If a course needs to be in great condition to be played effectively then the design strategy is flawed.

Of course I did lots of what would be called graphic design now what used to be called commercial art.

Golf course design is exciting.

Even private persons in due season with discretion and temper may reprove others whom they observe to commit sin or follow bad courses out of charitable design and with hope to reclaim them.

And then build a bustling wonderful city of the 21st century with a restoration of a spectacular skyline which Manhattan of course needs. So that is really the design as a whole.

Clearly programming courses should teach methods of design and construction and the selected examples should be such that a gradual development can be nicely demonstrated.

I learn my lines while on the golf course. I try to do two or three things at once. I have ideas for books all the time I have ideas for paintings all the time and I write them all down. I take my sketchpad and my iPad which I design on and I do sit down and do specific tasks at specific times.

A Nicklaus Design golf course is done by the guys in my company that I work with that have been trained in my vision and they do what they think I might do. They might come in the office and ask me questions and I'd certainly answer their questions but I'm not involved in the site visits or anything else.

I've wanted to design golf courses ever since I was a kid. I suppose it comes from the way I've played the game. To find the proper way to play any hole I've always begun by asking myself what the architect has tried to do with it.

Pete Dye introduced me to golf course design back in the 1960's. He came to my hometown Columbus Ohio to work on The Golf Club.