The Tribune

JACK Nicklaus, the legendary golfer, has made one of his final inspections of the course he has designed at Baha Mar before the resort opens in December. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course is the only one of its calibre in the Bahamas and one of only a handful of Nicklaus Design courses in the Caribbean.

The 18-hole, par-72 championship golf course has great variety, ocean views and a picturesque peninsula green as well as bunkers from the natural terrain. The course is designed to offer “two courses in one”, with the front nine holes providing dramatic play while the back nine wind through inland forest and native habitat.

During his weekend visit, Mr Nicklaus inspected final details on the course, which has been grassed with salt water-tolerant Platinum TE seashore Paspalum grass and is now in the grow-in phase.

“I feel blessed that golfers around the world have shown an affinity for our course designs and Baha Mar should only perpetuate that,” Mr Nicklaus, winner of the most major golf championship titles in history, said. “Travellers are going to come to Baha Mar for the casino, the world-class hotels and the beautiful water. We also believe that they are going to enjoy the golf experience that we will provide.

“While most of the golf courses in the Bahamas are designed on smaller pieces of land and, as a result, are fairly tight, there is plenty of room to play golf on this course and it will appeal to golfers of every level. Better golfers will appreciate the strategy and the shot values but every golfer should love the playability and aesthetics of the course.”

Additionally, Baha Mar is making golf greener at the luxury resort by incorporating smart design and irrigating the course with reclaimed water.

Paul Pusateri, Baha Mar’s chief operating officer, said “We are proud to be home to a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, one of the premier golf courses in the world. It is part of the collection of diverse, world-class experiences that Baha Mar will offer. These experiences, along with the superb hospitality of our team, will put the Bahamas on the world stage in a way that has never been seen before.”