Jack Nicklaus Collaborates with Rick Horrow on First Tee Project
Rick Horrow and Jack Nicklaus discussing the ambitious project.
Horrow Sports Ventures Announces The Ben Horrow Project With Jack Nicklaus and First Tee
Horrow Sports Ventures is proud to highlight the launch of The Ben Horrow Project, a new initiative created in partnership with Jack Nicklaus and First Tee to expand youth development through golf, education, mentorship and life skills programming. The project reflects a shared commitment to building opportunities for young people that extend far beyond the course.
The initiative is named in honor of Ben Horrow, Rick Horrow’s late father, whose love of sports and golf helped shape Rick’s lifelong passion for both. At the First Tee Trustee Event hosted at his home, Rick shared that he vividly remembered watching Jack Nicklaus win the Masters with his father as a child, and wrote that although his father died in 1966, “his legacy lives on” through The Ben Horrow Project. Rick described the initiative as a way to intensify that passion while creating meaningful opportunities for young people through the game of golf and beyond.
The project begins with the transformation of The Shores of North River Golf Club in Stuart, Florida, where Jack Nicklaus is set to lead a redesign that will help create a facility centered not only on play, but also on learning and access. The vision includes a modern learning environment and a broader youth-focused platform designed to serve the surrounding community in tangible ways.
Working alongside First Tee is central to that mission. First Tee’s national model is built around using golf as a vehicle for youth development, helping young people build character, confidence and resilience through a combination of the sport and life-skills education. Rick also noted that his role as a National Trustee of First Tee helped create the opportunity to bring the project together with Nicklaus and the organization.
The Ben Horrow Project is intended to go well beyond a golf-course renovation. The broader vision includes programming focused on financial literacy, economic protection, mentorship and youth development, along with a thought leadership component that brings together voices from sports, business and academics. Rick has said the goal is to create conversations that help young athletes and young people better protect themselves and prepare for a changing world of sports and economics.
For Horrow Sports Ventures, this project represents the kind of impact that sports can create at their best: connecting generations, opening doors, and using the platform of the game to build something lasting for the future. The Ben Horrow Project is both a tribute and a forward-looking commitment : one rooted in family legacy, strengthened by partnership, and designed to make a difference in the lives of young people for years to come.