Designed by the internationally acclaimed duo of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, The Foothills Golf Club boasts a par 72 championship golf course that offers desert style golf in a setting that is accented by rolling fairways, 65 strategically placed bunkers set against a rocky desert terrain. Past accolades of Foothills include receiving four stars in Golf Digest, best places you can play listing. Other area clubs owned by Ahwatukee Golf Properties include the neighboring Club West Golf Club, along with Ahwatukee Country Club, Ahwatukee Lakes and the Duke Golf Club.

“We are very pleased and excited to add Foothills to our portfolio of courses,” stated Terry Duggan, president of Ahwatukee Golf Properties. “We have been strategic in our acquisitions to purchase golf courses that are within close proximity to each other. This provides us with efficiencies from an operations standpoint and also provides us some marketing advantages for our members and Gold Cardholders,” added Duggan.

Ahwatukee Golf Properties’ popular Gold Card program will be expanded to include The Foothills Golf Club. The Gold Card offers frequent players of Ahwatukee’s courses preferred rates throughout the year in addition to other money saving benefits such as guest rounds at preferred guest rates, golf shop discounts, and through a marketing partnership with Scottsdale-based OB Sports, Gold Cardholders receive traveling rates to play OB Sports-managed courses at preferred rates.

Other courses included in the Ahwatukee Gold Card program include Ahwatukee Country Club, Ahwatukee Lakes, Club West Golf Club and The Duke Golf Club

The Foothills Golf Club is located in a secluded part of Phoenix, tucked behind the ridges and buttes of South Mountain. Foothills also features a complete practice facility and an expansive clubhouse that offers panoramic views of the course and surrounding.

Among the finalists are former PGA Tour star Greg Norman and LPGA Tour star/design partner Lorena Ochoa, Hall of Fame golf partners Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam and Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player. The winning participants will design the executive project for the Olympic venue to be built in Rio de Janeiro.

The complete list of design firms bidding for the project are Gary Player Design, Greg Norman Golf Course Design, Hanse Golf Design, Hawtree Ltd., Nicklaus Design, Renaissance Golf, Robert Trent Jones II and Thomson-Perret Golf Course Architects.

The golf course will is expected to be built at Reserva de Marapendi, in Barra da Tijuca, the district that will concentrate the largest number of Rio 2016 Olympic venues. It will be a unique Olympic venue, located approximately five kilometers from the Athletes Village and approximately seven kilometers from the Main Press Center and the International Broadcast Center, South of Avenida das Américas and North of Lagoa de Marapendi.

It will be an 18-hole championship golf course that will host both men’s and women’s competitions. After the Games, the course will be managed by a private operator with the chief purpose of promoting golf in Brazil and in South America, representing one of the most important Rio 2016 legacies for sport development in the country.

The winner of the Rio 2016 project is expected to be announced Dec. 23.

Of the few Brazilian golf courses in existence, Sao Paulo Golf Club is the country’s oldest and perhaps most famous. Located about 275 miles from southwest Rio, the par-72, 6,574-yard layout was established in 1901 by British expats and renovated by famed architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. Over the years it has hosted two European PGA Tour events.

Another notable course is Itanhanga Golf Club, centrally located near the planned Olympic village.  This par-72, 6,600-yard course played host to a European PGA Tour event in 2000 and also served as the home for the LPGA  HSBC Brazil Cup in 2009.

The elite course joins the resort’s current golf offering, The Rookery at Marco, also an 18-hole course. The new addition is a direct result of increased demand for tee times from members, groups and leisure guests. Green fees range from $79 to $179 per round seasonally.

At 7,080 yards, the par-72 Hammock Bay golf course, designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy, is recognized as a Gold Signature Audubon International development, one of just 25 designated communities in the world. The gold certification is the highest level of the Audubon Signature Programs, recognizing sustainable communities within the natural environment. The Rookery at Marco is also certified with Audubon International, as a Cooperative Sanctuary.

