Nicklaus Design Facts
Courses Open for Play: 365
Courses Designed by Jack: 289
Countries Represented: 34
Courses on Tour: 90
Championships Staged: Over 600
Nicklaus Design Step-by-Step
As the leader in the golf course design industry, with well over 325 courses open for play in more than 30 countries worldwide, Nicklaus Design offers vast experience in creating excellence in course design that meets the varying needs of their clients. While the process varies greatly from project to project, a basic plan is followed.
The first phase in every design project is the site analysis, during which time the Nicklaus Design team carefully determines what opportunities are available at a particular site. Once the team is familiar with the site, it is important for those involved to familiarize themselves with the needs and goals of the client and project.
The critical phase of land planning begins once the Nicklaus Design team understands the client's wishes. Working together with the project owner, the team selects a location for the golf course, and a routing of the holes is created. Once this routing is completed, the Nicklaus Design team moves on to the conceptual and strategic design of the golf course. During this time the course's character, style and personality are developed, as Nicklaus Design incorporates and blends the surrounding natural environment into the eventual look and feel of the project, while creating a variety of different golf shots, angles, hole lengths and hazards.
Before the actual construction of the golf course can begin, a grading plan must be produced to detail how the soil should be moved and how the elevations will be properly created during construction, allowing players to see all of the obstacles in front of them.
The clearing plan documents how the team will preserve and work with existing vegetation, or, when required, what areas need to be partially cleared to make room for site work. Once complete, the clearing plan makes way for Nicklaus Design to bring in an agronomist that can consult on the climate, soils, water quality and other issues used in determining what varieties of grasses should be utilized during construction.
The final element in the plan is to use the grading to produce grassing plans while working with an engineer to best create the needed drainage and irrigation on the golf course.
Step No. 1 - Pre Construction
Project Analysis » Site Analysis » Preliminary Routing Plan » Final Routing Plan » Permitting and Approval Process » Plan Production » Consultants [Irrigation Consultant, Agronomist, Project Engineer] » Contractor Bidding » Material Selection
Step No. 2 - Clearing
Surveying » Site Preparation » Phase One » Clearing » Phase Two Clearing » Selective Clearing » Grubbing
Step No. 3 - Mass Excavation
Soil Engineering » Topsoil Stripping » Earthwork (Typical Site) | Earthwork (Rock Site) | Earthwork (High Water Table) » Surveying
Step No. 4 - Rough Shaping
Selection of Shaper(s) » Surveying » Large Scale Shaping » Detail Feature Shaping
Step No. 5 - Drainage
Drainage Engineer » Storm Drainage » Feature Drainage » Compaction and Clean Up
Step No. 6 - Irrigation
Irrigation Plan » Pump Station Installation » Irriation Layout » Irrigation Installation » Clean Up
Step No. 7 - Feature Construction
Lakes » Bunkers » Tees » Greens » Cart Path
Step No. 8 - Finish Shaping
Fairway Drainage » Capping » Fairways and Rough » Greens » Tees » Bunkers
Step No. 9 - Grassing
Tree Planting » Seed Bed Preparation » Grassing » Landscape
Step No. 10 - Grow In
Fertility & Disease Control » Erosion Control » Mowing & Grooming » Final Clean Up
Step No. 11 - Grand Opening
