Jack Nicklaus

Hilton Head Island, SC

Harbour Town Golf Links opened in 1969 at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It was Pete Dye's breakthrough design, built with a young Jack Nicklaus consulting, and it deliberately rejected the long, wide, heavily contoured style that dominated American golf at the time. Harbour Town is short by modern standards and defended by narrowness. Live oaks and pines press in on the fairways, the greens are small and mostly flat, and Dye used railroad ties and sharp-edged bunkers to frame targets tightly. Position off the tee matters far more than distance, which is why the course still holds up against professionals. The par-4 18th runs along Calibogue Sound to a green beside the red-and-white Harbour Town Lighthouse. The course has hosted the RBC Heritage every year since it opened, making it one of the longest continuous relationships between a PGA Tour event and a course. It is open to resort guests and the public.

Bluffton, SC

May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, is a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 2004. It sits on a 20,000-acre preserve between the May and Cooper rivers, in a setting of live oaks, salt marsh and tidal creeks. The course was built with no cart paths, so the corridors read as continuous turf from tee to green, and the routing was laid out to protect the existing oak stands rather than clear them. Fairways are wide, the bunkering is sandy and shallow in places, and the greens are large. Several holes finish alongside the marsh with the river beyond. Walking with a caddie is the standard here, and pace and quiet are part of the experience. Access is for club members and guests of the Montage Palmetto Bluff resort.

Grand Haven, MI

Jack Nicklaus tribute to military veterans on Lake Michigan dunes

Lanai City, HI

Manele Golf Course opened in 1993 as a Jack Nicklaus design, built on lava outcroppings above Hulopoe Bay on Lanai, the smallest of Hawaii's inhabited islands. Three holes sit on the cliffs and use the Pacific as a hazard. The par-3 12th is the one people remember. It plays about 200 yards from a cliff tee across an ocean cove, with roughly a 180-yard carry to reach land. Tee shots over gorges and ravines show up elsewhere too, and five sets of tees let higher handicaps enjoy it. Play is for Four Seasons Resort Lanai guests. The resort does not sell tee times to day visitors.

Eatonton, GA

Jack Nicklaus designed Great Waters, which opened in 1992 on the shore of Lake Oconee near Eatonton, Georgia, as the second course built at what is now Reynolds Lake Oconee. Nine of the eighteen holes touch the lake. The front nine moves through rolling parkland and hardwood before the routing turns to the water on the back nine, with greens set close to the shoreline through the closing stretch. The par-3 eighth and the run of holes from the ninth through the thirteenth carry most of the water exposure. Nicklaus Design rebuilt the course from the ground up starting in 2018, replacing turf, greens, bunkers, tees and irrigation while keeping Nicklaus's original routing and strategy. It reopened in the fall of 2019. The course hosted stages of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf from 1995 to 1997. Access runs through Reynolds Lake Oconee membership or a stay at the resort rather than open public tee sheets.

Anaconda, MT

Nicklaus design on a historic copper-smelting Superfund site

Marana, AZ

The Golf Club at Dove Mountain is a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature facility in the Sonoran Desert foothills of Marana, Arizona, opened in 2009 alongside The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. Its three nines, Saguaro, Tortolita and Wild Burro, sit at elevations between roughly 2,300 and 3,000 feet against the Tortolita Mountains, with a 45,000-square-foot clubhouse at the center of the property. The club carries a private membership, and tee times are available to Ritz-Carlton resort guests and members rather than the general public. Desert waste areas and elevation changes shape the shots across the property.

Harrison, TN

Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is an 18-hole, par-72 public golf course in Harrison, Tennessee, part of the Tennessee Golf Trail within Harrison Bay State Park. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1999, it was the second course built in the Bear Trace collection. It measures 7,111 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 73.9 and a slope of 138. The layout occupies a peninsula on Chickamauga Lake near Chattanooga, with water and heavily wooded terrain surrounding much of the course.

