Chapter One · 1999
The Dinner
Once a year, on the Tuesday of Masters week, the only men allowed at the table are those who have won a green jacket. It was there, at the 1999 Masters Champions Dinner, that Gary Player turned to Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer with an idea: three champions, three courses, one property, just down the road from Augusta National.
No trio in the game’s history had ever done it. Between them, the Big Three held 13 green jackets, 34 major championships, and 159 professional victories.
CHAPTER TWO · 2000–2005
The Deal of the Cards
The land was 365 acres of untouched Georgia timber along the Savannah River: an island framed by two rivers, a bluff of rolling pines, and a creek winding through wetlands and hardwoods. Three distinct properties for three distinct champions. But who would design what?
Palmer
Now The Palmer Nine
Drew first, having played the most Masters
Nicklaus
Now The Nicklaus Nine
Drew second, holding the most green jackets
Player
Now The Player Nine
The last card on the table belonged to the host
Turn The Cards
Player wrote “Island,” “Bluff,” and “Creek” on the backs of three index cards. Palmer drew first and pulled the Island. Nicklaus drew next and took the Bluff. The Creek belonged to Player. Three of the most competitive men who ever lived settled it like gentlemen, with a deal of the cards.
By 2005, the courses were complete, and Champions Retreat opened as the only property in the world where Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player each built a course of his own. Today those nines carry the names of the men who made them.
The founders built a legacy.
We’re building on it.
Copyright © 2026 by Arcis Golf. All Rights Reserved.