Golf legend Jack Nicklaus opens new par-3 course at Sherwood Country Club

PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers WITH EASE-Jack Nicklaus put his first tee shot at the new Lake Club at Sherwood Country Club within 20 feet of the pin. There was more than one highprofile bear roaming the Conejo Valley last week.

On Sunday afternoon at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus-nicknamed the Golden Bear-was in attendance for the grand opening of Sherwood Lake Club, an 18-hole, 1,965 yard, par3 course designed by Nicklaus.

Accompanying the new course is a 14,000 square foot clubhouse featuring all the amenities Sherwood's known for-a pool, spa, fitness center and dining area.

"This is the most unbelievable clubhouse I ever seen for a facility like this," said Nicklaus during his press conference with David H. Murdock, Sherwood's developer and owner.

"There isn't another par-3 facility-I know certainly not in the United States and I don't know of any in the world-that would even come close to what we've got here," Nicklaus said.

Nicklaus said the inspiration for Sherwood Lake Club was derived from holes and courses he's played around the world.

"You're not going to copy the holes because holes on (larger) golf courses are going to be bigger than this," Nicklaus said. "But they are going to be inspirations or miniature size versions of those holes."

For example, the seventh hole at Sherwood Lake Club is similar to the eighth at Deerfield Village. Another hole, the eighth, was inspired by the redesigned fifth at Pebble Beach.

"I didn't try to fit a square peg into a round hole," Nicklaus said. "What I tried to do was fit the golf course on the land, and as I started to do the holes, I'd say, 'Well, now that looks or feels like (this or that particular hole)."

While drawing inspiration from holes worldwide, Nicklaus said he wanted the course to have its own identity.

"You want this golf course to be its golf course and not somebody else's," he said.

Murdock, who also hired Nicklaus to design Sherwood in 1989, said the project took nearly two years to complete.

"We had to move so much soil because some of the fairways and so forth had to be carved right out of a mountain," Murdock said.

Murdock said he was thrilled with the final product.

"I want to say how proud I am to have the golf course looking the way it does," Murdock said. "It couldn't have possibly been done without the help of my good friend Jack Nicklaus."

Following the press conference, Nicklaus joined Murdock at the first tee for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

When he was ready to hit the course's inaugural tee shot, Nicklaus' suddenly felt a stiff wind in his face. Despite the elements, the Golden Bear placed his shot within 20 feet of the cup.

After Nicklaus' shot, several young local players got their opportunity to impress the legend.

Although he came up short on his first attempt at the green, 8year-old Brandon Jacobs hit a second shot that almost mirrored Nicklaus' effort, with the ball landing safely on the green within 25 feet of the flag.

The crowd erupted, and afterward Jacobs, a North Ranch resident, said he hits shots like that all the time.

"There was a little pressure," Jacobs said, "but I did okay."