This course was designed by Jack himself, otherwise known outside the golf world as Mr. Nicklaus. A bit of a long hitter himself, he made it long, playing at 7,705 from the blacks, known here as the "Slag" Tees" There are actually five sets of tees on this course, giving it lengths of as little as 5,348 and as great as 7,705. This is only the second course we've seen which uses black sand in the bunkers. The sand comes from slag produced by the smelters. Sure makes it easy to see your ball on the beach.
The original smelter was replaced by a second and a third one in 1887 and 1900 and the land lay idle until it became a superfund site in 1983. In 1989 the idea to create a world class golf course on the site was hatched and ground was broken for the Old Works Course on May 26, 1994.
Be forewarned:
Green fees here can get a bit pricey in the summer. In 2015 they will be as high as $99 on summer weekends. At the edges of the season, though, they are half that, and less. They do say, however, that rates are "adjusted in real-time, based on demand, availability and other changing factors."
We visited very early in the season, so the course was still more brown than green.