The developers of Pawleys Plantation provided Jack Nicklaus with a place to stay and a beautiful view while he supervised construction of the golf course in 1988.
The House for Jack Built
No, that's not a typo in the heading. Someone really built a house for Jack Nicklaus nearly 20 years ago. Jack had laid out the new course at Pawleys Plantation in Pawleys Island, SC, and preferred to be on site for a large part of the construction time. That was before his design firm had become the explosive success it is today, with his corporate jet burning as much fuel as the air force of a small nation as he wings his way among projects on every continent.
But back in the day, Jack had the time and inclination to mother hen his projects, and Pawleys was one of his signature (and SignatureTM) designs, a beautiful tract of rice plantation property with a dike running across the marsh. Nicklaus incorporated the dike into his design, putting the tee boxes there for the par 3 13th and 17th holes, with forced carries over the scenic marsh.
The developers of Pawleys moved him into a home they built overlooking the 14th fairway, with beautiful views across a salt marsh and out to the island just ¾ of a mile beyond. But as we play the 14th, as we have done numerous times, we note that the perfect view from the deck of the Nicklaus house includes not only the marsh, but a lone tree smack in the middle of the fairway, well within range of well-struck tee shots on the par 5. Stripe one down the middle and you risk the tree blocking your way toward the green on the otherwise reachable green (for the big hitters). Worse, you may have to punch one left of the tree (more trees are over there) or right (the marsh runs along the entire right side to the green). We recall a tree in the middle of the 18th at Melrose on Daufuskie Island and at other Nicklaus courses we have played. This is a Nicklaus signature, some might say affectation, to put a tree directly in play and force the brain to work hard on the tee box.
On the 14th at Pawleys, you have plenty of room right of the tree, but your approach will have to come entirely over marsh from there. Left of the tree is gnarly Bermuda rough that will make it impossible to reach the green in two. We can imagine Jack sitting on the deck of that fine house in 1988, libation in hand, smiling at the pain of it all.
Footnote: The house Jack lived in for less than a year has been re-sold a few times since. Four years ago, it was available for about $700,000 and needed some cosmetic work. Based on neighborhood prices, if it were on the market today, it might fetch close to $900,000. One benefit is that after the last golfers come past in the evening, you can go out and practice shots around and through Jack's tree.
The Nicklaus tree at mid-fairway at Pawleys Plantatio's par 5 14th hole will penalize some well hit tee shots (this view is looking back up the fairway toward the tee box and the island beyond). The marsh on the left runs all the way to the green.
