PROPERTY NEWS, TRENDS & WEALTH INSIGHTS

Jack Nicklaus Enters Orlando Vacation Home Market

By Scott Kauffman (Jan. 1, 2018) - Golf great Jack Nicklaus is now invested in the world's biggest vacation home market after recently announcing his family owns two luxury custom home sites at The Bear's Den Club being developed next to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. The newly announced private luxury vacation home development is part of Reunion Resort, which features three championship golf courses, including a Nicklaus Signature Design layout that opened in 2009. The new Bear's Den Club is a gated enclave of homes thatfounder Jim Bagley is platting around the newly redesigned 17th and 18th-holes of the Nicklaus course.

Changing Vacation Home Development Trends - Part I

By Scott Kauffman (June 4, 2021), - Catering to the various demands, attitudes and tastes of today’s second-home or private club members has become so much more complex. Indeed, the days of simply designing a first-class golf course home community in a sunny locale like Florida or marvelous mountain resort town in the Rockies are long gone. Basically, the traditional singular-focused golf course community of old or lakefront development with a series of cottages and comfortable clubhouse amenity have evolved into a much broader “lifestyle community” that reflects the wants and desires of today’s families.

Resurrected Golf Course Communities Get 2nd Chance

By Scott Kauffman (May 28, 2021 - In many respects, real estate development is all about timing. And Celebration, Fla.-based developer Bill Haberman knows a thing or two about good timing when it comes to taking advantage of two failed golf course communities. In my latest Golf Inc. Magazine article highlighting resurrected golf course projects, Haberman is one real estate investor who sees opportunity at two recently bankrupt golf and resort-style developments: The Idaho Club, a golf and lakefront commuity in Sandpoint, Idhao, and Thistle Golf Club in North Carolina.

Golf Clubs Reinvent Themselves with New Amenities

By Scott Kauffman (June 4, 2021) - On a recent evening at Bella Collina, the private golf and lakefront community’s 75,000 square-foot Italianate clubhouse was bustling with activity as a 150 visitors enjoyed a night of fun and food. On the surface, this busy weekday wasn't out of the ordinary for Bella Collina, or any other private club that might be hosting a special member event. However, what made this night different is the fact it was composed of members celebrating one of the many destination weddings now being hosted by this picturesque Orlando residential golf club. As General Manager Jerry Thompson describes it, it’s one way to bring “golfers” back into the club when it’s dark outside. Welcome to the new-age private golf club.

By Scott Kauffman - Editor-in-Chief

June 25, 2023 - Volume 1, No. 1

Welcome Home to the inaugural issue of Resort Living Inc. After 18 years of covering global golf course development and resort-style real estate as a former Staff Writer for Golfweek Magazine and dozens of leading real estate and lifestyle publications, I’ve been recognized as one of the leading experts in golf and vacation homes, private club properties, and active-adult/resort-style communities.

My passion for this lifestyle and real estate industry niche has given me the pleasure of visiting and experiencing many of the world’s finest master-planned communities ever created. From the exclusive Ke’olu Golf Course/Hualalai Club at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Big Island of Hawaii to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach to Tavistock Group’s premier private club communities in Orlando, Isleworth and Lake Nona, I've also been fortunate to have trusted access to the leading developers and marketing directors driving these quintessential communities and clubs.

Now, in an exciting new chapter of my journalism career, I'm excited to share my years of knowledge, trusted access and global insights with the debut of Resort Living Inc. This biweekly publication has one mission: Be the most trusted news source for golf, private club and resort-style real estate properties worldwide.

At the very least, I look forward to keeping my readers ahead of the real estate development curve and sharing some of the best places in the world to live, work and play.

Idaho Club Revitalized Under New Ownership

The Idaho Club, one of the most picturesque semi-private golf and lakefront communities in America, is back in business after being recapitalized under new ownership. Situated in the small northwestern town of Sandpoint in the Idaho Panhandle, the Idaho Club reopened last May when the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course played host to local prep invitational.

One week later the development's new ownership, Valiant Idaho LLC, officially relaunched the community's real estate sales efforts. This week, the club’s ownership introduced Jim Matoska and his Red Earth Corporation team as the Idaho Club’s new sales and marketing partners.

One of the main reasons Valiant Idaho Principal William Haberman was drawn to the distressed asset several years ago is the community's "perfect trifecta" of outdoor amenities and natural beauty. For instance, Haberman, an Orlando-based real estate developer and investor, says residents and guests have the rare opportunity to play the state’s only Nicklaus-designed championship course, enjoy pristine Lake Pend Oreille, one of the deepest and longest lakes in America, and visit the nationally-acclaimed ski resort at Schweitzer Mountain all in one weekend.