Rick Caruso Reveals “One of a Kind” Golf Club With 18-Hole Course Designed by Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus talks with his attorneys during a recess in closing arguments in Judge Reid P. Scott II's courtroom at the Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla,, on October 20, 2025. Nicklaus' defamation suit against his former business partners, including billionaire Howard Milstein, is expected to be decided by a jury this week.
Jack Nicklaus talks with his attorneys during a recess in closing arguments in Judge Reid P. Scott II's courtroom at the Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla,, on October 20, 2025. Nicklaus' defamation suit against his former business partners, including billionaire Howard Milstein, is expected to be decided by a jury this week.
Rick Caruso has spent three decades building malls, apartments and resort hotels around Los Angeles. Now he’s pivoting to golf — unveiling a rare par-54 course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The billionaire developer has unveiled the first look at his new private golf and social club, Miramar Lake Club, just behind the gates of the Sherwood community near Thousand Oaks. And Caruso isn't downplaying the ambition here.
“I knew Dave Murdock well, and I knew the quality that he put into everything that he built. The whole development behind the gates out there, it’s really one of a kind," Caruso told The Hollywood Reporter.
He added in the same interview with Chris Gardner: "To own part of that with our own club, I thought it was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.”
For decades, the property was operated as the Sherwood Lake Club and was owned by David H. Murdock. Murdock died in June 2025, and the club changed hands shortly thereafter. Caruso's company acquired the estate earlier this year in a deal first reported by L.A. Material.
Since taking over, Caruso said his team has already gone through the property 'from architecture to amenities' to give it a more elevated and hospitality-first feel.
At the center of the project is an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Every hole plays as a par 3, which makes the layout a par-54 course.
Nicklaus has designed only two such 18-hole par-3 courses worldwide, underscoring the rarity of Miramar’s setup.
"There’s only two 18-hole, 3-par Jack Nicklaus-designed courses out there," Caruso said. "It’s a world-class course, and what we’re doing now is enhancing it and spending a lot of money enhancing the whole club experience."
The club is not just about golf, either.
Caruso’s plans include an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse, a resort-style pool, a signature restaurant led by a chef still to be announced, a poolside grill for lunch, a bar built for nightly entertainment, a wellness center overlooking the course, a full gym, and tennis courts. So, the members keep coming back all day, not just for a round.
A Deal Closed in Twenty Minutes
The purchase itself came together almost by accident. Caruso got a cold call from a broker on a Friday afternoon while he was at home with his family in Newport Beach.
He'd never actually seen the Lake Club in person. He only knew the surrounding Sherwood community through friends who lived there. By the end of a roughly 20-minute phone call, the deal was struck.
Caruso spent that weekend on the phone with his head of development and general counsel, pushing to close it as quickly as possible.
"We spent about 20 minutes on the call, and we made a deal. I called our head of development and general counsel. I said, 'I hate to have you guys busy over the weekend but we got a deal here. Let’s get it closed as soon as possible,'" he said in the same interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It came together very quickly."
Written by
Md Saife Fida
Edited by
Koushik Biswas