Play the Courses Designed by Golf ’s Greatest Legends! |
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The first course, Slammer and Squire opened in 1998. It was designed by Bobby Weed with Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen as consultants. The King and Bear golf course, named for its co-designers, is the first and only collaborative design by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
“Opened in 2000, The King and Bear at World Golf Village is one of
those courses that stirs the soul. Standing on the first tee, peering
over the downslope, around the waterside bunkers and back up to the
green, you feel a responsibility to the game. A responsibility to both the history and future of golf. Divots get
sanded more frequently here. Extra pitch marks are repaired. Traps get
re-raked with a bit more tenderness. Whether you play better is a whole
other matter. But score is secondary here.” Teeing off from under the tower of the World Golf Hall of Fame at the Slammer & Squire is quite an experience. You are not alone, only a pitching wedge away from the famous exhibits featuring Snead, Sarazen, Palmer, and Nicklaus. Playing both courses is a must, with both offering very different course design challenges. 
Take a step back in time with the challenge of the Slammer & Squire golf course that is reflective of the finesse game that made Sam Snead, “The Slammer” and Gene Sarazen, “The Squire” legends. Both Snead and Sarazen were the top golfers in the world for decades. Snead was famed for his folksy image, wearing a straw hat and playing tournaments barefoot. Sarazen owns one of the most remarkable records in PGA Championship history and is one of the few golfers to achieve - the Career Grand Slam. The Slammer and Squire demands accurate shot-making. Though challenging, the course will not penalize the average or inexperienced player - who will have a variety of tee boxes to choose from. This 18-hole championship course plays 6,939 yards from the longest tees for a par of 72 with a course rating of 73.8 and a slope of 135. It is a well conditioned layout from tee to green, with two distinctive nines. 
The King & Bear golf course is a mixture of two different but complementary design styles. Arch rivals since the early 1960s, Arnold Palmer, “The King,” and Jack Nicklaus, “The Bear,” have always been a contrast in style, who between them hold 25 major titles, over 130 PGA Tour victories, and some 350 golf course designs to their credit. Arnie was the charismatic swashbuckler who thrilled the masses with his low, piercing drives and go-for-broke heroics. Jack, 10 years his junior, was more self-contained and methodical, a consummate strategist who rode his power fade and pressure-proof putting to more major victories than anyone. The King and Bear is a player’s course designed to be tournament ready. Par is 72, and at its championship length it reaches 7,279 yards, though the measure is as little as 5,119 yards from shortest tees, with three sets in between. That this is a “driver’s” course should come as no surprise as both Palmer and Nicklaus wielded awesome power games in their primes. You will notice how Palmer influenced the right-to-left holes and Nicklaus the left-to-right, as that’s how they played. 
There are strong signs of Palmer in places with the great risk-reward par fours and fives and then signs of Nicklaus, especially with his angled greens and chipping areas. You can currently compare yourself to these greats via the GPS system that is on all carts at the World Golf Village golf courses. Keep your eye on the screen to compare not just your scores but your individual shots to Jack and Arnie’s during their inaugural match at the King & Bear. Both clubhouses offer excellent restaurants with panoramic views, and in partnership with the World Golf Hall of Fame, feature exhibits of these great golf legends. For more information regarding the two award-winning golf courses of the World Golf Village go online to www.golfwgv.com. |
Think about Golf Legends and who comes to mind? Well, you are definitely going to think about Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Go back in time to an earlier era and Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen may come to mind. And, how about the chance to play the Official Courses of the World Golf Hall of Fame? The golf courses at World Golf Village have it all.
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