United States, Orlando

Three perfect golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus and a 15 story club house. If you want to buy an apartment in Orlando in the United States, you have to cough up several million... and Americans are prepared to do it.

ORLANDO is actually an unlikely city, or rather region. A drained swamp area has in the past 40 years grown to a city of a million residents for entertainment, recreation and golf in particular. No other region in the U.S. has got so many new golf courses over the past five years. Live in any hotel in Orlando and there are 20 good golf courses within 15 minutes by car. Within a slightly larger radius there are an additional 168 of them, most of the best quality.

The entire region is hotter than ever. Many Americans choose to sell their summer house down near the Florida coast and buy here instead. It’s primarily the fear of ravaging hurricanes that’s driving the trend.

One of the biggest and most expansive golf facilities is called Reunion Resort & Golf; about 25 minutes drive south of Orlando. It’s a facility known as America's new concept for family resorts, with a small-town feel. However, we're talking about by U.S. standards. It’s estimated that there will be approximately 6,000 homes, apartments and villas when the entire facility is expanded.

In addition to three so-called Signature golf courses designed by three greats within the field, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, shops, spa and fitness halls, tennis courts, areas for horseback riding, biking, hiking, new lakes, parks, pools ... yes, there seems to be no limit to the investment. The clubhouse alone has 15 floors!

This is also where Annika Sorenstam has chosen to establish her own golf empire - Annika Academy. Annika is big in the U.S.

REUNION IS OWNED BY the incredibly wealthy property developer Bobby Ginn. His company, Ginn Company, has successfully specialized in building luxury resorts across the United States.

It was in the early 1980s that he decided to build Reunion. But even the Disney Company, which exists on a large scale in Orlando with its Disney World, wanted the coveted hectares. There was bidding and Bobby Ginn was willing to pay the most.

The first houses were completed in 2001 and just during the first days of selling the houses and apartments sold for $ 42,000,000.
“It says something about how attractive it is to buy here," says Julie Day, the PR manager for golf in Reunion.
There are several factors that affect people's interest in buying here. It’s the climate that is pleasantly warm without being humid, all apartments and villas have generous space and they have a view either towards some of the golf course or pool areas. It’s close to Disney World where many want to go and enjoy themselves and there are many good shopping malls around Reunion.
 
BUT IT'S THE GOLF that is central to Reunion. It’s hardly likely that you buy here if you don’t play. Bobby Ginn has engaged Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in turn to design a course each. There have been three different loops where Palmer's Legacy Course is a typical parkland course. It has resulted in three different courses where Palmer’s Legacy course is a typical park course. The fairways are wide and green areas perfect. It‘s suitable for the average golfer.

Much tougher is Tom Watson's first Florida designed course, the Independence Course. It’s hilly and has an extreme number of bunkers and undulating greens. Tom Watson himself has described his creation with three catchwords - it must be beautiful, varied and challenging. And that's exactly what it is. If you can play at your handicap level here it’s an achievement.

Last winter the third and final course was opened, Jack Nicklaus' Tradition Course. It’s a typical Nicklaus-course with many water hazards, not hilly, but it’s based more on selecting the right club between the obstacles and sometimes daring to take a tougher path.

That there are a few snakes in the thicket and the occasional alligator in the ponds just adds an even more exotic touch to the whole course. I wonder if my ball is still resting on the shore of one of Palmer's holes. Although the relatively small alligator looked sluggish it wasn’t worth taking a chance and to get the ball.

Text: Anders Örnevall
Photo: Ginn Reunion Resort