English Turn

Most tour players like Jack Nicklaus-designed courses, but they
all love his locker rooms, which are the most luxurious on Tour.
The locker room at English Turn is his masterstroke.

Typical locker rooms open up to a huge atrium. Not at English
Turn, where the room is intimate and divided into several small
areas, each of which feels like a study in a Tudor mansion. Each
row of lockers is bisected by a wooden bench covered with a long,
plush green cushion. Instead of a couple of big bathrooms there
are many small and cozy ones. The decor includes carpeted granite
floors, dark inlaid-oak-paneled walls and marble sinks with
gold-plated fixtures. There's also a bar and grill that serves
delicious gumbo.

The 18th hole--my favorite closer on Tour--is also a beauty,
although the guys are rarely smiling when they finish because
every shot at 18 has the potential for disaster. A Sahara-sized
bunker lines the left side of the curvaceous fairway, which is so
undulating that you rarely get a level lie, and five bunkers dot
the right side. The kidney-shaped green is divided by three
mounds, and if that's not enough, the prevailing wind is into the
players' faces.

*For 28 years Gorjus George has drawn the yardage books that the
pros use.

COLOR PHOTO: TODD BIGELOW/AURORA (LUCAS)

B/W DIAGRAM: DIAGRAM BY GEORGE LUCAS No. 18 N Par-4 N 466 Yards