Acme, MI

The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, Michigan, is an 18-hole, par-72 resort course designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened on June 17, 1985, his first course in Michigan. It measures 7,078 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 76.1 and a slope of 150. Nicklaus's design features Scottish-style terraced fairways, tiered greens, deep grassy roughs, moguls, and pot bunkers, set among rolling land with lakes, streams, and fruit orchards. It remains open to resort guests and the public.

Sheboygan Falls, WI

The Bull at Pinehurst Farms is an 18-hole, par-72 public course in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2003 on a former dairy farm. It is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Wisconsin. It measures 7,354 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 76.3 and a slope of 147. The par-5 first hole, named 'Copyright' after a bull from the farm, opens a routing that moves through mature woodlands, open meadows, wetlands, and elevation changes across 400 acres.

Larkspur, CO

The Golf Club at Bear Dance is a public course in Larkspur, Colorado, between Denver and Colorado Springs. It sits on 753 acres of mountain terrain at an average elevation of about 6,800 feet, opened in 2002, and plays through Ponderosa pines, oak ridges, and native grasses. Elevation change defines the routing, including a drivable par 4 protected by bunkers shaped like bear paws. The par-4 16th hole offers a view of Pikes Peak from the tee. The course plays to a par of 72 with a course rating of 73.8 and a slope of 138 from the back tees.

La Quinta, CA

The Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West is an 18-hole, par-72 resort course in La Quinta, California. It measures 7,204 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 75.3 and a slope of 143. The desert layout features two island greens, including the par-5 15th, nicknamed 'Long Island,' which plays 572 yards with a split fairway. Elevated, tabletop fairways and deep bunkering around the greens define the routing, set against desert brush and mountain views.

Ka'upulehu, HI

Hualalai Golf Club on the Kona coast of Hawaii opened in 1996 as a Jack Nicklaus design built across old lava flows at Ka'upulehu. The black rock is left exposed against the fairways, which gives the course its look. The golf is generous through the shoulders and tightens near the greens, with trade winds doing most of the defending. The routing reaches the ocean late, and the par-3 17th plays toward the water with the beach behind the green. The course hosts the PGA Tour Champions season opener each January. Play is limited to guests of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and club members.

Kiawah Island, SC

Turtle Point sits on the eastern end of Kiawah Island and was the second course to open at the resort. Jack Nicklaus designed it and it opened in 1981, winding through maritime forest and marsh before reaching three consecutive oceanfront holes on the back nine. Lagoons are placed to make the golfer choose a line rather than simply punish a miss, and the fairways are generous but angled. Nicklaus returned in 2016 to lead a renovation that regrassed the course in paspalum and refined the bunkering and green complexes. The result balances Lowcountry woodland golf with a genuinely dramatic run along the Atlantic.

Suwanee, GA

Bear's Best Atlanta is located in Suwanee, Georgia, north of Atlanta, and is part of the nationwide Bear's Best concept created by Jack Nicklaus and operated by Invited (formerly ClubCorp). Rather than a single original routing, the course assembles 18 holes replicated from Nicklaus designs around the world, drawing from courses such as Castle Pines, Muirfield Village, Sherwood Country Club and Shoal Creek. It opened in 2002, giving golfers a sampling of Nicklaus's varied design styles in one round. The club operates as a public daily-fee facility with membership options through the Invited network, offering dining and tournament hosting in addition to golf.

Saucier, MS

Grand Bear Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-72 Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Saucier, Mississippi, opened in 1999. The layout runs through tall pines and cypress wetlands in the DeSoto National Forest, with the Little Biloxi River bordering the front nine and the Big Biloxi River shaping three of the closing four holes. From the back tees it plays 7,204 yards to a rating of 75.5 and slope of 143, while forward tees shorten it to 4,802 yards. Wide fairways and bunkers that sit mostly clear of the greens give players of varying skill levels a realistic path to par.

Henderson, NV

Reflection Bay Golf Club is a public resort course in Henderson, Nevada, designed by Jack Nicklaus and built in 1998 along the shoreline of Lake Las Vegas. The par-72 layout measures 7,261 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 75.6 and a slope of 150. Five holes play along the water, including the par-3 eighth, and the routing mixes uphill and downhill holes across desert terrain. The course closed for several months in 2023 for green and fairway renovations before reopening that September.

