Nicklaus Design, the global firm founded by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and privately owned by the Nicklaus family, is widely regarded as the world's leading design firm. The company has 356 courses open for playing 34 countries and 39 states. No other design firm in the world has produced more world-ranked or championship golf courses and no firm has more projects currently under development worldwide than Nicklaus Design. The firm's exacting standards of quality associated with the construction and maintenance of golf courses have been lauded for ushering in a new era of golf-course design and forever changing the face of golf-course architecture.