The Concession is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course designed in association Tony Jacklin. (Photo by Jim Mandeville)

An automatic dispensation from 2-foot putts isn't part of the plan, but nothing else will be left to chance when The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., is completed.

Scheduled to open in 2005, The Concession is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course designed in association with British great Tony Jacklin. The epic 1969 Ryder Cup match between Nicklaus and Jacklin, which ended in a tie when Nicklaus conceded a 2-foot putt, inspired the course's name.

When complete, The Concession Golf Club will be just the second high-end private facility in the Sarasota-Manatee County area, with memberships priced at $75,000.

"This area has a lot of golf courses, but there's not the golf course," says Jacklin, whose ambition is to have a layout equal in stature and beauty to Augusta National Golf Club. "Our objective is to build something extraordinary, something special to go with that special moment in time."

View Jack and Tony reminiscing about the 1969 Ryder Cup.

The 520-acre property--the centerpiece of a 1,200-acre, $600 million residential community--lends itself to a unique opportunity. Old oaks and pines, some as tall as 150 feet, will dictate much of the course's personality on the rolling land dotted by wetlands. The 18-hole layout will be a "core" course, meaning no homes will border it, nor will any roads cross it. Actually, there will be two homes on the golf course--Jacklin's permanent home and another belonging to Nicklaus.

Though trees abound, Jacklin says the course will have an "open feel" that flows naturally throughout the landscape, in deference to classic design philosophy. "Jack and I have played at the highest levels of the game, and our goal is to create a course worthy of world-class tournament play ... inspired by the quality of the great tournament venues around the world." In a recent meeting between Nicklaus and Jacklin, they even bandied about the idea of an 18th hole inspired by the closing hole at Royal Birkdale, site of the 1969 Ryder Cup and the original Concession.

A clubhouse complementing the championship course should be completed in 2006 along with a 30-acre practice facility. The residential area will have a separate clubhouse and recreational facilities, including a swimming pool and tennis courts.

Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin reminisce about the 1969 Ryder Cup during taping of an interview for a DVD about The Concession. Nicklaus' concession of Jacklin's 2-foot putt, which halved their match and resulted in the first tie of a Ryder Cup in the tournament's 42-year history, is still considered one of the greatest sporting gestures in the game's history.

For more information, visit The Concession's web site or The Concession at NicklausDesign.com.