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Golf has long been a favorite pastime of athletes from other sports.
Playing football, basketball and baseball takes a toll on even the best-conditioned athletes. Once their professional careers end, their competitive fire still burns, so golf is a perfect outlet.
Mike Trout, one of the best baseball players of the 21st century, is a golf nut, so much so that he's eager to carve out a place for him and his friends to play for decades to come. A private golf club called Trout National - The Reserve is under construction close to Trout's southern New Jersey hometown of Millville, and the Los Angeles Angels star has conscripted 15-time major champion Tiger Woods to help him realize his vision.
The course has been in the works for several years, according to people familiar with the project. Tiger Woods' TGR Design, headed by architect Beau Welling, is in charge of bringing the 18-hole course to fruition on a flattish but sandy site that used to be a silica mine. John Ruga, a developer in the area, is partnering in the project with Trout.
“I love south Jersey and I love golf, so creating Trout National – The Reserve is a dream come true,” said Trout in the project's press release. “And then to add to that we’ll have a golf course designed by Tiger? It’s just incredible to think that this project has grown to where we’re going to be working with someone many consider the greatest and most influential golfer of all-time.”
Trout will be far from the first professional athlete to have his own club, let alone the first pro athlete to get involved in the golf scene in the south Jersey/southeastern Pennsylvania area. Ron "Jaws" Jaworski, a retired NFL quarterback who played 17 seasons, has owned and operated several golf courses in and around Philadelphia. His company's portfolio includes popular public and semi-private facilities like Downingtown Country Club in Downingtown, Penn.; Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Galloway, N.J.; RiverWinds Golf & Tennis Club in West Deptford, N.J.; and more.
Since it opened in 2019, NBA legend Michael Jordan's GROVE XXIII has become one of the favorite hangouts of professional golfers and celebrities in South Florida. Its Bobby Weed-designed course is said to be tailor-made for Jordan, who has been known to wager a few dollars on competitive rounds.
Last November, NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins and his wife Julie bought a public facility in western Michigan, Clearbrook Golf Course. Cousins, whose 11-year career includes stints with the Washington Commanders and the Minnesota Vikings, attended college at Michigan State University, not far from Saugatuck, where Clearbook is located.
Located close to Augusta just outside of Aiken, S.C., The Tree Farm is another example of this phenomenon, only it's thanks to the vision of a professional golfer, Utahn Zac Blair. Blair worked with Tom Doak and Kye Goalby to route and build the course, which is open now to members and guests.
More golf course news and notes
PGA TOUR HEADING TO CABO - With the golf course at Mayakoba's El Camaleon switching from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf schedule, the PGA Tour is maintaining a foothold south of the border, albeit in a different region, trading Riviera Maya's jungle for Cabo's desert and ocean scenery. The El Cardonal course at Diamante Cabo San Lucas will host the World Wide Technology Championship in the fall of 2023. [LINK: ESPN]
AUGUSTA NATIONAL CONTRIBUTES TO THE 'MUNAISSANCE' - Somewhat lost in Masters Week was an announcement by the club that they plan to help "elevate public golf in Augusta" by working with Augusta Municipal Golf Course, which is affectionately called 'The Patch'. [LINK: Masters.com]
NEW GOLF COURSE COMING TO SOUTH DAKOTA - Mapleton Golf Club will be laid out by Scott Hoffmann, whose Lost Rail Golf Club outside of Omaha has drawn rave reviews since opening. [LINK: Dakota News Now]
TROON CHALLENGE SCHEDULED - Troon, the acclaimed operator of hundreds of golf courses worldwide, unveiled the schedule of qualifiers from May through October across 11 states for its annual Troon Challenge golf tournament. The finals will be held at Indian Wells Golf Resort in December. [LINK: The Golf Wire]
GOLF-ADJACENT - Cassie Holland is a cart girl at a Las Vegas golf course who takes in upwards of $500 in tips per day, as well as tons of likes from her 2 million TikTok followers. One way to succeed in her line of work? Learn Dad jokes. [LINK: Business Insider]
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