Construction of a new eighteen-hole course by Nicklaus Design has started at Jack’s Bay on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

Jack’s Bay is an exclusive resort club and residential community that features four miles of white sand beaches on the Atlantic coastline. It is already home to The Playground, a 10-hole par-three course by Tiger Woods’ TGR Design.

The new course will be the first ‘Nicklaus Heritage’ layout, which means the course includes design input from multiple senior architects at Nicklaus Design. For this project, they are aiming to highlight characteristics unique to the region and include features native to the local landscape.

“The principals of Jack’s Bay Resort Development Limited have a remarkable vision to make their community the destination of choice for the most discerning golfer in the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean,” said Howard Milstein, executive chairman of Nicklaus Companies. “From my very first meeting, I committed all of our Nicklaus, IMI, and 8AM Golf assets to ensure the greatest golf experience imaginable.

“With the history of the island, stunning ocean views for golf and real estate, and access to world-class fishing and other amenities, Jack’s Bay rivals any destination in the Bahamas. Nicklaus Design is proud to have been selected to create a world-class golf course on this property.”

Chad Goetz, senior design associate at Nicklaus Design, will lead the project and will be on site to oversee all aspects of the design process. “It’s going to be spectacular,” he said. “A number of holes stretch directly along on the ocean and even the land off the ocean has remarkable topography, featuring a rolling terrain of elevation changes, lakes, deep water ‘blue holes’ to the ocean, and caves. What mother nature has provided us is rare and we plan to preserve the natural integrity and enhance the beauty of the island.”

The course is scheduled to be complete in 2025, which would make Jack’s Bay the first property to feature layouts by both Nicklaus Design and TGR Design.

A new ‘Nicklaus Community’ will also be part of the project. This Nicklaus-branded luxury real estate element will be the first of its kind in the Caribbean – there will be 24 beachfront and ocean view homes, costing $1 million to $3 million each.

Other amenities planned for Jacks’ Bay include a beach club, a spa village, fitness and wellness programmes, and a sports pavilion.