Golf greats converge on Harbor Shores in celebrity skins game

When a lost member of the media stops to ask for directions to Klock Road and the clubhouse at Harbor Shores the two men working on the property on the east side of North Shore Drive say they were just talking about the signs around town announcing an appearance by Jack Nicklaus at the grand opening of his 18-hole Signature Golf Course.

You don't have to be a golfer to know that something big is coming to Benton Harbor Aug. 10.

The game will bring together Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson paired together for the first time in the Harbor Shores Champions for Change Golf Challenge.

The foursome will be competing in an 18-hole skins format with rotating two-man teams at the sold out event, with a purse that will be donated back to community groups.

Tom Watson says he checked Google Earth to look up the land on which Harbor Shore sits. "It shows the property before it was developed. I can see (Jean Klock) park, the Paw Paw River and parts of the rust belt. I know what kind of work goes into Jack's courses and I'm interested in seeing next week what it presently looks like."

Johnny Miller says he looks forward to the fun of being part of a game with a group of golfers from an amazing era in golf. Arnold Palmer says he is looking forward to playing on the site of the 2012 Senior PGA tournament. "If we can help Benton Harbor at the same time, I think that's great."

Harbor Shores is Lake Michigan's first beach and golf resort community. Harbor Shores, built through a nonprofit developer and public-private partnership is one of a kind in the country.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Sources: KemperSports, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson