Jack Nicklaus has visited the Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Michigan to inspect the last three holes of the course which his firm is designing. The course is due to open next spring, but limited preview play is available at weekends until 15 October on a nine hole loop.

The course will serve as the cornerstone for a 530 acre masterplanned community including residential units, commercial space, a marina, and a hotel and conference centre.

Located ninety minutes east of Chicago, the course is built on a site featuring natural sand dunes with bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan.

Part of an unusual non-profit development partnership, Harbor Shores is designed to serve as a catalyst for community transformation by creating jobs and generating new and tax revenue. The course is also intended to restore beauty to a pristine area of Lake Michigan's waterfront through the restoration of local public park space, the clean up of brownfields, and the preservation of natural wetlands.

“This is really a huge enabler to drive community transformation and economic growth – not only in Benton Harbor but throughout southwest Michigan,” said Nicklaus during his recent visit.