Four legends of American golf get ready to hold a clinic Tuesday morning at the Golf Club at Harbor Shores. Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson not only offered golf advice, but played a skins game that raised $1 million for the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor and The First Tee program. (The Daily News/Scott Novak)

By SCOTT NOVAK

Dowagiac Daily News

BENTON HARBOR — Four legends of the game, playing for more than $1 million in a skins game brought out more than 3,500 fans Tuesday at the Golf Club of Harbor Shores.

The grand opening of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Harbor Shores was a sellout and the fans got exactly what they came to see.

Nicklaus, along with legends Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller traded stories, barbs and golf shots to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor and The First Tee program.

Those charities were announced Tuesday morning during opening ceremonies as the benefactors of the skins game purse provided by Whirlpool.

Before the foursome hit the links to test out the new Nicklaus course, they held a golf clinic in front of a trio of stands and fans that lined both sides of the driving range area.

Miller, a golf analyst for NBC Sports, did much of  the talking during the clinic, getting his fellow golfers to provide tips to improve one’s game.

While Watson and Nicklaus told a few stories and cracked a few jokes, most of the good one-liners came from Palmer to the delight of the crowd.

Once on the golf course things got a bit more serious and the foursome teamed up in pairs for six holes each so that everyone got a chance to play with each other.

Watson was the big winner on the day as he won $200,000 with Miller; $300,000 with Nicklaus and finished up the day with $156,250 with Palmer.

Perhaps the best moment of the day came when Nicklaus stroked a 32-yard putt on the 10th green to prove a point to Miller.

The three-tiered green found Miller at the bottom of  it getting ready to chip on closer to the hole.

Nicklaus in an effort to “save the green” showed him how to putt the ball.

In the end it was all good fun and a way to help christen the new course, which is hoping to help Benton Harbor turn around its economic fortunes.

Next up for the Golf Club at Harbor Shores will be the 2012 and 2014 Sr. PGA Championships.