{"id":7370,"date":"2024-11-23T12:44:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T17:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golfday.us\/blog\/?p=7370"},"modified":"2025-06-26T08:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T12:27:04","slug":"jack-nicklaus-top-40-public-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golfday.us\/blog\/jack-nicklaus-top-40-public-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Nicklaus: Top 40 Public Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor MI<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jack Nicklaus<\/mark><\/a> is generally considered the greatest golfer of all-time because no player has come anywhere near his performance in the major championships, but what really separated Jack was his consistency.  When Jack shifted his focus to include golf course architecture in the late 60\u2019s, the consistent excellence that personified Nicklaus on the PGA Tour<\/mark><\/a> soon became apparent in his course designs\u2014beginning when he collaborated with Pete Dye to create Harbour Town Golf Links in 1970. In 1976 Jack designed Shoal Creek, which shortly thereafter hosted the 1984 PGA Championship, won by Lee Trevino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Harbour Town Golf Links, SC<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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While Pete Dye and Tom Fazio receive much of the acclaim for modern golf course architecture, Nicklaus designs<\/mark><\/a> <\/mark>often fly under the radar\u2014but rest assured that when Jack puts his name on a course, it is virtually guaranteed to be a first-class venue requiring thought and precision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jack Nicklaus<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Everyone is familiar with Muirfield Village<\/mark><\/a> and The Memorial<\/mark><\/a>, Jack\u2019s masterpiece and legacy, but keep in mind as well that 86 of the roughly 200 courses in the U.S. with Nicklaus original design or renovation are open to public play, and 53 of them received a GolfDay Rating<\/mark><\/a> of 90 or higher (Jack Nicklaus Public Courses<\/mark><\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Manele Golf Course, HI<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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7 of Jack\u2019s designs are among the Golf Digest Top 100 Public Courses<\/mark><\/a> in the US, and 14 are included in the Golf Digest\u2019s Top 200 courses. Top public courses with Nicklaus design can be found just about everywhere in the country, from Hawaii to the East Coast<\/mark><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Top 40 public venues featuring Jack Nicklaus design include 22 states, with South Carolina and California at the top with 4 each, followed by Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, and Virginia\u2014each with 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are looking for great public golf, or planning a vacation, the GolfDay Search Engine<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> makes it easy to find the best courses and a better bang for your buck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pinehurst \/ #9<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1.  <\/strong>Pinehurst Resort<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>\/Pinehurst, NC<\/p>\n\n\n\n