They call Michael Jordan His Airness or Air Jordan, both terms that emphasize his accomplishments in basketball and confirm his GOAT status. Here’s how Jordan brings a touch of His Airness to one of his most recent business endeavors.
Sometime in late 2019, Michael Jordan quietly opened his first (so far) private golf club. It’s called Grove XXIII, in a direct nod to his Chicago Bulls number 23, and construction on it was officially completed in late 2020. Of all the celebrity-backed businesses, Grove XXIII is perhaps one of the most exclusive – and also among the most awesome.
This is a golf club that, as of late 2020, included only some 75 members, and rumors have it there are no plans to allow for more than 100 members. Masters + PGA + Open champion Phil Mickelson is one of them, as is former NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
Photo: NBWW
Situated in Hobe Sound, Florida, it’s inspired by Shinnecock Hills and is located within a stone’s throw from MJ’s home. This is very convenient since Jordan is also quite a good golfer, in addition to being a basketball legend, savvy car collector, and overall smart businessman.
The golf course was designed by Bobby Weed Golf Design and, apparently, was quite a challenge to complete because of the existing terrain. It’s an 18-hole course that can be played either in four nine + nine combinations or shorter three- to six-hole loops if members are pressed for time.
On site is also a gorgeous main clubhouse designed by Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW), spanning 15,000 square feet (1,393 square meters). It includes men and women’s locker rooms, various lounge areas, practice and learning facility, underground parking, kitchen and dining area, and a pro golf shop. According to NBWW, the building’s design was directly inspired by Michael Jordan, his golf swing, and his NBA career, and this is obvious in the layout and the incorporation of design elements that speak of his time on the court.
Photo: NBWW
“The curved design is based on the gentle yet precise motion of a golf swing, as seen in the floor plan,” NBWW says. “The golf swing is a challenging maneuver which requires extreme precision. Body position, hand-eye coordination, mechanics, practice, power, and accuracy. All must come together in order to have a successful swing. There is an inherent beauty in the natural curve the golf swing portrays. The building partii is born from this simple curve. Sophisticated precision in the detailing create a rich architectural vocabulary enhancing the overall vision.”
Then, there’s the contiguous slab of the ground floor that “cantilevers towards the golf course [and] seems to hover over the green and creates an impression that mimics the endless ‘hang time’ that Michael Jordan owned.” So the equivalent of His Airness in architecture form.
The photos in the gallery attached can vouch for all these fancy words. Grove XXIII is not just another product launch that a celebrity, whether from showbiz or sports, puts his or her name on and then forgets about it. This was clearly a labor of love, done for the love of the sport and with the goal of offering members the most exclusive and memorable experience.
Photo: NBWW
Speaking of memorable experiences, servicing helps with that. As the video in the tweet below shows, when out on the course, players can still have their most basic needs (drinks and snacks, just to be clear) catered to. Grove XXIII employs large UAVs to bring refreshments to exhausted or otherwise dehydrated/munchy players.
On a piece of real estate as impressive as this, having giant drones drop crates of beers and snacks for guests is just the cherry on the top. And it's... baller.
Michael Jordan's course, The Grove XXIII... well its just the future!! Spent all morning trying to book on here!
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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