Nicklaus' new Cimarron Hills in Georgetown draws raves

By Doug Smith
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, April 24, 2003

Jack Nicklaus was in Georgetown last week for the grand opening of his newest design, Cimarron Hills. The 18-hole golf course opened for play to members in January, but Nicklaus' clinic and exhibition round made its opening official.

"It is always an exciting time when I see the finished product," Nicklaus said. "Today is the first time I have seen the finished grass, the first time I have seen the course with all the lipstick and rouge, etc., applied. Opening day is always fun. But I used to look forward to shooting 65 (in the inaugural round). Nowadays I hope to break 85."

Cimarron Hills is No. 210 on the list of 219 Nicklaus-designed courses that are now open for play worldwide. Of those, Nicklaus was the sole designer on 184, including Cimarron Hills. He co-designed 25 others, including Flintrock Falls in Lakeway on which his son, Jack Nicklaus II, was the primary designer.

Nicklaus' first project in Central Texas was The Hills Country Club in Lakeway, which opened in 1981 and will be the site for the Kinko's Classic of Austin on May 9-11.

When asked how Cimarron Hills compares with his other courses, Nicklaus sounded like a parent pressured to name which of his children he loves the most.

"I really don't like to rank my courses. If I talk about one, I think it does a disservice to all of the others," he said. "Each has its own personality and unique qualities.

"You see these magazines ranking courses all the time, but I think those (rankings) are pretty pointless," Nicklaus added. "Once when I was on the (advisory) staff at one magazine, they included 13 of my courses in their top 100 in the country. When I left that magazine, they dropped almost all of them. What does that tell you? Besides, the guys who do these ratings can't even break 90, so what do they know?"

Nicklaus may not want to play the ratings game, and he might not like the lists in golf magazines, but those rankings are not going to go away. And there is a good chance that Cimarron Hills is going to start showing up in them.

Head professional Todd Williams played Cimarron Hills not long ago with a writer from Golf Digest magazine, who called it "the best new course he had seen in years."

Cimarron Hills sits on a rolling 820-acre tract immediately north of Texas 29, about five miles west of Interstate 35. The San Gabriel River winds through the property, and the course is framed by hundreds of oak trees.

The par-72 layout covers 7,302 yards and has the look of a championship course. The first thing most visitors notice is Cimarron's immaculate condition, especially considering its infancy. The 419 Bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens look as if they were cut with manicure scissors. Course superintendent K.D. Davis gets much of the credit. He has worked with Nicklaus at several of his courses, including Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio.

Cimarron Hills is already receiving rave reviews. There is a tendency to become overexcited over a new course, but I have heard several well-traveled golfers say Cimarron Hills is already one of the three or four best courses in the area.

There is a catch, though. Cimarron Hills is a private club and will be limited to 390 members. The purchase of a custom home site includes golf membership -- if the price tag of $145,000 to $525,000 doesn't make you flinch. Perhaps you will be friends with a member, such as Nolan Ryan, whose new house stands alongside the 18th fairway.

"This is a beautiful piece of property," Nicklaus said. "This golf course was already here. We just had to find it. It has turned out to be even better than we expected, and we had high expectations."

Photos from the Opening*

Click the above images for a larger view.

*Photos by Jim Mandeville