 “The addition of the Hammock Bay golf course enhances an already incredible and unique membership and resort private experience,” said Rick Medwedeff, general manager of Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort. “Golfers will now enjoy our award-winning tropical resort amenities with a combined 36 holes of championship golf. This expansion really accentuates our commitment to becoming a world-class leader in golf experiences.”

Moving forward, the intent is for The Rookery at Marco and the Hammock Bay golf courses to alternate between private (members only) and resort private (members and resort guests), every other day of the week. Along with the new golf course, Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort will take on the management of the Hammock Bay Clubhouse which features a lagoon pool, three lighted Har Tru tennis courts and a golf shop. These facilities will be open to resort guests and members daily. A summer 2012 renovation is planned to enhance the food and beverage facilities.

Hammock Bay now gives Marriott Golf  59 courses in its portfolio at 43 locations in 12 countries.

“Maintaining the natural characteristics of the land and protecting the environment is not something we just talk about, it is a very important aspect of this and every course we design,” Player said. “As a golf course designer I have to think about the longevity of the course, not just how it will look and play when it opens. Golf courses, if designed and maintained properly, can bring real benefit to the surrounding land by creating a natural haven for local flora and fauna for generations to come. That is the goal with Los Micos.

“This is an absolutely beautiful part of Honduras and the site is fantastic. The Caribbean Sea will be visible from a number of holes and the sand dunes throughout the site contrast wonderfully against it. Jose Gutierrez and his team are in the midst of creating a world-class resort that should draw a lot of people to Honduras. I am pleased that we are part of the project and can’t wait to come back for another visit.”

Gutierrez, general manager of DTBT, was excited about Player’s visit.

“We are so thrilled to have had Gary Player visit Los Micos Beach & Golf Resort,” Gutierrez said. “Mr. Player is an incredibly energetic, disciplined and charismatic gentleman, and his visit has been an unforgettable experience for us and our golfing community. We look forward to playing the golf course designed by his firm.”

Gary Player Design firm, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was established in 1983 by Player’s son, Marc Player. Today the company boasts over 325 championship courses spanning the globe. With an ever-increasing number of courses stretching across five continents and encompassing more than 35 countries, the firm is renowned for its select and ecological approach to design.

 “Our town and community are committed to excellence in all that we do,” said Mayor Laughlin, “and nothing exemplifies this better than Arnold Palmer and Wexford’s new golf course.”

 Palmer landed on the island Oct. 20 aboard his Cessna Citation, accompanied by members of his design team, and following a tour of the new Wexford golf course that now bears his name, struck a ceremonial tee shot and entertained during a lunch and media event.

 Palmer first made his mark on Hilton Head in 1969, when he captured the PGA Tour’s inaugural Heritage Classic on then brand-new Harbour Town Golf Links — his victory lending invaluable credibility to a tournament, a golf course and an entire island.

 Now, Arnold Palmer Design Company (APDC) has added to his legacy on the island again by putting its signature stamp on the Wexford Plantation golf course. In this dynamic pairing, Palmer and his team brought their design style to a unique and elegant, 525-acre golf, yachting and tennis community in the heart of Hilton Head’s bustling south end.

 The 18-hole Wexford course was originally designed by Willard C. Byrd and opened in 1983. Wexford celebrated its first 25 years in the spring of 2008 and recently spent $3.9 million renovating its comfortably elegant, traditionally Coastal-style clubhouse strategically located facing Broad Creek’s Marshlands and Wexford’s picturesque private marina isolated by one of only three lock systems on the east coast of the United States.

The club shut down its golf course for renovation in April and has now reopened as an Arnold Palmer Signature Course.

APDC also renovated the Wexford driving range and golf practice area, mirroring the renovation of the golf course by adding enhanced tee space and target greens, while also improving visibility.

 “Our intent was to create a new design in the spirit and tradition of America’s classic golf courses and bring a modern interpretation or twist to their enduring standard and a few select template holes such as The Road Hole, Redan, Alps or Biarritz,” said APDC Senior Architect Brandon Johnson, lead designer on the Wexford project.

