Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak Partnership Captures Worldwide Attention
Southampton, NY (August 24, 2006)—Sebonack Golf Club, the collaborative masterpiece of legendary golfer and course designer Jack Nicklaus and highly regarded architect Tom Doak, officially marked its grand opening today in the stylish Hamptons with a press conference and first tee ceremony before hundreds of invited guests, members and media. Heralded by golf insiders as "the most highly anticipated new private course in the country," Sebonack is poised to capture international acclaim as a "modern classic."
Situated on 300 majestic waterfront acres and neighboring the historic National Golf Links of America and Shinnecock Hills Golf Course, the majority of Sebonack’s holes offer sweeping panoramic views of Long Island’s Great Peconic Bay and Cold Spring Pond. The stunning visual impact of the dominant water vistas competes for the golfer’s eye with the awe-inspiring contours of fairways, expansive bunkers and waste dunes, and undulating greens that present tricky swales and borrows. Meant to look as if weathered by time, Sebonack appears to have fashioned itself from the wild terrain.
"Both Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak have given Sebonack a lot of their attention and time," said owner Michael Pascucci. "My goal in securing this extraordinary alliance of experience and talent was to get the best 18 holes out of this piece of land as possible. What I had hoped for was to have Tom’s minimalist style successfully mesh with Jack’s strategic mind as history’s greatest golfer and one of its finest designers, in order to result in a course of beauty and a pure test of golf skills. I believe we have achieved something very special with Sebonack."
Both designers agree that together they have crafted a course "that is better than either of us could have done alone." Nicklaus, who was captivated by the property the first time he saw it, commented that "one of the reasons I agreed to do this project is that I enjoy working with other people. I am always interested in other people’s ideas and what I might glean from them. I think Tom has some great ideas on how to go about golf course design. I have my own ideas, and I would think the ideas I used have impacted him. The Sebonack project has influenced us both in positive ways, and it was a very pleasant experience. We are very proud of the end product."
Doak, who once said of Sebonack that "it’s hard to imagine a project bigger than this one," thinks that he has definitely benefited from the experience of working with Nicklaus. "The experience of the collaboration with Jack has encouraged me to be bolder in the future," Doak remarked. "I’d like to design a course for a professional event someday, and I think because of the Sebonack experience I understand the mindset much better after working with Jack and his team."
Sebonack measures 7,316 yards from the back tees, plays to a par 72 and is a challenging, but not intimidating, golf course. Three other sets of tees test golfers with total yardages of 6,803, 6,230 and 5,310, respectively. The par-5, 560-yard 18th, which runs along the bluff of Great Peconic Bay, may rate as one of golf’s most dramatic and stimulating finishing holes. The par-4 11th is viewed by Nicklaus and Doak as one of the most beautiful of all Sebonack’s holes, but it has teeth and requires a precise drive and an accurate downhill second shot.
Of the most difficult hole on the course, the par-4 second, Doak states, "Everything we had to work with at Sebonack is on display here: dunes, trees, the wrinkly contours of the fairway, and Great Peconic Bay on the far right. The green site is tucked among the dunes—reminiscent of Ballybunion or Pacific Dunes—and has a big false front to it like the 14th hole at Augusta National." According to Nicklaus, the second hole might take members the most time to figure out how to play.
A charming par-3, the 182-yard "bye" or 19th hole also is incorporated in the layout. Unresolved bets may be settled here, and the hole was built in the tradition of many courses in Great Britain.
Sebonack Golf Club is expected to take its place as one of the most highly acclaimed and must-play golfing venues in the world.
Contact:
Pat Norton/Jane Dally
On Course Strategies
Tel. (203) 454-0232
info@oncoursegolf-pr.com
