Tiger Woods’ latest project? Designing a course for Mike Trout
Three-time American League MVP Mike Trout has teamed up with Tiger Woods to build a golf course in New Jersey.
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Here’s some inside baseball: Mike Trout is building a golf course. And his partner in the project is Tiger Woods.
The three-time American League Most Valuable Player commissioned Woods to design Trout National – The Reserve, a private course in the southern New Jersey town of Vineland where Trout was born and near where he currently resides. The course first reported on sports illustratedscheduled to open in 2025.
“It’s pretty incredible to have the opportunity to own your own golf course,” Trout said S.I. “Getting Tiger to design it is insane. If you had told me before that this would happen one day, I would have said you were crazy. It’s more than I ever thought possible.”
Trout, who teased the project in a tweet Monday morningsaid that he and his wife Jessica, who is also a golfer and a native of New Jersey, first discussed the idea of building a course in early 2020 just before the pandemic.
“We sat down and said, ‘Look, if an opportunity arises, that would be a great thing. I want to own a course,’” Trout said. “We were on the verge of owning a course when Covid-19 hit. A lot of things weren’t going the way we wanted, so we stepped out of the business. We just said, ‘If an opportunity arises, we will look into it.’”
Trout said that opportunity arose a year or two later when he saw drone footage “of someone trying to build a few holes in Vineland while the courses were closed.”
“I sent[the footage]to my brother, Tyler, and I said, ‘Can you watch that for me?'” Trout said.
Soon, with the help of a local developer, John Ruga, who is also involved with the project, Trout had a site on a messed up piece of land about 45 minutes south of Philadelphia that was formerly a silica sand mine. As for his choice of architect, Trout said his wish list began and ended with Woods and his firm TGR Design.
“My favorite golfer growing up was obviously Tiger,” Trout said. “I thought it would be pretty cool to come forward. We reached out, got a positive vibe when we mentioned it, and brought his team to the site. When Tiger’s team got to the site, they were ecstatic. It’s surreal. I mean it’s the damn tiger.”
In a press release, Woods said, “I’ve always watched Mike on the Diamond, so when the opportunity to work with him on Trout National – The Reserve arose, I couldn’t pass up.”
Trout, who says he plays with a handicap index of “7 or 8,” was introduced to golf in high school through driving range trips with his father, Jeff. As in baseball, he’s a long-ball hitter, with drives, which he said average 330 to 360 yards.
“It depends on the moment,” Trout said. “I’m trying to turn it down to keep it a little straighter.”
Like many elite athletes who are drawn to golf, Trout says he enjoys the game as both a competitive outlet and a relaxing retreat.
Mike Trout hitting absolute bombs at Topgolf (and now we know his ball speed)
Nick Dimengo
“For me it’s like everything else I do. I want to be the best, whatever it takes,” Trout said. “If it means going to the shooting range or watching videos, I will. I’m not going crazy with this. Baseball is always my #1 priority. I just enjoy golf. It’s a great mental getaway from the game.”
Although the full details of the design are yet to be nailed down, the press release states that the course will take advantage of the site’s topography, “with some holes weaving through deciduous and evergreen forests and others draped over rolling farmland.” . trout tells S.I that he expects the course to have an island green par 3 with multiple tees known as “Mike’s Choice”.
Trout isn’t the first icon from another sport to build her own court. In 2019, basketball legend Michael Jordan cut the ribbon at Grove XXIII, a Florida hideaway with a small membership that includes Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler. Like Jordan’s course, Trout’s will be private and reflect the preferences of its owners.
“Obviously it’s not quite ready yet,” Trout said. “But when I go to a class, I hate waiting. I’d rather play a two and a half, three hour round. And whatever you need, whatever comes to mind, it will be there for you. And there will be a lot going on in the clubhouse. I have a feeling when you step onto this golf course, when you drive into the front gate, you want to look forward to just enjoying your day.”
In addition to a practice field, short game area and clubhouse, Trout National will have amenities including a restaurant, accommodations and a wedding chapel that may be open to the public. That is yet to be determined.
“It’s pretty incredible to have the opportunity to own your own golf course,” Trout said. “And working with good friends and family and getting Tiger to design it is great.”
