â?¢ Mountain Park to feature Gary Player Signature golf course and
Gary Player Performance Center
â?¢ Player to Move Family, Corporate Headquarters and Gary Player Invitational to The Cliffs at Mountain Park
â?¢ Gary Player Estates at Mountain Park debuts as Gary Player Group’s
first real estate development venture in the U.S.
On Tuesday, April 25th at a national press event and grand unveiling party, The Cliffs Communities announced a new private, gated master-planned residential community – The Cliffs at Mountain Park – as well as a comprehensive partnership with international golf icon Gary Player and the Gary Player Group, Inc. The Cliffs’ seventh gated community, The Cliffs at Mountain Park, will span approximately 5,000 acres in Travelers Rest, SC, with a Master Plan that features a Gary Player Signature Golf Course and Golf Performance Center, state-of-the-art wellness amenities, a nature super-trail system, an organic farm, and a commercial pedestrian village to which Gary Player Group, Inc. will relocate its corporate headquarters from Palm Beach, Florida. Gary Player, known as the Global Ambassador of Golf, will become a spokesperson for The Cliffs Communities, and has announced plans to build a home and move his family to The Cliffs at Mountain Park.
"The Cliffs has found a great friend and a wonderful partner in Gary Player," said Jim Anthony, Founder and President of The Cliffs Communities. "Our companies’ common philosophies of giving back provide us an incredible opportunity to make the Carolinas a better place by working together. We’re honored to have Gary make our community his home – everywhere he chooses to live, from South Florida to South Africa, becomes a better place thanks to his gracious heart and giving spirit."
"In addition," Anthony continued, "Gary Player’s sincere, lifelong passion for healthy living is in complete sync with The Cliffs’ lifestyle and our vision for the future. On behalf of The Cliffs’ 3,000+ property owners from across this country and around the world, I welcome Gary and his wife Vivienne, and the leaders of Gary Player Group to The Cliffs, and to the Carolinas. I look forward to the trails we will blaze as a team."
"The Carolinas, and especially the Upstate of South Carolina, is becoming more and more recognized as a great place for business because of the community resources and amazing natural beauty available to the ever-expanding base of talented ‘knowledge workers’ and their families," stated Scott Beville, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for The Cliffs Communities.
"We are humbled that we were able to attract an international company with the stature of the Gary Player Group to the Upstate and to The Cliffs. With the ability to base their headquarters – including their golf course design, corporate marketing, foundation and newly-created real estate divisions – anywhere in the world, we are truly excited that they saw the future of their company here."
Gary Player recalls his first visit to The Cliffs and touring the site with Jim Anthony last yearâ?¦ "Throughout my 50 years as a golf professional, I have always had an unquenchable desire to succeed. I am not sure where that comes from nor do I know the formula for instilling it or identifying it. One thing I do know is that it is very apparent to me when I see it. And that is the very thing that drew me to Jim Anthony when I saw firsthand what he has done with The Cliffs."
Player further stated, "Jim and his team settle only for the best and have done a marvelous job setting a new standard for excellence with each new property at The Cliffs. The most important factor for us in doing business with people is to find people who possess this desire, are like-minded in their approach to life and relationships, and are simply fun to be with. We are very pleased that Jim Anthony and his team meet and exceed each of these elements."
The Cliffs at Mountain Park – A New Mountain Classic
Enveloped by over a million acres of state parks and national forests in each direction, The Cliffs at Mountain Park will showcase nature and an active, outdoor lifestyle in a pristine setting. The community Master Plan is designed in every way to complement the beauty of the land and the special settings for camaraderie and vibrant living. Located in Travelers Rest, SC, at the gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, Mountain Park will encompass 5,000 acres at elevations up to nearly 2,000 feet above sea level. As with each of its other six communities, The Cliffs will build Mountain Park in strict accordance with its conviction as a company to preserve the integrity of the land through low-density, environmentally-sensitive planning and development.
