Golf course design company Nicklaus Design has begun work on a new 18-hole championship layout in The Bahamas that will sit alongside an existing 10-hole short course designed by Tiger Woods.
Jack’s Bay is an exclusive resort club and residential community located on a four-mile stretch of Atlantic coastline on the island of Eleuthera. Tiger Woods has already laid down a golf marker on the island with the opening of The Playground in 2020, a 10-hole par-3 course that features holes between 75 and 160 yards.
The new 18-hole course, which is scheduled to open in 2025, will be the first Nicklaus Heritage course in the world, although it will not be designed by Jack Nicklaus himself, as he is no longer working for the company. Senior designers from Nicklaus Design who have been personally trained by Nicklaus over several decades, will be heading up the project, including Senior Design Associate Chad Goetz.
“It’s going to be spectacular,” Goetz said. “A number of holes stretch directly along on the ocean and even the land off the ocean has remarkable topography, featuring a rolling terrain of elevation changes, lakes, deep water ‘blue holes’ to the ocean, and caves. What Mother Nature has provided us is rare and we plan to preserve the natural integrity and enhance the beauty of the island.”
Jack’s Bay will also involve Nicklaus real estate branding rights as a Nicklaus Community – a distinction afforded to only a very select collection of developments around the world and the very first in the Caribbean. A total of 24 beachfront and ocean view homes, ranging in price from $1m to $3m, are to be built on a prime stretch of oceanfront land nestled between the amenities of the Atlantic Club clubhouse and the Tiger Woods golf course.
Other amenities planned for Jacks’ Bay include a beach club, spa, fitness and wellness facilities and a sports pavilion. A tennis centre, marina and numerous restaurants are already open.
Howard Milstein, Executive Chairman of the Nicklaus Companies, said: “The principals of Jack’s Bay Resort Development Limited have a remarkable vision to make their community the destination of choice for the most discerning golfer in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean. From my very first meeting, I committed all of our Nicklaus, IMI, and 8AM Golf assets to ensure the greatest golf experience imaginable.
“With the history of the island, stunning ocean views for golf and real estate, and access to world-class fishing and other amenities, Jack’s Bay rivals any destination in The Bahamas,” Milstein added. “Nicklaus Design is proud to have been selected to create a world-class golf course on this property.”
