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Jack Nicklaus II designing Verandah course in Lee County

By KEVIN JOHNSON (Contact)

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Nicklaus moments at Augusta National Golf Club tend to blossom each spring, right along with the azaleas.

Last week another memory was added to the Nicklaus lore at Augusta. Surprisingly, it didn't have anything to do with the emotional ride Jack Nicklaus and Jack II took golf fans on 20 years earlier as father captured his final major at age 46 with son caddying, cheering and hugging.

In fact, the famous hug on the 18th green between father and son — replayed several times during last week's broadcast — was touching, but now there's one with even more significance for Jack II.

"Actually, there's a hug that occurred Wednesday prior to The Masters that was more meaningful to me, not that '86 wasn't to me," said Jack II on Wednesday at Verandah in Fort Myers. "My 11-year-old son, Charlie, caddied for my dad in the Par 3 contest. My dad had Charlie putt out on the 9th hole. He made about a 12-foot putt in his caddy overalls and the crowd exploded. There was a nice embrace between Charlie and my dad and that was pretty special."

Though Jack, Sr.'s competitive playing days have dwindled, the Nicklaus family continues to make its mark in the golfing world, including in Southwest Florida. For Jack II, that includes being the lead designer for Nicklaus Design's new 18-hole course under construction at Bonita Bay Group's Verandah, located two miles east of I-75's exit 131.

The course, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2006 and will feature additional residences, will cover 6,300 yards from the front tees and 7,279 yards from the back tees.

During Wednesday's press conference at Verandah's River Village, Nicklaus II pointed to the majestic live oak trees throughout the property that caught his attention during his initial visit last year.

"The trees are going to be terrific on the property," he said. "The environmental groups ask that you save a lot, and we actually requested we save a lot of the trees."

The new course will complement the Bob Cupp-designed 18-hole course — and its trees — that opened at Verandah in 2003.

"I said if we're going to carry on one theme to another golf course, we're certainly going to do that," said Nicklaus II.

Photo by KEVIN JOHNSON / Banner

Jack Nicklaus II, left, visited the Verandah in Fort Myers on Wednesday afternoon. Nicklaus is designing a second 18-hole golf course at the Verandah. With Nicklaus are Tom Pearson, center, senior design associate for Nicklaus Design, and Ralph Haskins, senior project manager for The Bonita Bay Group.

The Orange River, which meanders throughout Verandah, will not be part of the new course.

"I thought the golf course initially needed it, but I'm not under that opinion now," said Nicklaus II. "You've got a lot of neat character on the golf course that is fun. I think we're building a golf course that has a lot of variety, which sometimes is difficult in Florida because you have such flat property."

But that doesn't mean concepts from overseas can't be instituted, as golfers will discover in a collection bunker next to No. 17's green on the new course, an area compared to St. Andrews' most famous hole.

"We took that concept that works well at the Road Hole and we put it in place here," Nicklaus II said.

Nicklaus II was involved with his father in the co-design of Twin Eagles in Naples, but is not working on the Nicklaus, Sr. designed Old Corkscrew on Corkscrew Road.

When it comes to father and son designing courses, one last name is involved, but it's two sets of eyes.

"When he stands on the tee, he's thinking about knocking a drive 320 yards down the middle of the fairway, and I'm looking at the trees on the right and the water on the left," said Nicklaus II. "We certainly approach it differently because we play the game differently and everyone's got a little different personality. But the basis of my knowledge of what a golf course, golf hole and project should look like certainly stems from him."