While Wexford will stand as the only Arnold Palmer Signature Course on Hilton Head, this will not be Palmer’s first design in the Lowcountry. APDC also designed Crescent Pointe in Bluffton, S.C., along with internationally renowned Old Tabby Links on nearby Spring Island.

“We are delighted to be back in the Lowcountry to create a special and unique golf experience for the membership at Wexford,” Palmer said.  “We hope the strategy, options and variety of play  challenge your intellect and allow you to find the best ways to navigate the course based on your personal game. Wexford is a special place to us and we enjoyed the responsibility of remaking this exceptional club.”

Tullymore Resort

In less than six months the resort has recorded sales of 10 single homes and condominiums worth $4 million. In each case the resort bought the homes of their new buyers for its appraised value on condition that the owners buy a Tullymore property.

Terry Schieber, Tullymore’s chief executive officer, said the home trade-in program is gaining momentum as the message circulates about the benefits for homeowners who want to relocate, or are having difficulty selling their homes.

“You have to want to come to Tullymore,” Schieber said. “If you want to live in say the Detroit area or in another resort, you’re not going to want to trade up to come to Tullymore. But if you like the area then you would like to live here at Tullymore.”

While some purchasers came from nearby communities like Midland and Big Rapids, others are from as far away as West Bloomfield, Battle Creek, and East Lansing.

Bill Young, who recently took a job as the sales manager of a Big Rapids auto dealership, said he and his wife, Linda, are still pinching themselves over their recently complete home swap deal with Tullymore.

“I had heard about the Canadian Lakes area and heard that Tullymore was the premier golf club in the neighborhood but never thought I would be able to afford living there,” he said.

After starting his new job he rented an apartment and began house hunting.

“Of course selling my home down state was a stumbling block, and I had seen something about the home trade up program at Tullymore on line and dismissed it as ‘yeah right,’ a kind of offer that is too good to be true,” Young said. “One of our customers who lives out there kind of bullied me into it, or at least into checking it out, and sure enough, it’s as good as advertised.”

The Young’s home in Battle Creek that Tullymore took off their hands was built in 1964 with four bedrooms and two and one-half baths. Their new one at the resort is a three-bed room, two-and-one-half bath model.

“It’s actually bigger and a whole lot newer,” Young said. “Now I know why people trade in their cars because it’s a hassle to sell it yourself. It was hard to believe but we did a purchase agreement for our old house and a purchase agreement for the new house all at the same time. It was as simple as that.”

Harbour Town’s  layout was lengthened by 150 yards, a handful of trees were removed to improve sightlines and a select number of bunkers were reshaped or extended to bring hazards back into play.

“Pete Dye is a dear friend of Sea Pines and his name and legacy are intrinsically tied to this resort,” says Cary Corbitt, Director of Sports Division of Sea Pines Resort. “We are honored he returned to prepare Harbour Town for the next chapter in its colorful history.”

Dye was thrilled to make a return trip to Sea Pines. “Harbor Town made my career,” Dye says.

 Forty years ago Harbour Town opened to much fanfare and hosted a nascent PGA Tour tournament — the Heritage Classic. Arnold Palmer staged one of his patented final round charges for the inaugural victory and the Lowcountry resort development became an instant must-visit destination.

Earlier this year, Dye did an evaluation of Harbour Town and mapped out a series of enhancements to ensure the layout would retain its lofty status and continued critical acclaim for years to come.

To complement Harbour Town’s makeover, Sea Pines also recently tapped Dye to create Heron Point golf course on the site once occupied by the Sea Marsh course. Rather than simply renovate Sea Marsh, Sea Pines gave Dye free rein to design an entirely new layout using the existing routing. The outcome was another timeless Dye-creation that has been lauded in national and regional golf publications including recognition as a “Top 50 Course for Women” by Golf Digest.

Says Corbitt:  “With two Pete Dye classics — Harbour Town and Heron Point — we now offer as fine a ‘one-two’ golf combination as you’ll find anywhere in the game.”

Sea Pines also boasts the Ocean Course – the island’s first and a George Cobb/Mark McCumber design with an emphasis on traditional principles of course architecture.

 The resort’s best-in-class collection of golf courses, amenities, meeting facilities and accommodations makes Sea Pines one of the most sought-after leisure and group destinations in America.

In addition to 54 holes of golf, Sea Pines features 23 clay tennis courts, eco-tours, water sports, fine and casual dining, spa, 14 miles of bike and walking trails, horseback riding and five miles of unspoiled beaches. Guests choose from an array of accommodations, including 300 villas, 100 rental homes and the luxurious 60-room Inn at Harbour Town, a Forbes Four-Star boutique hotel and Preferred Hotel Group member.

Orlando, Fla. -  The long anticipated Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World Resort is back on the table.

After being shelved for more than three years, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts officially announced this week the $360 million resort is finally coming to the Orlando market at a prime piece of property inside Walt Disney World. Four Seasons expects to open its second property in Florida by mid or late 2014.

It will be the third Four Seasons Resort in Florida (Miami and Palm Beach are the other locations). Four Seasons had originally planned to build an Orlando-area resort at Celebration, the acclaimed mixed-use master-planned community created by Disney about five minutes from Walt Disney World, but Four Seasons never went through with that proposal.

Four Seasons finally moved forward with its Orlando project after securing a partnership with New York-based real estate developer Silverstein Properties and New York-based private equity group Dune Real Estate Partners.

Construction on the 440-room resort, which will be the largest Four Seasons resort in the world, is scheduled to begin in December. Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels acquired the land from Disney in August 2008, and will retain a 30 percent ownership interest in the project in addition to operating the resort.

The property, located in the northeast portion of Disney World, encompasses the highly acclaimed Tom Fazio-designed Osprey Ridge Golf Course.

“Four Seasons had the unique opportunity to purchase a fantastic site at the Walt Disney World Resort,” says Kathleen Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “Then, we partnered with Silverstein and Dune, some of the world’s most astute players in real estate to develop the project, which enabled financial commitments to be secured and the project to move forward. We are also delighted to work with The Walt Disney Company, which shares our vision for a family vacation experience unlike any other.”

Four Seasons has been working closely with New York-based Silverstein Properties, one of the nation’s most respected real estate development, ownership and management organizations, since July 2009. Silverstein advanced the design and master plan for the new resort in consultation with Four Seasons, including acquiring necessary approvals, assembling and directing architectural and engineering teams, and negotiating the construction contract with Turner Construction. This effort enabled financing to be secured, according to Four Seasons.

When completed, the Four Seasons Orlando development will feature 444 rooms and up to 40 Four Seasons Residence Club units and up to 90 Four Seasons Private Residences. Within the resort will be several dining venues including a rooftop restaurant with Magic Kingdom views; a 14,000 square foot spa with 18 treatment rooms; a fitness center; three pools and a lazy river; sports facilities including tennis courts, basketball court and climbing wall; two recreational centers for children, teens and families; and approximately 37,750 square feet of meeting and event space.

As part of the new resort evelopment Four Seasons plans to renovate the existing Osprey Ridge golf course, and will subsequently manage the course. Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is located within the newly launched Golden Oak residential community, an exclusive private gated community created and master-planned by Disney.

Canaan Valley Resort

Charleston, W.Va. – Situated in a scenic and tranquil setting in the Mid-Atlantic, with endless family-focused recreation and activities, Canaan Valley Resort has long been a four-season destination providing the perfect escape for all ages. Unfortunately, the resort’s 250 rooms have been around for ages, making the resort less desirable in recent years.

That is all about to change.

In late May, workers started demolishing the state-owned resort as part of a $24 million renovation project, which remains open amid the construction.  The state plans to build about 160 new rooms, all located within interior corridors. The old prefabricated units, built in 1977, have outside entrances that meant a lot of inconvenient suitcase carrying through inclement weather in the winter months.

Last year, the West Virginia Economic Development Authority Authorized a $160 million bond issue to pay for projects at state parks, universities and work at the state Capitol Complex. Lottery revenues will be used to repay the bond.