Selbyville, DE

Nicklaus Signature design overlooking Assawoman Bay near Ocean City

Palm Coast, FL

The Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Golf Resort in Palm Coast, Florida, is a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 2000. Six of its 18 holes play directly along the Atlantic Ocean, and the routing also crosses wetlands and lakes exposed to ocean breezes. The par-72 course closes with a four-hole stretch nicknamed "the Bear Claw." After storm damage from Hurricane Matthew, the course went through a 13-month restoration completed in 2017 that replaced its turf with salt-tolerant Platinum Paspalum. It sits alongside the Conservatory Course within the same resort.

Dumfries, VA

Potomac Shores Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design in Dumfries, Virginia. It opened in May 2014 within the Potomac Shores community, running through mature hardwoods on a hilly peninsula above the Potomac River. The par-72 course plays 7,020 yards from the back tees, with more than 200 feet of elevation change, wetland buffers, and river views. Some holes require shots over bluffs along the water. The Troon-managed course is about 30 minutes south of Washington, D.C.

Tucson, AZ

La Paloma Country Club is a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature facility in the foothills of Tucson's Santa Catalina Mountains. The Ridge and Canyon nines opened in 1984, with the Hill nine added later. The course works through rugged desert, with the Canyon nine known for forced carries and the Ridge nine for elevated tees. La Paloma is a club managed by Troon Golf, with access for members and guests of the adjoining Westin La Paloma resort.

Bend, OR

Jack Nicklaus high-desert design at Juniper Preserve near Bend

Lihue, HI

Jack Nicklaus oceanside design on Kauai's dramatic coastline

Monroe, NY

The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design in Monroe, New York, opened in 1999 on a 220-acre site in the Hudson Valley foothills of the Catskills. The par-72 layout plays 6,889 yards from the tour tees, with a course rating of 74.9 and a slope of 145. Bentgrass fairways and greens wind through natural tree lines and wetlands with significant elevation change. The property includes an 18th-century stone clubhouse and several structures that predate the American Revolution. The club operates as a semi-private facility managed by Troon Golf.

Orlando, FL

The Links Course at Grand Cypress Golf Club, formerly known as the New Course, is an 18-hole, par-72 layout at the Evermore Resort near Walt Disney World in Orlando. It opened in 1988 as a Jack Nicklaus design built as a tribute to the Old Course at St Andrews, with double greens, pot bunkers, a recreated Swilcan Bridge, and a burn. The layout favors firm ground and wide fairways over the elevated mounding typical of Florida resort courses. From the back tees it plays 6,773 yards with a course rating of 71.9 and a slope of 121.

Plymouth, MA

Nicklaus Design's Plymouth pine forest companion to the Jones Course: tighter, more dramatic.

Dearborn, MI

TPC Michigan is a private club in Dearborn, Michigan, built on land provided by Ford Motor Company near Ford's world headquarters. Jack Nicklaus designed the course, which opened in 1990. It belongs to the TPC network tied to the PGA Tour, and from 1991 to 2006 it hosted the Ford Senior Players Championship, a Champions Tour major. The layout runs through wetlands and rolling ground, with several forced carries over water and bunkers guarding contoured greens. Fairways and greens are bentgrass. Invited owns the club today, and access is limited to members and their guests.

Campton, NH

Owl's Nest is mountain golf in the best New Hampshire sense: big White Mountain views, meaningful elevation changes and a layout that makes you think about where to hit the ball. Originally designed by Mark Mungeam and later refined with Nicklaus Design, the course winds through the hills above the Pemigewasset River and uses the terrain well. The elevation changes are the story. There are plenty of uphill and downhill shots, several holes where club selection can get tricky, and some really memorable views, particularly late in the round. The par 3s and the closing stretch stand out, with the downhill 16th giving you one of those mountain-golf tee shots where the scenery can be almost as distracting as the golf. The greens are generally smooth and quick, and recent player feedback consistently mentions good conditioning and fast pace of play. The housing development is noticeable, so this isn't a completely secluded mountain experience. But the views, elevation changes and routing give it considerably more character than a typical resort community course. At roughly 6,800 yards from the back tees, it can also play plenty difficult without requiring you to bomb driver all day. The bigger appeal is the overall Owl's Nest experience. With lodging, dining and other resort amenities on site, it makes a lot of sense as part of a White Mountains golf weekend rather than simply a standalone round. Come for the mountain setting, stay for the resort, and expect a fun, challenging round with enough elevation and scenery to make it memorable.

