86-Year-Old Golf Legend Jack Nicklaus Regains Personal IP, Eponymous Brand to Restart
After nearly a decade of business disputes and four years of litigation, 86-year-old American golf legend Jack Nicklaus has finally regained his eponymous brand.
On March 30, 20 Majors, a company he co-founded, announced the repurchase of the eponymous Nicklaus Companies LLC for $35.7 million. The acquired assets include his name, image, likeness, the iconic "Golden Bear" trademark, and golf course design company Nicklaus Design.
20 Majors LLC was jointly established by three parties: Jack Nicklaus himself, the Nicklaus Brown company under his son Gary, and investment firm TWG Global. TWG Global is led by Mark Walter (pictured below), owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers, and also owns the Professional Women's Hockey League and the Cadillac Formula 1 team, with a business portfolio spanning financial services, insurance, artificial intelligence, and technology.
Nicklaus holds the record for the most major championship wins in golf history with 18, earning the nickname "Golden Bear" for his precise ball-striking. Over 50 years ago, he founded his eponymous company, expanding the business into apparel, headwear, equipment, leather goods, and more through licensing the "Golden Bear" trademark.
He is also one of the most prolific and prestigious golf course designers. His Nicklaus Design has created over 420 courses worldwide, spanning 45 countries and 40 U.S. states, including Muirfield Village Golf Club (pictured below, first), home of the Memorial Tournament, and Chinese courses such as Huizhou Palm Island Golf Club and Hangzhou West Lake International Golf Course (pictured below, second). These venues have hosted over 300 PGA Tour-sanctioned events.
In the press release, Jack Nicklaus said: "I am very pleased to partner with TWG Global to promote the Nicklaus brand and expand the tremendous success of Nicklaus Design in golf course design. The opportunities are endless, and the future is bright."
Under the leadership of 20 Majors LLC, Nicklaus Companies will restart its global strategy, focusing on three core businesses: golf course design, real estate community development, and the marketing and licensing of lifestyle products under the Jack Nicklaus™, Golden Bear™, and Nicklaus™ brands.
Jack Nicklaus's "IP dispute" is quite complex:
In 2007, he sold the rights to his name, "Golden Bear" image, likeness, and golf-related business operations to American entrepreneur Howard Milstein, who has extensive business interests in golf.
The dispute between the two parties began in 2017, after which Nicklaus left the company. In 2022, Nicklaus Companies filed a lawsuit against him in New York, alleging that he breached a non-compete clause by offering golf course design services after the five-year restriction expired.
In 2023, Nicklaus filed a countersuit for defamation in Florida, accusing Milstein and Nicklaus Companies executive Andrew O'Brien of spreading false rumors that he had secretly negotiated with LIV Golf to join the tour for $750 million, and that the company had suggested he suffered from dementia or was mentally unfit.
Above: Golden Bear Club, Florida
On October 21, 2025, a Palm Beach County jury ruled in favor of Nicklaus, ordering Nicklaus Companies to pay $50 million in damages, but did not hold Milstein and O'Brien personally liable.
Subsequently, Nicklaus Companies filed for bankruptcy in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court and sold assets through an auction process, ultimately won by Nicklaus's newly formed company, 20 Majors. On March 30, 20 Majors officially issued a press release announcing the result.
｜Sources: Official press release, Essentially Sports, Front Office Sports
｜Image credits: Nicklaus Companies website, Muirfield Village Golf Club website, West Lake Cultural Tourism WeChat public account