New Construction At Florida Golf Course Coral Creek Club
Placida's ultra exclusive private Florida golf course will hold a ceremonial ground breaking for its new clubhouse this afternoon.
Coral Creek Club plans to have construction crews on site by next month, said Michael Zmetrovich, chief executive officer of Trophy Golf Management, the company that oversees day-to-day management of the club.
The 12,000-square-foot building will house the club's dining room, a bar, a veranda dining area, and men's and women's locker rooms. It should be completed by fall of 2007, Zmetrovich said.
This opening will in turn release space in the current golf house that will be used for additional bag storage. The golf house will also continue to house the club's pro shop.
A timetable has not yet been established for the Florida golf course's other big construction project -- a "lodge" with 15 condominiums. These will be sold to individual members, who will have the option of entering them into a rental pool and leasing them for portions of the season to other members.
The total Coral Creek property covers 211 acres. One selling point is that the amount of housing is going to be strictly limited, said Donna Loftin, director of membership. Currently, there are only 10 cottages on the property, none of which fronts directly on the course.
Although the Florida golf course condo has become a staple of Florida development, the owners of Coral Creek have taken the line that having dwellings right up to the edge of the course detracts from the beauty of the landscape.
"The Coral Creek estuary is just a great backdrop to design holes to -- as opposed to houses or a blank landscape," Zmetrovich said.
Another unusual aspect of the Florida golf course is that it has its own private airstrip, which is an extra service for a limited number of paying members.
The club is still trying to fill the last 75 of 225 member slots, Loftin said. Membership is by invitation only, and the club does not publish its dues structure.
However, because the club shuts down for maintenance during August and September, a break on dues is being offered to recognize this fact and offer a small price break for new members, Loftin said.
The new clubhouse will be built by Yusk Construction Co., owned by Coral Creek member Dick Yusk.
Coral Creek golf course was built in 1999 and acquired in 2003 by a group headed by Dan Doherty, founder of Eastern Development LLC, one of New England's leading developers and owners of commercial real estate. They in turn hired Trophy Golf not quite a year ago to manage the club.
Prior to forming Trophy Golf, Zmetovich worked in Jack Nicklaus' golf course development business. Trophy Golf also manages courses in Oregon and Wisconsin.
"Our management company likes to get involved with projects that have some unique assets," Zmetrovich said. "What attracted us to Coral Creek was the chance to be associated with a world-class course designed by Tom Fazio."
Fazio, considered one of the top designers in the world, created for Coral Creek an 18-hole, Par 71 Florida golf course of 7,038 yards.
Zmetrovich explained that the really unusual aspect of Coral Creek was the way Fazio incorporated the natural beauty of the Coral Creek estuary into his design. Surprisingly few Florida courses really take advantage of natural waterways. "It's difficult because of the availability of land. And it's difficult to get permitting that allows you to build holes along the water," he said.
Another aspect of Fazio's genius is the way he can create Florida golf courses that are challenging to experienced players but also a "playable and joyful experience" for beginners, Zmetrovich said.
Coral Creek Club plans to have construction crews on site by next month, said Michael Zmetrovich, chief executive officer of Trophy Golf Management, the company that oversees day-to-day management of the club.
The 12,000-square-foot building will house the club's dining room, a bar, a veranda dining area, and men's and women's locker rooms. It should be completed by fall of 2007, Zmetrovich said.
This opening will in turn release space in the current golf house that will be used for additional bag storage. The golf house will also continue to house the club's pro shop.
A timetable has not yet been established for the Florida golf course's other big construction project -- a "lodge" with 15 condominiums. These will be sold to individual members, who will have the option of entering them into a rental pool and leasing them for portions of the season to other members.
The total Coral Creek property covers 211 acres. One selling point is that the amount of housing is going to be strictly limited, said Donna Loftin, director of membership. Currently, there are only 10 cottages on the property, none of which fronts directly on the course.
Although the Florida golf course condo has become a staple of Florida development, the owners of Coral Creek have taken the line that having dwellings right up to the edge of the course detracts from the beauty of the landscape.
"The Coral Creek estuary is just a great backdrop to design holes to -- as opposed to houses or a blank landscape," Zmetrovich said.
Another unusual aspect of the Florida golf course is that it has its own private airstrip, which is an extra service for a limited number of paying members.
The club is still trying to fill the last 75 of 225 member slots, Loftin said. Membership is by invitation only, and the club does not publish its dues structure.
However, because the club shuts down for maintenance during August and September, a break on dues is being offered to recognize this fact and offer a small price break for new members, Loftin said.
The new clubhouse will be built by Yusk Construction Co., owned by Coral Creek member Dick Yusk.
Coral Creek golf course was built in 1999 and acquired in 2003 by a group headed by Dan Doherty, founder of Eastern Development LLC, one of New England's leading developers and owners of commercial real estate. They in turn hired Trophy Golf not quite a year ago to manage the club.
Prior to forming Trophy Golf, Zmetovich worked in Jack Nicklaus' golf course development business. Trophy Golf also manages courses in Oregon and Wisconsin.
"Our management company likes to get involved with projects that have some unique assets," Zmetrovich said. "What attracted us to Coral Creek was the chance to be associated with a world-class course designed by Tom Fazio."
Fazio, considered one of the top designers in the world, created for Coral Creek an 18-hole, Par 71 Florida golf course of 7,038 yards.
Zmetrovich explained that the really unusual aspect of Coral Creek was the way Fazio incorporated the natural beauty of the Coral Creek estuary into his design. Surprisingly few Florida courses really take advantage of natural waterways. "It's difficult because of the availability of land. And it's difficult to get permitting that allows you to build holes along the water," he said.
Another aspect of Fazio's genius is the way he can create Florida golf courses that are challenging to experienced players but also a "playable and joyful experience" for beginners, Zmetrovich said.
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