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What do Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Dave Thomas, Peter Alliss, Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Olaz\u00e1bal, Manuel Pi\u00f1ero and Jos\u00e9 Maria Ca\u00f1izares have in common? It\u2019s easy: all these great stars of the sport have designed courses in Andaluc\u00eda. <\/span><\/p>\n In this sunny region of southern Spain some of the world\u2019s finest designers \u2013 who had not been famous golf professionals themselves \u2013 have also left their indelible and notable mark, and continue to do so.<\/p>\n Robert Trent Jones (500 courses in 36 countries), Cabell B. Robinson, Kyle Phillips, Perry Dye, Javier Arana, Pepe Gancedo (the latter two, also great champions in the amateur sphere) and a long etcetera have put their names to the nearly 120 golf courses throughout Andaluc\u00eda.<\/p>\n \n Jack Nicklaus is, almost without argument, the greatest player in the history of the modern game. Now 67, and two years after retiring from professional golf, the Golden Beer can look back on one of the most remarkable careers in sport. He won 18 Grand Slams and 70 US PGA Tour tournaments \u2013 reigning for most of the 1960s, 1970s and even into the 1980s. <\/p>\n Nicklaus chose the British Open \u2013 which he won three times \u2013 for his farewell appearance as an active player, because, as he said, the championship had a special significance and had been an important part of his sporting career. \u201cI\u2019m a sentimental old fool, but I still believe I\u2019m competitive. I hope I don\u2019t let people down,\u201d he said during the presentation of his design company\u2019s golf course projects in Murcia. <\/p>\n Nicklaus won at St Andrews in 1979 and 1978. In what was the last event of his prolific career, his son Steve was his caddie \u2013 which provided the championship with an even more sentimental touch. He was unable to hold back the tears as he completed his final British Open round. <\/p>\n Nicklaus\u2019s golf career is unrivalled. He began playing the game as a young boy, and won his first tournament, the Ohio Open, when he was still 16. His next big win was the US Amateur Championship, in 1959. Two years later he regained that title and also won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship. <\/p>\n From 1959 to 1961 \u2013 when he joined the professional ranks \u2013 he won every tournament he teed up in except for one.<\/p>\n In 1962, Nicklaus won the US Open after beating compatriot Arnold Palmer, another golfing legend. Throughout his long and successful professional career he tallied an amazing record: including six US Masters (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and 1986); five US PGA Championships (1963, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1980); four US Opens (1962, 1967, 1972 and 1980); three British Opens (1966, 1970 and 1978); and one World Matchplay (1970). He was named Player of the Year five times (1967, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976), and in 1988 was honored as best golfer of the 20th century. <\/p>\n The Golden Bear joined the US Seniors Tour in 1990 and, in that category, went on to win two US Opens (1991 and 1993) and two US PGAs (1991 and 1996).<\/p>\n He has also forged a career as one of the world\u2019s most prestigious golf course designers through his Golden Bear International company. In 1993 he received an award as Golf Course Designer of the Year. <\/p>\n Born in Columbus, Ohio, on 21 January 1940, he shuttles between homes in North Palm Beach (Florida) and Carefree (Arizona); he is married to Barbara and has five children, Jack II, Steve, Nancy, Gary and Michael.<\/p>\n Tiger Woods, another \u201cextraterrestrial\u201d figure, is the only current player with a realistic chance of equalling Nicklaus\u2019s record. The Tiger and the Bear: two fine players who have re-written, and continue to re-write, the history books. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Gary Player, who at 29 became the third player in the history of the game to win at least one of each of the four Grand Slam titles (following Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan), has designed three courses in Andaluc\u00eda.