HOBE SOUND, Florida — Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is trying to do more than win a Super Bowl this season. He’s also enjoying his first foray into the private golf club business, and, as usual, he wasn’t aiming low.
Ross is partnering with North Palm Beach resident Michael Pascucci to build an audacious three-championship-course private club in Hobe Sound, just west of Interstate 95 off Bridge Road.
The club is called Apogee, which is the term for when an object orbiting Earth is the greatest distance from the center of the Earth. Kind of like a Rory McIlroy drive. (McIlroy and Ernie Els are consultants for the project.)
Pascucci (pronounced Puh-scooch-y) is no stranger to golf. He built the highly respected Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, New York, and has lived next door to golf legend Jack Nicklaus at Lost Tree Club for more than three decades. Ross, 83, is a Palm Beach resident whose Related Companies have become a major player in West Palm Beach real estate.
Why build something like Apogee at this stage of their careers (their ages are a combined 170 years)? A legacy project, perhaps, but both men are fit enough to walk 18 holes. When uber-successful businessmen such as Ross and Pascucci do a project, it’s because they see an opportunity: The COVID-19 pandemic has sent millions of folks heading to the Sunshine State from the Northeast and West Coast, raising the demand for high-end private golf.
“We were seeing this tremendous growth in South Florida — particularly the area around West Palm Beach where Related has had a presence for more than 20 years,” Ross told The Palm Beach Post. “We noticed all these businesses and companies coming to town and we knew there was going to be tremendous demand for world-class golf.
“Our plan with Apogee is we set out to create the highest-quality golf experience to meet the incredible demand. We had a vision to create a true six-star experience that will become the world’s greatest golf experience. Beyond the golf, we’re creating amenities that are absolute best-in-class. Essentially, we believe we’re setting a new standard.”
Apogee is planned as a three-championship-course private club in Hobe Sound, Florida, just west of Interstate 95 off Bridge Road. (Provided photo)
Former Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga piqued Pascucci’s golf interest
It was another Dolphins owner — the late Wayne Huizenga — who got Pascucci interested in owning a golf course. Pascucci visited…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…