Mike Trout to Open Trout National – The Reserve, a New Golf Club Featuring a Championship Course Designed by Tiger Woods and his TGR Design Team
Other Highlights of the Coming-Soon New Jersey Club Include a Trendsetting Clubhouse, Five-Star Lodging and Innovative Amenities
(VINELAND, N.J.) – Mike Trout, the three-time American League MVP and 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star for the Los Angeles Angels, with local partner and businessman John Ruga, are set to begin construction on a new state-of-the-art golf club in southern New Jersey.
The centerpiece of Trout National – The Reserve is an 18-hole golf course designed by Tiger Woods and his golf course architecture firm, TGR Design. Tiger and his team will also design a cutting-edge practice range and short-game area. Other club highlights include a trendsetting clubhouse, five-star lodging, innovative amenities, a wedding chapel and more.
“I’m so excited to finally officially announce that we’re doing this project, and doing it in a community that means so much to me,” says Trout, who starred in baseball and basketball at Millville Senior High School before being drafted by the Angels in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. “I was born in Vineland and raised in Millville. I met my wife, Jessica, in Millville, and my parents and siblings and in-laws still live in the area. I could put down roots anywhere in the country, but Jessica and I make south Jersey our off-season home and always cherish the time we get to spend there.”
“I love south Jersey and I love golf, so creating Trout National – The Reserve is a dream come true,” continues Trout. “And then to add to that we’ll have a golf course designed by Tiger? It’s just incredible to think that this project has grown to where we’re going to be working with someone many consider the greatest and most influential golfer of all-time.”
“I’ve always enjoyed watching Mike on the diamond so when the opportunity arose to work with him on Trout National – The Reserve, I couldn’t pass it up,” says Tiger. “It’s a great site for golf and our team’s looking forward to creating a special course for Mike, Jessica, John and Lorie.”
Construction will begin in 2023 and it is anticipated that the private club, located 45 minutes south of Philadelphia, will open for member play in 2025.
The golf course will leverage the site’s strong topography, with some holes meandering through deciduous and evergreen forest and others draped over rolling farmland. The sandy site was once home to a silica sand mine, so drainage and turf conditions are expected to be excellent. As TGR Design gets more immersed in the project, additional details will be released.
Trout’s partners in the venture are local business owners of Northeast Precast John and Lorie Ruga. John Ruga is also a southern New Jersey native and the company currently employs more than 475 people at their precast facility headquartered in Vineland, New Jersey.
“Mike’s a great guy and we both care deeply about our community,” says John Ruga. “Like Mike, I always dreamed about the possibility of opening a truly one-of-a-kind golf club. When we met and started talking about our individual visions, it became clear that we were on the same page. Trout National The Reserve is going to be the place where members gather to enjoy an unforgettable club experience. Equally as important, we’re focused on making the club a catalyst for job creation and economic development in our area, while also exploring ways for non-members to enjoy it.”
Trout National – The Reserve’s exceptional attributes will not be limited to the golf course. The member experience will be highly personalized and designed with a commitment to meticulous detail, luxurious comfort and, above all else, fun. Moreover, all amenities and activities will be driven by an underlying commitment to excellence, innovation and memorability in the spirit of revolutionizing the traditional golf club experience.
“We’re going to be doing some really cool things from a service and offering standpoint,” says Trout. “Although plans aren’t finalized quite yet, I’ll put it to you this way – this will not be your grandparents’ country club.”
Updates on project progress will be shared later this year. To follow Mike, please visit @miketrout (Instagram), @miketrout (Twitter) and Facebook.
About Trout National – The Reserve
Located 45 minutes south of Philadelphia in Vineland, New Jersey, Trout National – The Reserve will feature an 18-hole championship course by Tiger Woods and his TGR Design firm, a trendsetting clubhouse by Marsh & Associates, five-star lodging and much more. The club will offer an exclusive and awe inspiring on- and off-course experience that is personalized to members and distinguished by an unwavering commitment to meticulous detail, luxurious comfort and competitive fun. It is scheduled to open in 2025.
Courtesy of B.R. Koehnemann
Can’t wait to see what the finished project looks like, South Jersey really needs something like this.
Hopefully there will be opportunities for non-members to play there as well!