An estimated $136 million in infrastructure and amenities will be invested within The Cliffs at Mountain Park, to include:
â?¢ The Cliffs’ seventh 18-hole golf course, a Gary Player Signature design;
â?¢ Introducing The Showcase Collection of Homes at The Cliffs at Mountain Park – five fully-furnished custom dream homes for The Cliffs now open for customers to visit and tour;
â?¢ A 300-acre pedestrian Village designed in the spirit of the mountainside towns of Northern Italy, to include a quaint inn, café, one-of-a-kind Custom Home Design and Selection Center and premium-label outdoor outfitters – and to be the home of the new headquarters for the Gary Player Group;
â?¢ Vast wellness amenities, including a nature super-trail system of hiking, walking, and trails with outdoor fitness stations. The supertrail system will connect many of the amenities at Mountain Park to one another;
â?¢ An arboretum developed in conjunction with Clemson University; and
â?¢ An organic farm, which will harvest all the fruits and vegetables for The Cliffs’ clubs and dining venues.
The Cliffs at Mountain Park will celebrate its inaugural release of homesites later this fall. Ownership at The Cliffs at Mountain Park will be offered through The Cliffs’ Priority Reservation Program. Reservations are available beginning today, April 26, 2006.
A membership at The Cliffs at Mountain Park will give property owners privileged access to the $136 million of planned amenities within the community and Village, as well as reciprocal privileges at the more than $100 million additional private club facilities, programs, and services already available to all Members of The Cliffs Communities. For this reason, The Cliffs has earned numerous recognitions across the country as offering what has been described as "the most comprehensive and impressive club membership in the world."
A Partnership of Kindred Spirits – The Cliffs, Gary Player, and Gary Player Group, Inc.
With The Cliffs at Mountain Park as their canvas, The Cliffs Communities, Gary Player, and Gary Player Group, Inc. come together in what can only be described as a partnership of kindred spirits and visionary synergies. The Cliffs’ fifteen year history of record-breaking growth and national brand recognition will now couple with the Gary Player Group, an undisputed tour de force in golf around the world. The Gary Player Group is chaired by Gary Player, winner of 18 major championships including the coveted Grand Slam, and known around the world as the Black Knight, the Global Ambassador of Golf and The World’s Most Traveled Athleteâ?¢.
Alluding to the new joint venture, Gary Player said, "I feel that Jim Anthony and I are kindred spiritsâ?¦ We are both small men with big ambitions, and quite frankly, the Upstate is like a Garden of Eden where I feel closer to God."
The partnership between The Cliffs and the Player organization is a long-term commitment to build an incomparable place for up to 1,500 families to live over the next decade and includes an array of multifaceted opportunities for both companies:
â?¢ As the signature architect of The Cliffs at Mountain Park, Gary Player will move to a home built on the golf course and become a global spokesperson for The Cliffs Communities and The Cliffs’ numerous philanthropic efforts, including Zest Quest – a children’s health and wellness initiative;
â?¢ Gary Player Group, Inc. will relocate its corporate headquarters to the Village at The Cliffs at Mountain Park from Palm Beach, Florida;
â?¢ The Gary Player Estates – an enclave of luxury custom homes built within The Cliffs at Mountain Park – will debut as Gary Player Real Estate Division’s first residential development in the United States; and
â?¢ The Gary Player Invitational – Gary Player’s annual charity golf tournament that supports the needs for underprivileged children – will be played on the Gary Player Signature course at Mountain Park upon its completion.
Over the course of the projected eight years that The Cliffs at Mountain Park will be developed, the community will generate an estimated 960 new jobs, $21 million annually in property tax revenues for Greenville County, and $2.4 billion in total economic impact to the surrounding area.
Gary Player Group – An Incredible Business Opportunity
Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International/Gary Player Group, stated quite simply, "In addition to the obvious success of The Cliffs, the people and the community, this is where I want to raise my children."
