Nicklaus Design teams with Perfect Parallel to introduce advanced 3-D modeling technology to golf course design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2014

Nicklaus Design, the world leader in golf course design and the global firm founded by golf icon Jack Nicklaus, has announced a new strategic initiative with U.S.-based video game developer and golf visualization company Perfect Parallel to adapt three-dimensional (3-D) modeling techniques developed in the gaming and entertainment world to the world of professional golf course design.

Nicklaus Design has adopted Perfect Parallel’s software suite as its official 3-D course design engine, and will be the only golf course design firm with that capability. Nicklaus Design is integrating these tools with its T2Green CAD system to create virtual working models of its golf course designs, which can be viewed in three dimensions and actually played with a golf simulator during the design and construction process.

Although Nicklaus Design has been an industry leader since the late 1980s in the use of CAD systems to design golf courses, adding the Perfect Parallel engine will dramatically enhance the process by generating prototype course designs in a very realistic 3-D environment. These models will give Nicklaus Design and the client the ability to exchange realistic and detailed visual information during the design and permitting process and aid contractors in interpreting the final design during the construction process.

The Perfect Parallel team comes with a global reputation in 3-D modeling and simulation for entertainment uses, including Broadcast TV, sports visualization and simulation, and electronic gaming. Perfect Parallel will drive the joint initiative with Nicklaus Design by licensing the use of its software tools to develop and visualize its golf course designs.

“Forming this relationship was an important strategic decision for our design company, and we became interested in Perfect Parallel based on the realism and accuracy of the cutting-edge golf course models they have been able to produce for broadcast TV and video game products,” said John Reese, CEO for the Nicklaus Companies. “As Nicklaus Design extends its golf course design business to geographical areas farther from home, where the traditional design and construction process is not as well understood, and where technology plays a very important role in local cultures and economies, the ability to demonstrate its reputation for quality with the latest professional-grade visualization software has become critical. In Perfect Parallel, we have found a company that understands the direction golf and technology are heading, and we are confident that the 3-D models we produce will provide graphic evidence of the technical and artistic superiority of our design work.”

Nicklaus Design has created more than 380 courses open for play in 38 countries and 39 U.S states. No fewer than 110 Nicklaus Design courses have hosted a combined total of over 770 professional tournaments or significant national amateur championships. Close to 100 Nicklaus Design courses have appeared in various national and international Top-100 lists.

“We are proud of our position globally, and, in fact, we are currently working projects in 18 different countries,” said Nicklaus Design President Jack Nicklaus II. “The universal language of visual communication allows us to reach across geographical, language and cultural differences and engage our clients in the design process. Our partnership with Perfect Parallel gives us access to tools that will revolutionize our communications by allowing everyone to visualize our designs in a realistic format as they take shape, whether at our design studio in Florida or in a client’s office half a world away.”

Perfect Parallel President and COO Andrew Jones is excited by the mutual benefits and potential of the new agreement reached with Nicklaus Design.

“Prior to the opportunity to work with Nicklaus Design, Perfect Parallel had never looked for a strategic corporate relationship or endorsement deal for our software,” Jones said. “Our focus was licensing our core software suite to end users in the golf entertainment and media industries; however, it became clear early on in our discussions that a broader strategic relationship with Nicklaus Design will help expand our offerings and client base. There is no doubt in my mind that Perfect Parallel and all of its products will benefit from our association with Nicklaus Design, as we collaborate on developing technology and software for golf that integrates real world data with our virtual environments.”

About Perfect Parallel Inc.
Perfect Parallel is a software company specializing in virtual sports gaming, broadcast television, marketing and simulation. All of Perfect Parallel’s software products–including Terrain ForgeTM, Course ForgeTM, Broadcast Suite, and Perfect Golf–incorporate fully geo-referenced spatial data that enables the integration of real world data into their virtual environments. As the consumer and commercial markets surrounding broadcasting, gaming and mobile continue to battle for user time, Perfect Parallel is leading the push to integrate these three platforms into a single experience that will bring the user closer to the action and more integrated into it. The future of sports simulation is not just in making the experience more realistic, it is in making the user an integrated part of it and allowing users to compete against the professionals that are on television at their gaming console, PC or mobile device.

Perfect Parallel Inc. is incorporated in Florida, with office locations in Buffalo, NY; Washington, DC; and Manchester, England. For more information on Perfect Parallel’s visualization services visit http://www.perfectparallel.com/visualization or contact them via email at info@perfectparallel.com.

About the Nicklaus Companies
The Nicklaus Companies is dedicated to promoting excellence in the game of golf, preserving its great traditions and growing the game. For nearly 50 years, the mission of the Nicklaus Companies has been to enhance the golf experience, and to bring to the national and international consumer, golf-related businesses and services that mirror the high standards established in the career and life of Jack Nicklaus. In 2007, Jack Nicklaus partnered with Howard Milstein to help further the growth of the company and to realize the full potential of the brands and branded businesses. Howard Milstein is Chairman of New York Private Bank & Trust and is actively involved in the Nicklaus Companies serving as Co-Chairman along with Jack.

Products and services include golf-course design, development of golf and real estate communities, and the marketing and licensing of golf products and services. Nicklaus-branded products have been marketed worldwide since 1962. The Jack Nicklaus and Golden Bear-branded lifestyle collection of products include: restaurants; beverages; wine; home appliances; flooring; cabinets; apparel; footwear; and golf equipment.

For more information on the Nicklaus Companies, please visit www.nicklaus.com.