When every ticket to a golf tournament such as last week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship has been sold, it’s hard to argue with its success. Then again, the 36-hole finale won by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson over Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy didn’t exactly set television ratings records.

Personally, I don’t hold a lot of stock in ticket sales or TV ratings, as long as those who attend had a great time. In that regard, the WGC Match Play got mixed reviews, according to the feedback I received.

Fans I talked with who attended last week’s first-ever production at the Gallery at Dove Mountain came away with two distinct views. A) It was fantastic to once again see Tiger Woods back in Arizona after a six-year absence, and B) the golf course was rough to navigate and even tougher to get a good view, especially when the players were on or around the Gallery’s gigantic, elevated greens.

The TPC of Scottsdale, the fan-friendly home of the FBR Open, this was not. Even with shuttles, it was a long way back to the clubhouse if you ventured out to the eighth, ninth and 10 th holes. Not being able to see where approach shots and putts ended up also was frustrating.

Chances are that won’t change next year, when the tournament is once again held on the northern outskirts of Tucson near the tiny farming town of Marana. But come 2009, the Match Play will take flight when it soars into new territory.

The big change is already under construction, as Jack Nicklaus is building a tournament course at the Gallery that will replace the South Course as the site of the competition. In fact, the Golden Bear was in Tucson last week for his “fourth or fifth’’ site visit and to talk to the media about what lies ahead.

“It’s a very, very pretty piece of property, and we should end up with a very nice golf course,’’ said Nicklaus, who is building 36 more holes at the Gallery for owner John McMillan and developer David Mehl. “It’s sort of in your mind not to mess up, not to do much with it.’’

For Nicklaus, it brings back memories. In 1983, he teamed up with Mehl to build 27 holes at the Westin La Paloma Golf Club in Tucson, the same year he was opening Desert Highlands Golf Club in Scottsdale. Those were Nicklaus’ first two works in Arizona.

According to Nicklaus, both the new Gallery site and LaPaloma have a lot in common. The courses are at about the same altitude (3,500 feet above sea level) and are loaded with saguaros and dramatic shifts in elevation, as well as panoramic vistas.

But LaPaloma will look like a pitch ’n’ putt alongside the new tournament course at the Gallery, which will roll on and on for “about 7,800 yards.’’

According to Nicklaus, the course will be tailor-made for match play, and needs such length to combat the altitude and, to use Nicklaus’ words, “the gorillas on the PGA Tour.’’ The altitude factor will allow the ball to fly four percent farther – or 300 yards less than it actually plays – and with players bombing it 300-yards plus, well. . . .

“Until they do something about (the high-tech equipment and the ball), if you want to play championship golf, the golf courses need to get longer. You don’t have a choice,’’ said Nicklaus, who has built well over 200 courses in the past 40 years. “I think everybody is tired of a driver and a wedge (to reach the green).’’

The good news for the members, who will play the course the rest of the year, is that their version will be scaled back to 6,700 yards. But the best thing about the new tournament course is that it will be “gallery friendly,’’ as Nicklaus plans to make the high points of the course into spectator mounds rather than green settings.

“We’ve got space, a wonderful gallery (setting),’’ said Nicklaus, citing such holes as Nos. 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. “We’re going to keep this on topo (a topographical map) until we get this thing open.’’

Blending the difficulty of the golf course into consideration for the galleries will be a challenge, but it’s a labor of love, Nicklaus said.

“You’ve got to make it so the members and the people who pay the tariff (the fans) can play it and enjoy it,’’ he said. “Then you have the back tees and the challenge for the players.

“I still get charge out of that.’’

Chances are that latest “charge’’ by Nicklaus will be the critical difference when it comes to elevating the WGC-Accenture Match Play to new heights in the coming years.