklaus Companies CEO John Reese. “Giving-back is at the heart of what we do as a company, and that’s what makes the Golden Cub truly special. This innovative project is also part of innovation in golf to attract families through entertainment.”
Nicklaus Brand Soars as Feldenkreis Fuels Growth at Perry Ellis International
At the Nicklaus Companies, we believe achieving greatness cannot be accomplished alone. Therefore, we search for the leaders in each industry as partners to provide the best quality products and services around the world. That aspiration certainly rings true for the subject of this week’s Partner Spotlight, George Feldenkreis, a widely respected leader in the worldwide apparel industry, and one of the leading licensing champions for the Nicklaus brand in the last five years.
Born in Havana, Cuba, to Russian immigrants, Feldenkreis founded Supreme International in 1961, which went public in 1993 and later became Perry Ellis International (PEI) as part of its acquisition in 1999. Feldenkreis, has dramatically grown Perry Ellis — which announced its licensing partnership with Nicklaus Brand in 2013 — into a multinational corporation with annual revenues of nearly $1 billion.
“I have always believed that you earn your success through hard work, the same principal shared by Jack Nicklaus throughout his career,” said PEI Founder George Feldenkreis. “Jack Nicklaus is a great American, not just a great golfer. We utilize our strengths at Perry Ellis to expand the Nicklaus brand in a variety of products and markets, never losing sight of the premium placed on quality.”
What began as an enthusiastic partnership focused on excellence has since blossomed into a remarkably successful lifestyle business, as the Jack Nicklaus brand was recently highlighted as a “star performer” in the Perry Ellis portfolio, growing 40 percent in the last year.
“My father and I take great pride in what we have built with our family of thousands of employees at Perry Ellis International and what we have built in our relationship with the Nicklaus Companies,” said PEI CEO Oscar Feldenkreis. “The Jack Nicklaus brand is known worldwide, and we have experienced great success in a three-tier brand strategy from our Nicklaus White Label program at Target, Blue Label at sporting goods and department stores and Black Label at Nicklaus golf courses around the country. Our business has almost doubled in the past 12 months. We consider it an honor to be a partner with Jack Nicklaus and the Nicklaus Companies.”
