Bobby Weed selected to design course at New Hobe Sound Club
Bobby Weed Golf Design has been selected to design the golf course at GROVE XXIII, a members-only private club under construction in Hobe Sound, Fla. NBA legend Michael Jordan is the majority partner in GROVE XXIII. The golf course is scheduled to be ready for play in 2019.
“Knowing the caliber of the membership and Michael’s passion for golf, we are designing a forward-thinking, progressive layout,” said Weed. “Golf course architects are in the best position to address how technology has changed strategic design.
Weed is living on site throughout the duration of construction in order to personally shape features and supervise the work.
Set on the site of a former citrus grove, the golf course is routed with the south Florida trade winds in mind. The two nines wrap around each other while traversing the site in opposing directions.
The routing also features a unique crossover at the 5th and 14th tees, where golfers can switch from one nine to the other and still finish out a nine-hole loop. This singular feature offers the membership four nine-hole permutations, significantly enhancing both daily set-up and member tournament format possibilities.
“We are using proprietary player performance data to help establish the dimensions of features and rethinking the tenets of risk and reward that have long guided strategic golf design, but are stagnant today, especially in the face of equipment technology,” said Weed.
The Weed design team has been provided with the player performance data by Darren May, co-founder of “Every Ball Counts” and appointed golf coach and ambassador to GROVE XXIII.
“The team environment encouraged by Bobby Weed allows a free flow of very valuable information,” May said. “To see this information integrated in the course design, and be part of the process, is extremely exciting.”