Michael Jordan (YouTube)
BY AAGD STAFF (OCTOBER 21, 2019)
The excitement has been building for the opening of Michael Jordan’s golf course “The Grove Golf Club XXIII” which is nearing completion in Martin County’s Hobe Sound, Florida. As developers feverishly work on finishing up the $470,000 worth of details that are left to be done, according to records filed with the county’s Growth Management Department, an official opening date has not yet been announced.
Items still waiting to be finished on the to-do list include mainly concrete, landscaping and finishing the clubhouse, say the records. As the process goes, this past September, the Martin County Commission approved a temporary certificate of occupancy, and when all of the work is completed, developers will then return to the commission to get its permits to officially open. However, The Grove, built on the former site of a citrus grove, will be a high-end private, gated course, just north of the Hobe Sound Polo Club, and it is not accessible to the public.
“It is a world-class facility that has been built down there,” Commissioner Doug Smith said. “If you haven’t seen it, it is really something special.”
The 226-acre golf course on Bridge Road, east of Interstate 95, is expected to comprise 18 holes, a driving range, a 9,800-square-foot clubhouse and maintenance facilities, according to the developer’s application filed with the county. The Grove is valued at nearly $2.5 million by the Property Appraiser’s Office, even while still under construction. TCPalm.com was first to report about the course in 2016, when sources close to the project said they expected it to cost $15 million to $20 million with the participation of about 25 partners.
Famed Architect Bobby Weed has said that Jordan’s club will be designed as a “course for tomorrow.”
This past September, the commission also agreed to allow the developers to add golf cottages, despite some pushback from Commissioner Sarah Heard over concerns about water and sewer infrastructure, according to TCPalm.com.
Martin County Commissioners had first approved the massive project in November 2017 and signed off on a revised final site plan just over a year ago.
The lead developer on the project, Rick Melchiori, general manager of Becker Holding Corp., the Vero Beach development group, has been rather quiet when it has come to discussing a plan on the opening date.
Grove-XIII-Bobby-Weed-Golf-Design
Jordan, a 56-year-old retired Chicago Bulls superstar and owner of the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets, is an avid golfer and known for his celebrity status on the course. Jordan has held celebrity tournaments, participated in charity fundraisers and enjoys being on the golf scene. Jordan has also been a member at several high-end private clubs including, the Medalist, The Floridian in Palm City, and The Bear’s Club in Jupiter.