<\/p>\n Known as \u201cThe Black Knight\u201d because of his golfing attire (predominantly that color), the South African (now 77), created a work of art at Sevilla\u2019s Zaud\u00edn, inaugurated in 1992 and described at the time by Player as one of the most beautiful of his prolific career as a designer. His first course in Andaluc\u00eda was on the Costa del Sol (specifically Estepona), El Paraiso, which opened to the public in 1974. Two years later, his second course in the region, Almerimar in Ejido municipality, was inaugurated, with the design collaboration of Rob Kiry and Ram\u00f3n Espinosa. <\/p>\n Player\u2019s 163 international titles in his long career around the world included nine majors (three US Masters, three British Opens, two US PGA Championships and one US Open). He broke many records during his distinguished career. In 1961 he became the first non-American to win the US Masters and finished number one on the US money list the same year. The following season he won the US PGA Championship, and in 1965 he completed the coveted Grand Slam with victory in the US Open. His nine wins are the third highest tally in Grand Slam history. He was the only player to win British Opens in three different decades of the 20th century. He won at least one event a season for 27 consecutive years. Then, on turning 50 he joined the US Champions (Seniors) Tour and went on to win 19 titles in all. <\/p>\n His many famous quotes over the years include: \u201cThe more I practise, the luckier I get\u201d; and, \u201cI\u2019ve studied golf for 50 years now and know a hell of a lot about nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Severiano Ballesteros designed four courses in Andaluc\u00eda and worked with Perry Dye on one other. His first design creation in the region was the initial 18 holes of Novo Sancti Petri in C\u00e1diz province (now known as Layout A), on the edge of the spectacular La Barrosa beach in Chiclana de la Frontera \u2013 opened to the public in 1990. <\/p>\n The following year he opened his second Andalucian course, Los Arqueros on the Costa del Sol, in Benahav\u00eds municipality, bordering Marbella. In 1993 was the turn of his third design, Alhaur\u00edn Golf, also in M\u00e1laga province. As with Los Arqueros, he had to work with a difficult plot of land, in a mountain setting of steep inclines. It was another eight years before another Seve design was inaugurated, the second 18 at Novo Sancti Petri (now known as Layout B). In 2008, San Roque Club\u2019s New Course was opened, co-designed by Ballesteros and Perry Dye. <\/p>\n Seve set the agenda for an era and elevated European \u2013 not to mention Spanish \u2013 golf to a new level and status, thanks to a spectacular game blessed with incredible shots and extraordinary results.<\/p>\n At 54, he put away his clubs one final time, but his legacy and charisma will live on in our memories. Over two golden decades, between 1976 and 1995, he won 87 titles around the world on all five continents, 50 of those on the European Tour, and collected five Grand Slam titles (1979, 1984 and 1988 British Open and 1980 and 1983 US Masters). <\/p>\n Seve became a global idol for millions who admired his spectacular stroke-playing and exceptional creativity in escaping from the most difficult situations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n He designed two other courses in the same Campo Gibraltar area: the first layout at San Roque Club, the Old Course (1991), and the second at Alcaidesa, Heathland (2007).<\/p>\n In 1999, another of his creations was opened, Marbella Club Golf Resort, located in Benahav\u00eds municipality and part of the company group that owns the renowned Marbella Club and Puente Romano hotels.<\/p>\n Born in Newcastle upon Tyne 68 years ago, Thomas was one of Britain\u2019s most famous golfers in the 1950s and 1960s, winning a dozen tournaments in Europe and twice finishing runner-up in the British Open (in 1958 he lost a play-off against Australian Peter Thompson and in 1966 was beaten by Jack Nicklaus). He was a member of Europe\u2019s Ryder Cup team in 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1967. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Olaz\u00e1bal, Europe\u2019s magnificent captain in the last Ryder Cup, has left his mark on three course designs in Andaluc\u00eda. The first was the acclaimed Royal Sevilla Golf Club, opened in 1992. In 1997, his second design was opened to the public, Costa Ballena on the Atlantic coast in C\u00e1diz province; and in 2008, La Monacilla, just a short distance from Huelva capital city. <\/p>\n The Fuenterrabia-born 47-year-old is, after Seve Ballesteros, Spain\u2019s most internationally successful golfer, having won two US Masters green jackets at Augusta (1994 and 1999) and taken part in seven Ryder Cups, winning four times (1987, 1989, 1997 and 2006) and forming \u2013 with Seve \u2013 the most successful pairing in the history of the event. After his most recent triumph in the biennial tournament \u2013 last year as captain rather than player \u2013 he dedicated Europe\u2019s astonishing comeback victory to Seve. <\/p>\n His successes over the years, and the high regard in which he is held by his fellow golfers, led to his inclusion in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.