Nicklaus happy with Gleneagles tweaks

Bear essentials: Jack Nicklaus visited Gleneagles today to inspect changes to the PGA Centenary

Legend visits Perthshire venue to inspect changes to PGA Centenary Course

Jack Nicklaus jetted in to Scotland today to inspect the changes carried out to the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles – and after seeing the revisions up close, the 18-time major winner declared himself ‘proud’ of the course that will host the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Nicklaus, golf’s most successful player of all time, made a whistle-stop visit to the Perthshire venue en route to Russia via Wimbledon and Sweden.

The PGA Centenary was extensively remodelled over the winter on the back of modifications recommended by the ‘Golden Bear’ himself. In particular, considerable changes were made to the ninth and 18th holes as the venue continues its preparations for hosting Scotland’s first Ryder Cup since Muirfield staged the match in 1973.

The revamped course opened for play last month to widespread acclaim but Nicklaus – who crafted the original layout – had not seen it for himself until today.

After spending several hours on the course, Nicklaus said: “I’m very proud of this course. I think it’s great. It’s a good test, an excellent test. It’s a bit of 7,300 yards in total, which is a good length for a modern course, although I don’t think it’ll break your back. There are plenty of birdie opportunities out there, which will be exciting in the Ryder Cup.

“It’s not the toughest course in the world but it was never meant to be. I think it’s going to be a very popular.”

The changes to the 18th hole have been, without doubt, the most talked about of all the alterations. The previous configuration was widely criticised for being uninspiring and a somewhat bland end to an otherwise enjoyable round of golf. Nicklaus, though, wasn’t so critical of it.

“The old 18th was not a popular hole at all but I didn’t think it was all that bad,” he revealed. “That said, I can understand where people were coming from when they said it wasn’t that outstanding a finishing hole. I guess they just wanted something with a bit more pop to it.

“Now, what we’ve got is an excellent hole with a beautiful amphitheatre around it. Let’s hope that a lot of matches in the Ryder Cup go to the 18th.”

Nicklaus original design for the PGA Centenary – formerly the Monarch Course – opened for play in 1993 but a rift between the golf legend and Gleneagles developed after Scottish architect David McLay Kidd was commissioned to make some tweaks to the layout, without consulting Nicklaus.

The ‘Golden Bear’, pictured above with bunkered’s Michael McEwan, was so aggrieved that he threatened to take his signature off the course altogether. However, brides between the two parties were mended just over three years ago with Nicklaus now insisting that any hard feelings on either side have now been resolved.

“It’s true that we were disengaged for about eight years or so,” he said. “Some changes were made to the course that I wasn’t real happy about. When we first designed the course, Jimmy Kidd and I worked hard to create a course that fitted in with the rest of the Gleneagles resort and ethos.

“Then Jimmy’s son was brought in with some different ideas and I didn’t really like all the stuff that was done. But what we have now is a course that, hopefully, looks more like a Gleneagles course again. That was always our objective.”

In a wide-ranging discussion, Nicklaus also insisted the changes hadn’t been made specifically to protect the course against modern technology – though he does lament the impact that advancements in golf ball development, in particular, have had on golf courses in general.

“When I started designing golf courses, it was all about crafting great challenges for players,” he said. “However, the advances in equipment and golf ball technology have enforced changes to those courses. Personally, I’d have preferred the golf ball to be changed so that we don’t have to keep tweaking and adding length but, until that happens, course alterations are going to happen.”

He added: “With the PGA , we haven’t set out to protect it from equipment. We’ve just tried to make it a better course and not ruin it for the average golfer and hotel guests who play it.

“But the golf ball is something I have strong feelings about. I’ve been preaching about it since 1977, when I first approached the USGA about the issue.

“I said to them, ‘Guys, you’d better watch this.’ They said, ‘Pfft! It’s not a problem, Jack.’ I think they realise now that it is and I know that both them and the R&A are doing tests to look into the issue.

“But here’s the thing: how much money has been spent changing golf courses because of technology? Lots, right? We could change the golf ball for a fraction of the price. You look at Augusta National and it is about the only course that has been able to keep up with technology constantly advancing because it can afford to. Not every course can, though.

CONTINUES BELOW…

Tweaked: The PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles has undergone a raft of changes

“It’s crazy because let’s say you rein the ball in 10%, or 20%, or 30%. Whatever percentage you reduce it, you reduce the amount of money you need to invest in altering your course by the same percentage.

“In America right now, there are something like 17,000 courses that are obsolete to pros. Adjust the golf ball and you can make around 10,000 of those tournament standard.”

Nicklaus thinks more should also be done to tap into potential golf markets in India and China.

“Both of these countries have populations of over a billion and massive middle class populations, too,” he said. “Now, what if someone there comes to me and says, ‘Jack, I want to build a golf course but I’ve only got 80 acres of land.’ The average golf course these days takes up 160 acres but I don’t want to turn these people down because just think about how many new people you could be introducing to the game. If you create a ball that goes half as far, you obviously don’t need as much room to build on.

“Golf has always been determined by how far the ball goes. But I’m reminded of the time I was approached by people in the Cayman Islands. They told me they had 88 acres in total and they wanted to fill that with a golf course, a hotel, a marina and so on. So, I too 38 acres for the golf course and changed the ball. I made the Cayman Ball for just $5,000 and they got a par-35, nine-hole executive golf course. Now, tell me, $5,000 is a lot less than it costs to alter a golf course, isn’t it?”

Whilst his feelings about the need to rein in golf ball technology are unmistakable, Nicklaus is far less concerned about another of golf’s equipment hot potatoes – the belly putter.

“I’ve tried it but I couldn’t figure out how to hit the ball with it,” he laughed. “My bet is that they will eventual eliminate anchoring it to your body but I don’t have an issue with it one way or another.”

Satisfied with how the changes to the PGA Centenary have been carried out – though he has made a few more, minor recommendations – Nicklaus is now journeying south of the Border to catch some tennis action at Wimbledon.

The ‘Golden Bear’ is a huge fan of the racquet and ball game and was asked if he thought Scotland’s Andy Murray might finally break his Grand Slam duck this year.

“He will if he beats everyone else,” laughed Nicklaus. “That’s usually what you have to do, right?”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered