From today's Palm Beach Post:
Nicklaus-redesigned North Palm course set to open
By Craig Dolch
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 16, 2006
It's still at the same location and it's still 18 holes of golf, but few players will recognize North Palm Beach Country Club when it reopens Friday after a major redesign by neighbor Jack Nicklaus.
The public course has been transformed in seven months from a basic, driver-wedge layout to one that will test the skilled players while still allowing high-handicappers to enjoy their round.
Nobody can say Nicklaus didn't give them their money's worth.
"I charged them one dollar for the design fee," said Nicklaus, who gave the same bargain to Lost Tree Village (where his family lives) and Ohio State University (where he went to school).
When Village of North Palm Beach officials started their search for an architect, few thought it would be the golfing legend who lives about a mile away but has never played the course. Village council member Ed Eissey asked Nicklaus almost as an afterthought.
"He said that I probably wouldn't be interested, and I told him don't be silly," Nicklaus said. "I've lived here and seen that piece of property for 35 years. It's a fantastic piece of property. I know that property should have a golf course the village would be proud of."
Nicklaus changed the routing of the holes and stretched the layout from 6,300 yards as a par-72 to a par-71 that can play at 7,100. Nicklaus said that while he wanted to make the course more appealing to a quality player, he didn't want to make it too difficult for many of the older residents.
To that end, he tried to leave the fairways more open in the 220-yard range to lower the degree of difficulty. The farther someone hits it, the more trouble is brought into play.
"It's been brought up several levels in terms of quality and interest," said David Norris, North Palm Beach's mayor and a 5-handicapper who was among 30 people who played the course Wednesday. "Jack did exactly what he said he was going to do. If you're looking for a challenge, moving to the back tees will give you that. But the people who played the front and middle tees said it was a lot of fun."
Nicklaus tried to take more advantage of the elevation change that is rare in Florida.
"There's more than 30 feet of elevation change," he said of the course. "It's probably on the same dune structure that runs through Seminole."
Here's the rest of the article:
www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2006/11/16/1116npbgolf.html