Nicklaus eyes B.C. greens for new 18-hole resort

By Marty Hope
Courtesy of The Calgary Herald

Maybe your dream is to find something unique in the way of recreational housing -- something that provides its own helipad, or a putting green, or just happens to be next door to golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.

Well, that dream could become a reality.

At the conclusion of the recent Skins Game tournament in Banff, Nicklaus headed to Vancouver to ready plans for new 18-hole golf course that will be part of the first phase of an exclusive resort development on Vancouver Island.

A week later, the announcement was made by Elke Loof-Koehler, president of Marine Drive Properties Ltd., that Nicklaus Design had signed an agreement with the company to create a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

It is to be next door to the Pacific Rim National Park, just north of Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

As yet unnamed, the resort will cover 148 hectares of land with views to the open Pacific Ocean and Ucluelet Inlet.

It will be immediately north of the Pacific Rim National Park and within the boundaries of the UNESCO Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve.

Besides the golf course, the resort will also have an exclusive enclave of 30 oceanfront and semi-oceanfront estate lots called Signature Circle. They will vary from 0.2 to 0.3 hectares.

Nicklaus has already purchased one of these exclusive lots, say Marine Drive officials.

Preliminary resort plans also call for homeowners to have a private putting green, helicopter landing pad and park. There will also be an internationally branded condo/hotel and other resort residences overlooking the ocean.

"We are excited about the opportunity Ms. Loof-Koehler and Marine Drive Properties have given us to create something truly special on a unique and spectacular piece of property," says Nicklaus in a news release. "If you had to compare or describe this site, you might say it has the feel of a Cypress Point."

Set along the Pacific Ocean in Pebble Beach, Calif., Cypress Point is one of the most recognized golf courses in the world.

The routing of the Ucluelet course will allow as many as two holes on the Pacific Ocean running along steep cliffs -- and up to four on the inlet side, where it will trace a bay and bluffs, says Nicklaus.

The rugged topography also lends itself to a great variety of inland holes.

The agreement between Nicklaus and Marine Drive also brings together matching philosophies regarding environmental sensitivity.

In keeping with its philosophy, the development company will protect 70 per cent of the resort as green space, ensuring a limited inventory of available properties.

"Jack Nicklaus' green approach to course design -- and his vision for creating courses that blend into the natural environment -- is a phenomenal match with our vision for this resort," says Loof-Koehler in a news release.

For nearly four decades, the mission of Nicklaus Design has been to enhance the golf experience of consumers, bringing national and international golf-related businesses and services that mirror the high standards established in the career and life of Jack Nicklaus.

Recognized as a world leader in golf course design, the company has been involved with more than 300 courses in 28 countries.

Of those, Jack Nicklaus has designed, co-designed or re-designed 250 courses around the globe, 47 of which have been ranked in U.S. or international top 100 lists.

Marine Drive Properties Ltd. is a privately-owned corporation focused on resort and residential development.

Elke Loof-Koehler has been creating real estate developments in the B.C.'s interior and Vancouver Island since 1990.

Her most recent projects are in Ucluelet, including the Tauca Lea resort and spa -- an 81-suite strata resort with restaurant and spa.