Nicklaus' Focus On Designing

By Dave Lubach
Sheboygan Press

SHEBOYGAN FALLS - With few exceptions, Jack Nicklaus' playing days are deep into the back nine of his career.

At age 63 and a few years removed from hip replacement surgery, Nicklaus' primary focus in golf is designing.

He acknowledged that during Monday's Grand Opening at The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, where Nicklaus played his first Signature Course in Wisconsin for the first time.

"I enjoy what I do; I do it a lot better than I play golf now," Nicklaus said. "It's a nice legacy to leave. My golf game is a nice legacy, but the courses will be here a long time too. It's neat to do courses in different places."

Golf has taken Nicklaus to all corners of the world. He's currently working on a project in Russia, and has a dozen courses in China.

"In Thailand, we had 11 contracts in one year," he said.

When Bull owners David Bachmann Jr. and David Bachmann Sr. approached Nicklaus about designing their course, he didn't take on the project until he was convinced it was a worthy one.

"(My design associate) said it was a nice piece of ground, and there should be a golf course on it," Nicklaus said.

Following his round, Nicklaus appeared pleased with the finished product. There are four greens on the front nine that had trouble growing grass, but Nicklaus didn't appear too concerned that the problem would linger.