Jack Nicklaus fires a few shots during grand opening at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain

MARANA, Ariz. – Although the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain has been open since January, today was the official opening as designer Jack Nicklaus flew in to join owner/developer David Mehl for opening ceremonies.

With a good bit of fanfare that included the release of doves, Native American music and dance, and a couple of hundred or so guests, Nicklaus and Mehl hit the ceremonial first shots at the course that played host to the WGC Accenture Match Play in February.

I’ve seen Nicklaus do a few of these openings, and it’s always impressive. Even at age 69, it’s still a lot of fun to watch the Golden Bear hit golf shots. The swing is a little shorter, but the signature head cock and left heel off the ground are still there. And he still hits the ball in the center of the clubface pretty much every time.

He and son Jackie were scheduled to take us through holes 14-18 on the back nine (Tortolita), but we got bonus golf when Nicklaus rhetorically asked the crowd if we would object to one more hole.

Even better than watching Nicklaus swing was listening to his comments about the course – in particular the changes that are being made per the PGA Tour, which took players’ criticism of the course to heart and mandated a number of tweaks.

Nicklaus was particularly candid in front of the crowd, calling some of the proposals simply “spending money,” but conceded that some changes would probably be beneficial. Earlier, before he met with the media and guests, Nicklaus, along with course and tour officials, toured the front nine (Saguaro), where some alterations had already been completed to the greens. Nicklaus was obviously not pleased with everything he saw, saying that his “sarcasm was a little loud” that morning.

Nicklaus didn’t want the tournament to merely be a putting contest.

“There are going to be some pin placements that you can’t just stand there and throw anything you want at it every time,” Nicklaus said. “You might have to end up actually having to think a little bit and play a shot.”