Baldwinsville, NY

Timber Banks Golf Club sits along the Seneca River near Baldwinsville, New York, part of a larger planned community with a marina. Designed by Nicklaus Design, the course opened in stages, with its back nine debuting in 2009 and the full 18 holes completed the following year. It was the first Jack Nicklaus-designed course built in Central New York, routed through woodlands, meadows and wetlands. The layout stretches to more than 7,300 yards from the back tees and is known for its bunkering and multi-tiered, hourglass-shaped greens that demand precise approach shots, along with four lengthy par-5 holes offering risk and reward options. Timber Banks operates as a public and membership facility with a clubhouse, restaurant and event spaces alongside the golf course.

Sunland, CA

Angeles National Golf Club is the only public-access championship course in Los Angeles designed by Nicklaus Design Group. Opened in 2004, this desert-style course has wide fairways and notoriously difficult greens. The course conditions are well-manicured, with strategic bunkering and subtle water features. The par-4 11th is a strategic challenge, and the par-5 2nd allows for an aggressive drive. Four sets of tees are available.

Bronx, NY

Jack Nicklaus links golf with Manhattan skyline views: a $127M public course in the Bronx.

Benton Harbor, MI

Jack Nicklaus design on the St. Joseph River: host of the KitchenAid Senior PGA

Las Vegas, NV

Bear's Best Las Vegas is a Jack Nicklaus-designed public course in Las Vegas, Nevada, that opened in 2001. Rather than a single original routing, the course assembles 18 holes drawn from some of Nicklaus's earlier designs around the world, including holes referencing PGA West and Castle Pines, reworked into one composite layout on desert terrain near the Spring Mountains. The course is operated as a daily-fee facility with a private-club feel, featuring bentgrass greens, desert-framed fairways, and a practice facility with two putting greens and a driving range. Carts include GPS and Bluetooth amenities. It plays to roughly 7,194 yards with a slope of 147 from the back tees.

East Stroudsburg, PA

Great Bear Golf Club is a semi-private, 18-hole golf course in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1997. Nicklaus personally surveyed the former farmland site in the Pocono Mountains during design in 1994, and construction contended with extensive rock excavation on the property. The course is one of Nicklaus's signature designs in the Poconos region. It operates today as a public-facing course offering tee times and outing packages.

Coyote Springs, NV

Coyote Springs Golf Club is a public course about an hour north of Las Vegas in the planned community of Coyote Springs, Nevada. It was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2008 as the first of what was intended to be a series of Nicklaus-designed courses in the community. The par-72 layout ranges from about 5,349 yards at the forward tees to 7,471 yards at the championship tees, with eleven lakes worked into the desert terrain and wide, rumpled fairways that reward accurate positioning. The valley setting is ringed by mountain ranges on all sides, giving the course a dramatic desert backdrop framed by peaks reaching several thousand feet. A large practice facility spans more than twenty acres with multiple target greens and a dedicated short-game area. The course is open daily to the public, with tee times bookable online, and offers separate rates for Nevada residents.

San Jose, CA

The Tournament Course is one of two 18-hole layouts at Coyote Creek Golf Club in Morgan Hill, California, just south of San Jose in the South Bay. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1999, it is the more demanding of the property's two Nicklaus courses and hosted the Champions Tour's Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley in 2001 and 2002. The back nine finishes through a series of four lakes and two waterfalls, with the par-4 18th, bordered by water down the entire right side, regarded as the course's signature hole. Fairways and greens are bluegrass, and the layout combines generous, manicured fairways with strategic bunkering and water hazards across rolling valley terrain. The course plays to a par of 72 and stretches to roughly 7,027 yards from the back tees.

Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge Golf Club is a municipal 27-hole course in Breckenridge, Colorado, at roughly 9,300 feet. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, it is routed as three nines, the Bear, the Beaver and the Elk, through mountains, forest, streams, wetlands and lakes. Water comes into play on about half the holes, and bunkers defend many landing areas and greens. Combined nines play to roughly 7,145 to 7,266 yards depending on the routing.

Ridgedale, MO

Top of the Rock is a nine-hole, par-3 Jack Nicklaus design set high above Table Rock Lake at Big Cedar Lodge. The compact routing moves among exposed limestone, waterfalls, lakes and Ozark views, with several holes stretching beyond the pitch-and-putt range. It became the first par-3 course used in a PGA Tour Champions event. Buffalo Bar sits below Osage Restaurant at Top of the Rock and opens onto a patio with Ozark Mountain views. Drinks, firelight and the seasonal sunset ceremony give it a theatrical finish to a round, while Osage and Arnie's Barn provide full-meal alternatives nearby.

Palm Springs, CA

Escena Golf Club is an 18-hole public course in Palm Springs, California, located near Palm Springs International Airport. The course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2005, set against views of the San Jacinto Mountains. The layout runs through desert landscaping with palm trees and water features, with generally wide fairways and large, gently sloping greens protected by bunkers and water hazards. From the back tees the course stretches to almost 7,200 yards, while four sets of tees plus combination options make it playable for a range of golfers. Escena is open to the public and includes a clubhouse with the Escena Grill restaurant. The course occasionally closes for short stretches for maintenance projects, so golfers should check seasonal hours before visiting.

Pinehurst, NC

Pinehurst No. 9 is a resort course located about three miles from the main Pinehurst clubhouse in the North Carolina Sandhills, set among longleaf pines near Southern Pines. It opened in 1989 as the privately owned National Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus, and was purchased by Pinehurst Resort in 2014 and renamed. It is the only Nicklaus design among Pinehurst's course lineup. The layout features wide, tree-lined fairways, undulating bentgrass greens, and water hazards rather than the sand waste areas common on other Sandhills courses, playing to a par of 72 over roughly 7,100 yards from the back tees with five sets of tees for varying abilities. Guests reach the course via a complimentary resort shuttle or by driving themselves, and it is generally recommended as a second or third round on a Pinehurst trip rather than a first. As of this writing the course is closed for renovation, with reopening planned for August 2026.

New Orleans, LA

English Turn Golf & Country Club is a private club in the English Turn neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. The par-72 championship course, measuring 7,078 yards from the back tees, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1988. It is the home course for the Tulane Green Wave and New Orleans Privateers college golf teams and formerly hosted a PGA Tour event. Meandering lagoons and oak trees line the fairways throughout the layout.

White Sulphur Springs, WV

Jack Nicklaus's first professional design commission (1962): The Greenbrier's most accessible layout and a landmark in golf architecture history.

Flintstone, MD

Rocky Gap Casino Resort Golf Course is an 18-hole course in Flintstone, Maryland, within Rocky Gap State Park near Cumberland. It is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Design in Maryland, opened in 1999. The front nine winds through mountainous, tree-lined terrain along the Appalachian foothills with sharp elevation changes, while the back nine crosses more open, rolling meadows near Lake Habeeb. The course plays about 7,000 yards from the back tees at a par of 72, with five sets of tees for different skill levels. It operates as a resort course tied to the adjoining casino and hotel, with a driving range, putting greens, and pro shop open to guests and the public.

Kailua-Kona, HI

Makalei Golf Club is a public course in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on the western slopes of Hualalai Mountain, with elevations on the property ranging from about 1,800 to 2,850 feet. Designed by Dick Nugent and Associates, the course runs through native forest rather than the coastal terrain typical of the island's other courses, incorporating lava tubes, cinder cones, and a stone wall more than a century old. Bent grass greens, unusual for Hawaii, are used throughout. From the championship tees the course measures 7,091 yards, with shorter options down to 5,242 yards from the forward tees. Wild pheasants, turkeys, and peacocks are commonly seen around the property.

