Miami, FL
Shell Bay: Golf’s Newest $1 Million Club Towers Above Miami Market
An aerial rendering of the new Shell Bay development in the Miami area, a private enclave that has a … [+]
“There are way more people who want an amazing golf experience in the Miami region than there are available amazing golf experiences,” explains Alex Witkoff, the co-CEO of the Witkoff Group and a developer of one of the most unique new private clubs in the world.
In Hallandale Beach, Florida, just north of Miami, the Shell Bay Club is tucked on a prime piece of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. And golf is the focal point of the 150-acre luxury development, with a new championship course that demonstrates the delicate balance between supply and demand in a major market. Shell Bay is the first private club in the Miami area in more than two decades and the price of membership for what its founders are calling a “generational opportunity” is well over $1 million. And there’s a waiting list to get in.
“People want the best of the best and, given that there hadn’t been an experience like this delivered in a few decades and it won’t be replicated, the response has been extraordinary,” said Ari Pearl, the founder and president of PPG Development, another founding partner in the Shell Bay project.
“It’s been global in nature,” added Pearl, who has been a prominent figure in the South Florida real estate and development industry for more than two decades. “We have people from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Also internationally, Europe and Asia, in addition to locally in Miami.”
Greg Norman’s design team has created a completely new course at the Shell Club just north of Miami. … [+]
The game of golf is unquestionably booming in popularity in recent years, but Shell Bay epitomizes the challenge of preserving golf on exceptionally valuable real estate in the heart of a crowded metropolitan market.
Consider that Melreese Country Club, about 20 miles away and the only municipal golf course in Miami (one of the most populous metropolitan statistical areas in the country), closed for good last year in favor of a redevelopment project that will include a Major League Soccer stadium, hotels, an office park, and a retail area with shops and restaurants. It’s a massive project, one that will create thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars in rent payments to the city over the life of a 99-year lease. Melreese had a storied history and was a successful and beloved public golf course, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual net revenues for the city. But what is the realistic lifespan for a facility in such a prime location, on land next to Miami International Airport?
In that case, and with the push and pull between supply and demand, it was demand for land that won out over the demand for golf – due to dollars signs.
So, to make golf at Shell Bay Club viable in such a prime location, it’s become an outlier in several respects.
The first is the cost to get in.
Golf is the centerpiece to the new Shell Bay Club, a luxury development just north of Miami. It’s … [+]
Million Dollar Membership
At well over $1 million, Shell Bay has one of the most expensive membership buy-ins of any golf club in the nation, the byproduct of what Witkoff says is a “vicious dearth” of golf in the market.
“Land is very hard to accumulate in South Florida,” he said. “I don’t see this ever being able to be replicated in the Miami region because I don’t see where else you would get this amount of land close to the ocean. So, for us there was a kind of once in a generation opportunity to deliver a state-of-the-art golf facility and then with so much more — residences, tennis and so on and so forth.”
Among the luxury amenities at Shell Bay, which is also partnering with Auberge Resorts to provide a 60-room boutique hotel and spa on property, is a tennis facility run by the renowned Bryan brothers that has courts with all four grand slam surfaces, not to mention pickleball and Padel courts. There’s a basketball court, batting cages, bowling alleys, a billiard room, and a 48-slip yacht club.
Rendering of the private, multimillion dollar residences that overlook the new golf course at Shell … [+]
But the centerpiece is the golf course.
There was once another course on the property, part of the old Diplomat Golf Resort. That’s long gone, as all the original holes were blown up and sand-capped, with Greg Norman’s team adding elevation changes and creating a completely new design – one that includes an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole Par 3 layout, along with a 12-acre, state-of-the-art practice facility. Every lake on property was moved, so Shell Bay’s golf course really was reconstructed from the subgrade up, and with 4,000 new trees added (along with 1,000 different plant species) every playing corridor has completely changed from what was there before.
More than 4,000 new trees were planted at the Shell Bay Club as part of the complete reconstruction … [+]
With a variety of risk-reward shot-making options and waterfront challenges, the new course can stretch to over 7,200 yards, making it one of the longest in golf-rich South Florida. The property was designed with visions of hosting a professional tournament in mind — with contoured greens and sweeping Australian sandbelt-style bunkers — and the Norman ties certainly make a future LIV Golf event in Miami market a distinct possibility, especially when you consider that LIV golfers like Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood are members.
“A No-Brainer”
Another unique element of the Shell Bay project that’s made keeping golf a component of the development a reality is the residential tower with 108 bespoke condominiums and penthouses. While more commonplace in some densely populated Asian countries, U.S. golf courses with a neighboring tower – whether residential, hotel or otherwise – is rare.
“Building a tower was a no brainer,” said Witkoff. “It’s very rare to have 150 acres in such a prime urban area within a major MSA. We’re able to build a tower and it makes sense to do it, more so than on a random Caribbean island or Montana or Wyoming. The opportunity to get this is unique.”
In keeping golf as a core part of the Shell Bay project, a parcel of prime real estate was set aside … [+]
Residences are selling for between $2 million and $11 million, and while there’s a social membership to the club that comes with owning a home in the luxurious gated community, access to the golf course is separate. The course also won’t be an amenity for future guests of the boutique hotel when it’s completed.
A golf club with a membership costing more than $1 million is not common, by any means. But either is a new high-end course (and community) that’s water accessible in a bustling metro area like Miami. And it appears the demand is there at Shell Bay. For land and for golf.