<\/p>\n \n Peter Alliss designed Alcaidesa Links with Clive Clark \u2013 the club\u2019s first 18 holes, opened in 1992, almost in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar. The second course he designed in Andaluc\u00eda, with \u00c1ngel Gallardo (current vice president of the European Tour), was Playa Serena, on the Almer\u00eda coastline, and inaugurated in 1979. <\/p>\n Now 82, Alliss is known around the world as the \u201cvoice of golf\u201d, in his facet as a tournament commentator. Born in Berlin, where his English father worked as a club pro, he was one of Europe\u2019s leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 21 titles and, even though he never secured a major, he finished in the top 10 of the British Open on five occasions. He played in the Ryder Cup eight times, before giving up full-time competition at the age of 38. In 1961, at the British Open, he launched his career as a TV commentator for the BBC. As a designer, he has signed his name to 75 courses. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Manuel Pi\u00f1ero, three times a World Cup champion, has been a prolific designer of golf courses in Andaluc\u00eda. His first was La Quinta Golf, with Antonio Garc\u00eda Garrido, in 1989. Also on the Costa del Sol, he designed El Campanario and Monte Paraiso, both opened in 2003; while in C\u00e1diz province he created the layouts at Golf El Puerto and Lomas de Sancti Petri (both inaugurated in 2006). His most recent Andalucian project was Sevilla\u2019s Hato Verde, opened in 2008. <\/p>\n Like most of Spain\u2019s professional golfers who gained fame after the 1970s, Pi\u00f1ero was a caddie as a youngster, an invaluable school in which to learn all the tricks of the trade.<\/p>\n He turned pro in 1968 and began playing on the European Tour the start of the 1970s, eventually winning nine titles, including the British PGA. He finished in the top 10 of the final order of merit on five occasions, with a best finish fourth in 1976 and 1977. <\/p>\n The Extremadura-born star, who turned 60 last September, competed in two Ryder Cups. In 1985 he played a key role in Europe\u2019s first win in 28 years, collecting four out of five points including a 3&1 victory in his singles match against Lanny Wadkins. <\/p>\n Pi\u00f1ero represented Spain in eight World Cups, winning two: in 1976 paired with Severiano Ballesteros and in 1982 with Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Ca\u00f1izares. In the latter, he also won the title as best individual player. <\/p>\n Interesting fact\u2026 in 1977 he was playing at the La Moraleja course in Madrid with Bing Crosby when the singer and actor (aged 73) suddenly died from a heart attack.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Ca\u00f1izares has signed his name to three courses in Andaluc\u00eda: two on the eastern Costa del Sol, A\u00f1oreta, opened in 1990, and Baviera, in 2000; and the third in the M\u00e1laga hinterland, Antequera, opened to the public in 2002.<\/p>\n Born in Madrid 66 years ago, \u201cCa\u00f1i\u201d was a caddie at Royal Puerta de Hierro Golf Club in Madrid before turning pro in 1967. He made a memorable appearance in the 1978 Swiss Open, carding 27 for the first nine holes in the third round \u2013 equalling the world record at the time. <\/p>\n During his long career as a pro, he won a dozen titles, both individual and as a team member. He was victorious in two World Cups, with Manuel Pi\u00f1ero in 1982 and Jos\u00e9 Rivero in 1984, and in the latter also won the title as leading individual. Ca\u00f1izares, whose son Alejandro now also plays on the European Tour, competed in two Ryder Cups won by Europe, 1985 and 1989. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What do Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Dave Thomas, Peter Alliss, Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Olaz\u00e1bal, Manuel Pi\u00f1ero and Jos\u00e9 Maria Ca\u00f1izares have in common? It\u2019s easy: all these great stars of the sport have designed courses in Andaluc\u00eda. In this sunny region of southern Spain some of the world\u2019s finest designers \u2013 who had not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"%5C%22images\/stories\/Jugadores\/jack-nicklaus-4.jpg%5C%22\")
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<\/p>\nDave Thomas, co-designer with Peter Alliss of the famous The Belfry course, designed Almenara in Sotogrande (opened in 1998). In the same municipality, San Roque, where the Sotogrande macro-urbanisation is located he also designed the second nine holes at La Ca\u00f1ada (2001) \u2013 the first nine (1991) having been the work of Robert Trent Jones. <\/span><\/p>\n
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