BRADENTON, Fla.  – Jack Nicklaus visited The Concession Golf Club March 31, 2010 to play the course with Tony Jacklin, Global Ambassador of The Concession, Bruce Cassidy, owner of the Club, Chris Cochran, lead course designer on The Concession, and Superintendent Terry Kennelly.   Afterwards, a press conference was held between club Members and the media to discuss possible enhancements to the course.

Nicklaus designed the course with British great and fellow World Golf Hall of Fame member Tony Jacklin in honor of the 1969 Ryder Cup singles match between the two where Nicklaus conceded a putt to Jacklin. That gesture, known as “the concession,” rendered the two teams in a 17-17 tie. The U.S. retained the Cup, having won it in 1967.

“My connection with a course I design doesn’t end when the construction is completed,” said Nicklaus. “Plants grow, the ground settles and things change. Sometimes, the course you designed isn’t exactly the one that it evolves into being.”

As Nicklaus and Jacklin toured the course, it became evident to both that improvements could be made to make this highly touted “Best New Private Course” (Golf Digest 2006) even better. Nicklaus said it was not his intention to make the course less challenging, but simply to make it more forgiving in a few landing areas and certain pin placements.

“We need to make the course more playable for the Members,” said Nicklaus. “The contours of the greens have to be softened and the troughs on the greens that have developed through natural drainage have to be filled.”

While The Concession ranks at the top with the most prestigious clubs in the country in part due to its length and degree of difficulty -- the course stretches to almost 7,500 yards from the back tees and 6,600 from the Member tees -- given the terrain, this necessitates many forced carries off the tee.

 “We definitely feel there’s a need for an additional Members tee on a few holes,” said Nicklaus. “We can see places where we can add these tees and still maintain the integrity of the course. The idea is to match the course with the improvements in today’s equipment and make the course more playable without conceding any of the challenge.”

Nicklaus reminded the audience that Augusta National is the preeminent example of a great design that has evolved over time; it can be set up to challenge the greatest professional golfers in the world during Masters week and is a very playable, member friendly course the rest of the year.

The Concession management team and Jack Nicklaus designers have already started the process of making the improvements.

For more information about The Concession Golf Club, call 941-322-1922 or visit them online at www.theconcession.com.   

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About The Concession Golf Club

The Concession Golf Club is located at 7700 Lindrick Lane on the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties, just six miles east of 1-75 on University Parkway. Information can be found at www.theconcession.com or by calling 941-322-1922.