Tiger Woods has taken on many ambitious projects in his post peak playing years, but his new collaboration with baseball superstar Mike Trout might be the most intriguing yet.
While the two icons come from entirely different sporting worlds, their partnership has produced a golf destination so lavish and so unusual that insiders say it could become one of the most talked about private clubs in the country.
The result is Trout National, a sprawling 288 acre compound in Millville, New Jersey, built on land that once operated as a silica sand mine. The project officially opened for preview play this autumn and will begin welcoming members in full next spring.
Within the golf world, however, Trout National has been a headline magnet ever since its announcement, and the early reviews suggest the anticipation was justified.
Trout, a three time MLB MVP and lifelong golf obsessive, wanted a signature project in his hometown that would stand long after his baseball career.
When local businessman John Ruga identified land with rare natural contours and reclaimed quarries, Trout called Woods and his TGR Design team to transform the site into something extraordinary.
A golf environment designed for immersion
From the moment visitors pass through the gates and descend into one of the course’s hidden tunnels, Trout National leaves no doubt about its intention. This is not simply a golf club. It is a fully curated environment where every detail is constructed to remove distractions and amplify the sense of escape.
The sandy soil and mature pines surrounding Millville reflect the characteristics of the Pine Barrens and even the sand hills of North Carolina.
Woods and design consultant Beau Welling shaped the property around those natural lines, creating wide corridors, interesting elevation changes and boldly sculpted greens.
The layout stretches to 7,519 yards and features long ribbon tees that make the course playable for all levels. But the amenities might be what elevate Trout National into another class altogether.
The club includes a six hole fully lit short course called the Bullpen, a 7,600 square foot performance center with TrackMan technology and a stretching lab, and an expansive short game complex that mirrors the grain and sand found throughout the course.
A fitness center overlooks the closing par five, which has already become a member favorite thanks to its risk reward design.
One of the signature features is The Dugout, a ground level hideaway positioned behind the fourteenth and sixteenth tees. It looks and feels like a true baseball dugout, complete with stadium seating, a live scoreboard and a comfort station.
Players can sit at field level and watch tee shots fly over them, a design element that mixes novelty with nostalgia.
Membership is capped at two hundred twenty seven, a tribute to Trout‘s jersey number twenty seven and the twenty seven founding members. The roster already includes high profile athletes, team owners and tour players who want a destination club with privacy and elite practice facilities.
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