Golden Bear Insider - April 2009

Did You Know?
This week
Jack Nicklaus celebrates the 50th anniversary of his first Masters

A legacy unlike any other in golf began 50 years ago this week when Jack Nicklaus made his first Masters Tournament appearance. At age 19, Jack was selected to the Walker Cup team and that earned him an invitation to the 1959 Masters. He carded rounds of 75-74 to miss the cut; however, just four short years later in 1963, Jack would win the first of his record six green jackets. In 1959, though, the man who would soon become the Golden Bear to the golf world created a wealth of memories he still clings to today.
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VIDEO: Golfweek Remembers Jack's Masters magic

If your favorite Masters memory happens to involve Jack Nicklaus and the year 1986, you’re certainly not alone. Golfweek magazine interviewed a number of PGA Tour players about what they love to remember about that magical Sunday. To watch it, visit www.nicklaus.com.

Sebonack's stunning debut
at No. 39 paces seven Nicklaus Design courses
in Golf Digest's
100 Greatest

Sebonack Golf Club, the much-heralded collaboration between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak, leaped into Golf Digest's ranking of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses at No. 39, the second highest debut in the 2009-10 version of the magazine's biennial survey. Sebonack, which recently was ranked No. 7 in Golfweek's 100 "Best Modern Courses" 2009, led a parade of seven Nicklaus Design courses to make Digest's coveted survey.

Nicklaus Design also had seven courses make Golf Digest's ranking of America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses, with Harbour Town Golf Links--Jack's first design and a collaboration with Pete Dye in 1969--being the only one to make both lists. Harbour Town was No. 13 in the public ranking and No. 75 in the combined list (up 18 spots from two years ago).

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The Jake raises over $750,000 to benefit Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation

Jack and Barbara Nicklaus hosted The Jake fundraiser at The Bear's Club earlier this week. The Jake is named after the infant son of Steve and Krista Nicklaus. Jake passed away four years ago, and in his loving memory, the event has become one of the primary fundraisers for the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. The dinner, auction and golf tournament, which featured such professional stars as Ernie Els, Luke Donald and Gary Player in the pro-am format, raised over $750,000 for the foundation to support its family and pediatric services in a five-county area.

Golf writers will honor Jack
with Bartlett Award on eve
of the Masters for his lifetime
commitment to charitable giving

Jack Nicklaus, whose commitment to charitable giving has spanned four decades and is embodied in the Memorial Tournament and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, will be honored Wednesday night—the eve of the Masters Tournament—with the Golf Writers Association of America’s Charlie Bartlett Award.

The award, named for the first secretary of the GWAA, is given to a professional golfer for his/her unselfish contributions to the betterment of society.
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Reunion of Big 3
to highlight ESPN
coverage of Par 3

Jack Nicklaus will join long-time friends and competitors Arnold Palmer and Gary Player on Wednesday at the Masters Tournament in the hugely popular Par 3 Contest. Golf’s “Big Three” will reunite at 3:00 p.m. to kick off ESPN’s two-hour coverage of the Par 3 Contest.
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Jack Nicklaus visits
Las Iguanas at Cap Cana
on eve of Tour event

On March 26 and the eve of the Cap Cana Championship, an official Champions Tour event played for the second time on this picturesque layout located on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, Jack Nicklaus met with members of the international press, conducted site work on Las Iguanas (his second course for Cap Cana), toured the Golden Bear Lodge, and then hosted a cocktail reception for Cap Cana investors and officials at the Caletón Beach Club.

The Cap Cana Championship, which is played on the world-ranked Punta Espada course, was won by Keith Fergus, who holed out with a wedge from 95 yards on the 17th hole Sunday, capping his dramatic rally from four shots down to win. He shot a final-day 5-under 67 to finish at 13-under 203, one shot clear of Mark O'Meara and Andy Bean. It was Fergus’ second win on the Champions Tour. Ironically, his other victory came on another Jack Nicklaus-designed layout when he won the 2007 Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach.

View the Capa Cana photo diary

Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II dedicate their co-design
at The Peninsula De Cortes in Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Jack Nicklaus and his son Jack II made their much-anticipated arrival into Puerto Penasco, Mexico, on March 27 to officially dedicate their co-design at The Peninsula de Cortes. Situated on a 2-mile peninsula in Northwest Mexico, the course is bordered by the Sea of Cortes on one side and a tidal estuary on the other. The Peninsula, which is owned by Grupo Mayan Hotel and Resorts, is a drive-to destination for golf and beach lovers, especially in the Arizona markets of Tucson, Phoenix and Scottsdale. The course is gaining worldwide attention as one of the most unique resort golf experiences to be opened in recent years. A product of a spectacular site and the equally unbeatable creativity of Jack and Jack II, this 18-hole, par-72 course plays over undulating fairways, around natural dunes and through lush desert vegetation. The course features as many as nine holes that play to or along the ocean—believed to be a record number for a Nicklaus Design course—and the remaining holes feature spectacular water views.

"The site for The Peninsula de Cortes is one of the better natural pieces of property we have had the opportunity to work with." said Jack II. "It was a truly incredible piece of property. We moved very little dirt to create the greens, and instead let the existing sand dunes dictate the green complexes. It is a very naturally beautiful and pristine site, and that lends itself to a memorable golf experience."

After touring the course, Jack and Jack II hosted a standing-room-only press conference for media and guests, an instructional clinic, and capped the day with two ceremonial tee shots for the invited guests.

Click here to view photos from the dedication of The Peninsula De Cortes

Jack Nicklaus christens his new course at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain near Tucson, AZ, site of Accenture Match Play

Jack Nicklaus formally dedicated the Tucson area's first Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in 25 years, celebrating the centerpiece of the high Sonoran Desert's new luxury resort golf community.

"We are excited and honored to have Jack Nicklaus with us," said David Mehl of Cottonwood Properties, which owns The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain. "Our goal is to provide our members and guests with the best desert golf experience in the world. That is why we selected the best golf course designer in the world to create that golf experience. The legendary Nicklaus focus and determination to create excellence is once again evident in this project."

The original 27 holes, along with a majestic clubhouse and tour-quality practice area of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain were initially unveiled in January. Only six weeks after opening, it debuted on the international stage as host of the 2009 World Golf Championships--Accenture World Match Play Championship, where Tiger Woods made his much-anticipated return to competition.

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Click here to view photos from the dedication of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain

Jack Nicklaus shared insights about golf, leadership and family in a video interview at his North Palm Beach home on Monday with best-selling author John Maxwell. The video will air at the upcoming Maximum Impact Simulcast on May 8, 2009.

Nicklaus and Maxwell are three of the 10 thought leaders who will speak at the 2009 Maximum Impact Simulcast, a one-day leadership training event broadcast live from the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta to approximately 500 host sites throughout the nation. Host sites use the event to build relationships in their communities and offer leadership training to their own teams.

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