Truckee, CA

Old Greenwood is a golf course at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, California, set among 600 acres of towering pines in the mountains near North Lake Tahoe. Designed by Jack Nicklaus as a Signature course, it opened in 2004. The layout uses rolling terrain, numerous bunkers, and large, undulating greens across its 18 holes, including a redan-style par-3 that plays along a lake and a risk-reward par-5 guarded by a long fairway bunker and water near the green. The course has hosted a PGA Tour event, the Barracuda Championship, in 2022. Old Greenwood operates through Tahoe Mountain Club's membership and resort structure, with cottage rentals on site and access available to members, resort guests, and pass holders rather than unrestricted daily-fee play.

Henderson, TN

Bear Trace at Chickasaw is an 18-hole, par-72 public golf course in Henderson, Tennessee, located within Chickasaw State Park. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2000, the course is part of the Tennessee Golf Trail, a state-park system of Nicklaus-designed public courses. It is set deep within the forested terrain of the park, with bent-grass greens and Bermuda fairways. The course is operated in conjunction with Tennessee State Parks.

Reunion, FL

The Nicklaus Course at Reunion Resort is an 18-hole, par-72 layout near Kissimmee, Florida, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2006. It is a parkland-style course with long horizon lines and elevated tees and greens, playing to roughly 7,244 yards from the back tees. The layout rewards a carefully planned series of shots, tempting golfers toward risk-reward decisions rather than relying on a single defining hazard. It is one of three courses at the Reunion community, alongside designs by Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson. Like the resort's other courses, the Nicklaus Course is open only to resort guests, club members, and their guests, with tee times booked through Reunion's golf department.

Dahlonega, GA

Achasta Golf Club is located in the North Georgia mountains near Dahlonega, about an hour north of Atlanta, within a golf community along the Chestatee River. The 18-hole course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and winds along the Chestatee River for more than half its holes, including a par-3 played to a green on an island in the river. The layout features Bermuda greens and takes advantage of the surrounding mountain terrain. Achasta operates as a semi-private, par-72 club; non-members may play but must rent a cart and are restricted from starting before noon on Saturdays. Amenities include a driving range, putting green, and on-site pro shop with instruction available, and the course is open year-round.

San Jose, CA

The Valley Course is one of two 18-hole layouts at Coyote Creek Golf Club, located in Morgan Hill, California at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, near San Jose. Both courses at the club, the Valley and the Tournament, were designed by Jack Nicklaus and offer views of rolling hills and open meadows across the property. The Valley Course plays to a par of 72 and measures 7,066 yards from the back tees, with challenging greens and terrain that is somewhat flatter than the neighboring Tournament Course. Its par-3 seventh hole requires a tee shot carrying a lake to a bunkered green. Coyote Creek is open to public play with tee times bookable online or by phone, and walk-ins accepted based on availability. The property includes a driving range, practice areas, and the 12 Mile Station restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.

Clemmons, NC

Salem Glen Golf and Country Club is a public course in Clemmons, west of Winston-Salem. The 18-hole layout plays along the Yadkin River with water in play throughout, a scenic and well-conditioned course for the western Triad.

Winchester, TN

Bear Trace at Tims Ford is a state park golf course in Winchester, Tennessee, built on a peninsula surrounded by Tims Ford Lake. It opened in 1999 as part of the Bear Trace collection of Tennessee courses designed by Jack Nicklaus. The front holes roll across former pastureland in a links-like style before the layout transitions into wooded terrain dominated by large oak trees. The lake is visible from most holes and comes into play on several of them, and the course plays to a par of 71 at around 6,764 yards from the back tees. Operated by Tennessee State Parks, Bear Trace at Tims Ford is open to the public year round, with on-site lodging, a snack bar, practice facilities, and club rentals available.

Clifton, TN

Bear Trace at Ross Creek Landing is an 18-hole, par-72 public golf course in Clifton, Tennessee, located on Airport Drive along the Tennessee River. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Bruce Borland, the course opened in 2001 and plays roughly 7,131 yards from the back tees as part of the state-run Tennessee Golf Trail. Its riverside setting in Wayne County offers rolling, wooded terrain typical of the region. The course operates as a daily-fee public facility.

Pawleys Island, SC

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club in Pawleys Island is a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 1988, routed through saltwater marsh and centuries-old live oaks on the Waccamaw Neck. The par-72 layout stretches to 7,031 yards from the back tees and plays down to 4,932 from the forward markers. Nicklaus Design returned in 2023 with design associate Troy Vincent for a full greens, bunker and clubhouse restoration, removing the sprawling bunkering on more than half the holes, widening fairway corridors and enlarging the greens; the course reopened that October. The par-3 13th plays from a marsh-ringed tee to a peninsula green and is the hole most players remember.

Daufuskie Island, SC

Melrose Golf Club is the Jack Nicklaus-designed course on Daufuskie Island, opened in 1987 and reachable only by ferry. Nicklaus called the property an uncut jewel, with oceanfront, salt and fresh marsh, live oaks and mature pines, and the par-72 layout plays to about 7,081 yards. The final three holes run along the Atlantic Ocean, with the 18th finishing on a peninsula jutting into the surf. Golf Digest once deemed it a Top 75 course in North America.

Crab Orchard, TN

The Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain is a public golf course within Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crab Orchard, Tennessee, on the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Knoxville. It opened in 1998 as a Jack Nicklaus Design course, the first built in the Bear Trace network of Tennessee state park courses. The 18-hole layout plays to a par of 72 at around 6,900 to 6,928 yards from the back tees, using elevation changes, flowing brooks, and mature pine stands as natural hazards; the par-4 seventh hole incorporates a bed of layered flagstone along the green. On-site amenities include a driving range, practice green, snack bar, on-site lodging and camping, and club rentals, with tee times bookable through the Tennessee State Parks golf trail system.

Surprise, AZ

Sterling Grove Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 semi-private golf course in Surprise, Arizona. It was designed by Nicklaus Design, with Chris Cochran leading the project, and opened for preview play in February 2021 as the first new golf course to open to public play in Arizona since 2016. Set against the White Tank Mountains, the course in Surprise departs from typical desert-style design, routing through grove-lined fairways with wide landing areas and undulating greens. More than 1,700 trees were planted to line the fairways and define the routing as the course has matured.

Clifton, TN

Ross Creek Landing is a public golf course in Wayne County, Tennessee, set along the Tennessee River near Clifton. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, it measures more than 7,000 yards from the back tees to a par of 72 and was built as a Tennessee state park course under the Bear Trace brand before the state sold the property in 2008. The layout mixes wooded and open meadow holes with oak, hickory and cedar lining the fairways, along with created marshes and ponds. Five sets of tees accommodate a range of golfers, and the course remains open to public play.

Sandpoint, ID

The Idaho Club is Idaho's only Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, an 18-hole layout in Sandpoint built around the Lower Pack River estuary near Moose Mountain and Lake Pend Oreille. Nicklaus Design opened the course in 2008 as the centerpiece of a private residential community that also offers a limited number of public tee times; water comes into play on 16 of the 18 holes.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Gramling, SC

Village Greens Golf Club is located in Gramling, South Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains between Inman and Gramling. Many holes offer views stretching toward Glassy Mountain and Chimney Rock. The 18-hole course was designed by architect Russell Breeden and opened for play in 1969 on former farmland, with several original ponds and a pear orchard along the 10th fairway still present. The course is public and remains owned by the Gaines and Gramling families. A sister course, River Falls Plantation, is available to patrons during renovation periods.

Fort Wayne, IN

One of Fort Wayne's oldest public courses, established in 1925. The walkable, old-style 18-hole regulation course is joined by a 9-hole par-3 course, a driving range and a restaurant and bar. Known locally for well-kept greens and modest green fees.