“Golf is the background and canvas for the development,” said PPG’s Pearl. “The golf course is the backdrop but you’re also getting views of the ocean and the Intercoastal, with residences overlooking the marina and the tennis center. When you come through those gates, you’re in a real urban oasis.”
With a new Greg Norman-designed championship course that aspires to host professional golf … [+]
Two active wildfires burning in Broward and Miami-Dade counties are reducing air quality and visibility across parts of South Florida Monday as firefighters continue working to contain the flames, according to the Florida Forest Service and other state and local agencies.
The fires are highlighted on Florida’s Active Wildfire Points map, an interactive tool that tracks current wildfires across the state and provides updated information on acreage burned and containment levels. You can check it out here:
Max Road Fire in Broward
The largest blaze, known as the Max Road Fire, was burning west of U.S. 27 and Pines Boulevard in western Broward County. Officials said the fire has scorched at least 5,000 acres as of Monday morning.
Smoke from the Max Road Fire was drifting north and northwest Monday morning due to a light southeast breeze.
Florida City fire in Miami-Dade
A second wildfire, called the 172nd Avenue Fire, is burning near Florida City in southern Miami-Dade County. Officials said the fire has burned at least 210 acres as of Monday morning.
Smoke from that fire remained relatively stagnant because of calm winds, though conditions later Monday could push smoke northward toward Leisure City and Homestead.
The 172nd Avenue Fire temporarily forced the closure of Card Sound Road and restricted access to the Florida Keys over the weekend, though the roadway has since reopened.
Authorities are still urging drivers to use caution in the area because heavy smoke could continue reducing visibility. Residents across South Florida are also being advised to monitor local air quality conditions as firefighters work to bring both blazes under control.
Florida dry season fuels wildfire risk
Florida is currently in its dry season, a period that typically runs from October through May and brings an increased risk of wildfires across the state.
According to the Florida Forest Service, peak wildfire season usually occurs during April, May and June, when dry vegetation, low humidity and windy conditions can help fires spread quickly.
The National Weather Service said ongoing drought conditions and low relative humidity have elevated wildfire danger across much of Florida in recent weeks. Officials are urging residents to avoid outdoor burning and remain alert as firefighters continue battling dozens of active wildfires statewide.
Getty
(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
The Miami Dolphins are in the middle of a rebuild under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. This offseason, Sullivan cut ties with players like Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa and then traded away Jaylen Waddle.
Moreover, the team brought in former Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis, drafted Kadyn Proctor in Round 1, and selected several pass catchers to help their new signal-caller. Miami also drafted Jacob Rodriguez to be their leader on that side of the football, potentially.
While there’s still more work to be done, Sullivan has laid the foundation for what he hopes will turn the Dolphins into a contender in the AFC. Nonetheless, one person who is fully on board with what Miami has done this offseason is former Dolphins wideout Jarvis Landry.
“I love the [Proctor] pick,” Landry said in a May video from “4th And South.“ Miami Dolphins, the GM, hey, he’s doing amazing. He is doing amazing. I’m excited to see how [the Proctor pick] works out. Malik Willis will get some protection up front. I still want to see them add more firepower on the edges, maybe even at tight end, and keep building.
“They added pieces on the defensive side of the ball during the offseason, including a couple of cornerbacks and safeties and things like that. But I would love to see them get Malik Willis a couple more weapons on the outside to do his thing [as] Jaylen Waddle left [and] Tyreek left.“
Jarvis Landry Excited About Miami’s Future
Moreover, Landry provided an exciting outlook for Miami under Sullivan as the general manager is only getting started in molding the Dolphins in his vision, especially with the draft capital that the team had in this past draft.
“I think the city of Miami is excited,” Landry added. “With all of these draft picks and the draft capital Miami acquired, and don’t forget, they traded back and got more value and more picks [in this past draft]. I think they’re the only team to have this many picks in this year’s draft, which is probably a record.“
Dolphins Were Reportedly Looking at a Veteran Wideout
While Landry would like for the Dolphins to add another receiver, they were reportedly trying to do that. On May 8, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared that Miami was one of the teams interested in signing Jauan Jennings before he made his decision to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
“The interesting thing is I was told that there were a few other teams,” Schefter said during a May 8 appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “I can go back and get the exact list. I think it was the Dolphins, the Commanders. There was somebody else that was interested.
“The Vikings were the only team, I believe he wound up visiting at all. That was the only one. The other teams, the Chiefs and Commanders also were interested in Jauan Jennings. New Orleans also expressed a little interest.”
Now, for the Dolphins, it will be interesting to see whether they look at other veteran wideouts who might be a good fit, especially as a mentor for the group.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
Highest ceiling: Proctor. There’s a reason they drafted him in the first round. If he loses 25 pounds, he can be a multi-time first team All Pro. But he has to put the work in and not be lazy.
Lowest ceiling: Caleb Douglas. Don’t see him fixing his drops. But I hope he proves me wrong.
Best overall pick: Jacob Rodriguez. Guy will be a sideline to sideline tackling machine.
Best value pick: Kyle Louis. He should have went in the 3rd round and will be a major contributor.
Best pick no one else sees as great…yet: Seydou Traore. The more tape I watch on this guy at Mississippi State, the more I like. If he refines his route running and hands, he could be our starting TE in 2 or 3 years.
Biggest reach pick: Caleb Douglas. See above. He should have went in the 5th, maybe 6th.
Biggest missed opportunity: Not drafting Bain. I sure hope those short arms limit him in the NFL. Now the guy has a huge chip on his shoulder and is pissed at the 14 teams that passed on him, including Miami. The guy was a menace in college. I’m not looking forward to facing the Bucs in the future.
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