Workers already have torn down 100 rooms at Canaan and poured a foundation that will support two new four-story guest room wings.

The new accommodations will include standard double-occupancy rooms and higher-end suites similar to those found at Chief Logan State Park. Many rooms will have balconies, allowing guests to take in Canaan Valley’s spectacular views.

The new rooms are expected to open before the 2013 ski season.

“We were fortunate through the bond (issue) to secure funding so we could demolish and rebuild a new lodge,” says Paul Redford, district administrator for the West Virginia State Park system. “This is going to be a big turning point for the West Virginia State Park system.

“Our guests were telling us we were dated, the furniture was dated. … Now that we’re able to do what we’re doing it’s going to be a brand new resort.”

In terms of style and future ambiance, Redford said Canaan Valley will continue to “showcase West Virginia and showcase the very best of our state.”

Fifteen miles long by three miles wide, Canaan Valley is the highest mountain valley east of the Rocky Mountains, with a base elevation of 3,100 feet. Among the amenities are a full-service ski area, fine dining restaurant, a newly renovated conference center and indoor pool, 18-hole championship golf course, fitness center, and miles of hiking, biking, and cross country ski trails.

Beijing Secret Garden

Sitaizui, China — A new $1 billion four-season resort project is underway here about 230 kilometers from China’s capital city. Golf course architects at Golfplan are leading an international who’s who of development consultants in the planning, design and construction of Beijing Secret Garden that will ultimately include world-class ski facilities, a Whistler-style real estate/commercial community, and seven golf courses.

Founded in 1993, Malaysian developer VXL Group brings a wealth of experience to the Secret Garden, mainly in the form of real estate, resort and casinos projects it has spearheaded all over East and Southeast Asia. Golfplan designed the publicly traded firm’s first golf project, 20 years ago — the Awana Genting Highlands G&CC, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Overall, Golfplan has designed 150 courses in 50 different countries around the world.

Golfplan’s internationalist outlook is matched by its colleagues on the Beijing Secret Garden project. VXL Group has retained vertical architects Hornberger Worstel, the firm responsible for the new W Hotel San Francisco and The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, alongside Ecosign, the mountain resort planners who crafted Steamboat Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado, Hanazono Resort in Hokkaido, Japan, and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada. Sasaulito, California-based SWA is responsible for the massive project’s sweeping landscape plan.

“There are big plans for this property, obviously, and we’re eager to get the golf portion of those plans underway,” said Golfplan partner Kevin Ramsey, who anticipates breaking ground on the first course early in 2012. “This year, the concentration has been placed on resort infrastructure. Golf will follow quickly, but the scale of the project necessitates proper roads, reservoirs and electrical capabilities first.

“The Whistler model is instructive. VXL Group has retained the ski architects who worked at Whistler.

The golf and ski capabilities, in addition to the real estate and commercial developments there are clearly a model. Let’s remember Whistler played a big role in staging Vancouver’s Winter Olympics in 2010. Beijing Secret Garden has been designed to attract ‘world class winter sports events.’ It doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to see the ultimate goal here.”

Massive infrastructure requisites are quickly falling into place. The Chongli region, home to Beijing Secret Garden, is 50 kilometers east of Zhangjiakou City, which was recently linked by the ZhangCheng Expressway. The Zhangjiakou Airport opened to commercial air travel this year, and completion of the Beijing-Urumqi High Speed Rail, in 2012, will further ease access making Zhangjiakou will be the first stop on this line.

The focus of Beijing Secret Garden development is a valley that cuts through a dramatic landscape of mountains and broad grasslands. The Golfplan-designed course, the first of seven, will occupy either side of the main entry road, meaning it will be the first thing visitors see upon arrival.

The Beijing Secret Garden project, where Golfplan is slated to design all seven golf courses, was surely procured on the strength of its recent work in China: Qiandaohu Country Club in Zhejiang Province. This new course was named the country’s top new course by China Golf magazine in 2009, while the spectacular Weihai Point Golf Resort, opened in 2010, in Shandong Province, has garnered numerous international course design awards.