Overview

Designer Biographies

Jack Nicklaus

If Jack Nicklaus' mark on the 20th century was his golf game, his legacy in the 21st century will be his golf course design.

For more than 30 years, Nicklaus courses have blanketed the country and the globe, establishing Jack as one of the world's premier golf course designers. His stature as a designer is on par with his place in golf history as a player. In 1999, Golf Digest ranked Jack as the world's leading active golf course designer. And he has shown no signs of slowing down - whether it be in his passion for design or his flair for the creative.

Today, Jack and his successful firm, Nicklaus Design, have established themselves as industry leaders. Nicklaus Design enters the new millennium with well over 240 golf course designs. Of those Jack has been involved in 207 of them, and at least 35 of those courses have been ranked in various national and international Top 100 lists over the years. Also, close to a third of Jack's famous golf courses have hosted a professional tournament or amateur championship.

The Nicklaus Signature design at Walnut Cove is but another reminder of the excellence attached to the Nicklaus name.  The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, completed in April 2005, is the first course in the history of the PGA TOUR to debut in conjunction with a PGA-sanctioned event, The BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs.  The Cliffs and Nicklaus Design recently completed the second Nicklaus Signature course at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, making The Cliffs Communities the only private club in America to feature two Nicklaus Signature golf courses and two Fazio Signature courses."

 

Tom Fazio

Throughout his 35 years as a golf course designer, Tom Fazio and his staff of talented designers have been recognized for creating award-winning courses throughout the United States. No living golf course designer has more credits on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses and Golfweek's collection of America's Best. The Golf Digest poll for Best Modern Day Golf Course Architect was discontinued after Tom claimed the award three consecutive times, and he has also received The Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

Tom Fazio Design completed The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards course in 2000, subsequently voted among America's Best New Private Courses by Golf Digest. The Cliffs and Fazio Design Team are currently working on the second Fazio course at The Cliffs at Keowee Springs, which will make The Cliffs Communities the only private club in America to feature two Nicklaus Signature golf courses and two Fazio Signature courses.

Fazio attributes this success to maintaining a team concept in design shared by the ten senior associates on his staff, all of whom have worked with Tom for anywhere from 15 to 32 years. This visionary group, with a diverse base of knowledge and united love for the game of golf, enable Fazio Golf Course Designers to continue to create courses that are noted throughout the industry for their excellence.

Fazio emphasizes the premise that "golf courses should reflect the natural beauty of their environments." Maintaining that principle, Fazio Golf Course Designers strives to follow design priorities that include creating harmonious transitions from existing topographical conditions, developing courses that offer golfers of varying skill a challenging yet enjoyable experience, and providing each client with optimum use of the property.

In addition to designing famous golf courses, Tom Fazio and his wife Sue have six children and reside in Hendersonville, North Carolina. They are active in the community and support many local charities, art and theatre associations as well as educational institutions. Tom and Sue founded the Boys and Girls Club of Hendersonville in 1993 and the Boys and Girls Club of East Flat Rock in 1998. Tom also supports various children's causes throughout the nation with the Tom Fazio Children's Charity Fund, which benefits from fundraising endeavors such as Tom's book Golf Course Designs.

 

Tom Jackson

Tom Jackson has been actively designing and building golf courses since 1965.  Prior to starting his own firm in 1971, he had worked for two of the country's leading golf course architects, Robert Trent Jones and George Cobb.

During the past 33 years, he has been involved with well over 100 golf course projects, the majority being located in the Southeast.  These projects include private and semi-private courses, resort courses and public courses, of which seven have been done for various government agencies.

Jackson Golf, Inc.'s designs set the precedence as a standard for quality and playability and have been bringing creativity to the golf course industry since 1965.  Imaginative layouts continue to challenge and provide enjoyment for golfers of all levels.

The Cliffs at Glassy’s golf course, designed by architect Tom Jackson, opened in 1992. That year, Golf Digest named the course "Fourth Most Beautiful In The Nation" after only Cypress Point, Pebble Beach and Augusta National.  Located atop a 3,000-foot plateau, views from the famous golf course are as breathtaking as the impeccably manicured bent grass tees, greens and fairways.

 

Ben Wright

Ben Wright is a name widely known in the world of sports. An Emmy- and Peabody-award winning announcer for golf and many other sports broadcasts for CBS TV for 23 years, Ben Wright, though a native of England, resides in Flat Rock, North Carolina, a short distance from the course he designed: The Cliffs Valley located in Travelers Rest, SC.

Wright, who has attended major golf events since 1954 and has announced the world’s best matches, including the Ryder Cup and the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Ben Wright designed and built the Cliffs Valley golf course, which opened for play in 1994. Wright can be seen regularly visiting and playing at the Valley in his off time.

A prolific writer, Wright is a published author of two books: his autobiography Good Bounces and Bad Lies and Speak Wright. He served as Editor-at-Large for Links magazine and remains a contributing editor with his column “There I Was.” Wright was awarded the MacGregor golf writing contest in both 1982 and 1989. He was also featured in Kevin Costner’s successful golf film Tin Cup.

Since leaving CBS in November 1999, Wright continues to regularly contribute to Canadian Television, write, commentate, and appear on various programs, prime time specials, and panel discussions.