Highlighted by Ocean Hammock Golf Club's first appearance in a national
Top-100 list, Nicklaus Design placed eight courses on GOLF Magazine's 2002
ranking of the "Top 100 You Can Play." Ocean Hammock, located in Palm
Coast, Fla., and featuring as many as six holes edging the sand and surf
of Florida's north coast, opened in December 2000. In just 19 months, the
course has been named one of America's Best New Courses by Golf Digest,
and is now ranked 70th in GOLF's Top 100 You Can Play.
Nicklaus Design continues to produce public-access golf courses with the
high standards usually attached to the private clubs designed by Jack
Nicklaus and his team. That's never more obvious than in Hawaii, where
three Nicklaus courses made the Top 100 You Can Play: The Challenge at
Manele (No. 16); Kauai Lagoons-Kiele (No. 74); and Hualalai (No. 77).
Manele, opened in 1993, is perched atop 200-foot cliffs and the course
offers dramatic views of the ocean from all 18 holes. Kauai Lagoons-Kiele
opened in 1988, and with its rolling hills and cliff-hanging greens,
presents a golfing challenge to the pro and weekend golfer alike. Kauai
Lagoons is also the host venue for the 2002 Jack Nicklaus Cup Matches.
Hualalai opened in 1996 and has already established itself among the top
destinations in Hawaii. A carefully groomed course carved out of the black
lava fields, Hualalai is the jewel of the Four Seasons Resort and plays
host each January to the Senior PGA Tour's MasterCard Championship.
Other Nicklaus Design courses to make GOLF's Top 100 You Can Play: Harbour
Town (No.13); Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas (No. 37); The
Greenbrier (No. 44); and Great Waters at Reynolds Plantation (No. 54).
The top-ranked course in GOLF's list was Pebble Beach, followed by
year-old Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Oregon. The Black Course at Bethpage
State Park in Farmingdale, New York, which recently hosted the US Open,
moves up two places to the third spot.
A panel comprised of PGA section directors, regional golf association
directors, golf writers and other members of the golf community voted from
a list of more than 400 daily-fee, resort, and semi-private courses.
Members of the public who played more than 20 courses on the list were
invited to vote through the magazine's web site GOLFONLINE.com.
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