"The quality of The Cliffs Communities makes for an attractive opportunity for any golf course designer and we are thrilled to have been selected for the Mountain Park project," added Scott Ferrell, President of Gary Player Design. "The scope of our design business has largely been international over the last few years, so we feel that being selected to play a key role for such a high profile group of communities in the United States will open the door to new opportunities for the Design Division in North America."
Further, since the Gary Player Group has long considered a real estate division that would tie into the Gary Player Design business, the model that has been created with The Cliffs has allowed us to kick off our residential real estate business in the United States.
"There are significant synergies that exist with Gary Player Design and the goals and objectives of the best global real estate developers," said Gary Player Real Estate President, Ken Costanzo. "The Gary Player Real Estate division is involved from the initial planning stages with exciting master planned developments around the world and is positioned uniquely to understand and evaluate high-end residential real estate programs. At The Cliffs and with other similar projects we expect to provide valuable developer services that will significantly extend their success in the marketplace."
Tim Smith, President of Gary Player Enterprises commented, "It is a natural for Mr. Player to represent The Cliffs. Sharing so many of the same values and interests as the founder, Jim Anthony – especially their shared love for nature and wellness – Gary is a perfect spokesman for the things that make The Cliffs such a special place."
Smith continued, "In addition to the golf course that Mr. Player will design, we will partner with The Cliffs wellness team to create the first Gary Player Performance Center in the world. This center will create a new standard for incorporating the physical, mental, and skill sides of golf."
Most significantly, the Player organization will now have the ability to showcase all of its divisions while entertaining clients at the new corporate headquarters. The many facets of the business – the new golf course at Mountain Park, set to host the annual Gary Player Invitational; the Gary Player Performance Center; the Real Estate Division which among its’ worldwide efforts will undertake the Gary Player Estates at Mountain Park; and the new headquarters, likely to double as a museum – will undoubtedly create an all-encompassing experience for guests and clients of the Gary Player Group.
About The Cliffs Communities
Founded in 1991 by Jim Anthony, The Cliffs Communities is devoted to the sensible development of luxury residential communities and other properties, within the United States and around the world, in accordance with a philosophy of protecting the integrity of pristine environments while offering its residents and members the very best lifestyle.
The Cliffs’ domestic properties include seven premier, private master-planned residential communities located in the heart of the Carolina Preserve between Asheville, NC, and Greenville, SC, collectively bordered by over a million acres of national forests and state parks in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Called "the most comprehensive and impressive club membership in the world" by Resort Living magazine, and recently ranked as a Top 10 US Golf Community by T & L Golf, belonging at The Cliffs includes immediate access to a suite of over $100 million in completed amenities, including four championship golf courses (soon to be seven), world-class wellness centers run by health and fitness experts, and privileged access at The Cliffs’ international properties in British Columbia and Patagonia, Chile.
The Cliffs offers homesites from $200,000 to over $2,500,000 and custom homes from $600,000 to over $4,000,000.
To discover panoramic living at The Cliffs, call 866-435-5127 or visit www.cliffscommunities/pr.
About Gary Player Group, Inc.
Black Knight International, the global entity for all divisions of the Gary Player Group, maintains a strong presence in the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle & Far East, as well as South Africa. Gary Player’s penchant for wearing black attire on the golf course, coupled with his competitive style of play and courteous demeanor, gave rise to his being dubbed "The Black Knight." The recognizable Black Knight logo identifies all the companies of the Gary Player Group and symbolizes the strength of character of both the man and the organization.
The Gary Player Group provides a range of services and products that reflect a superior quality and commitment to excellence. The various companies encompassed under the group umbrella include Gary Player Design, which has more than 200 championship courses worldwide to its credit; a marketing division, Gary Player Enterprises, that focuses on licensing products and promoting Gary Player as an ambassador for companies seeking to enhance customer relationships; Gary Player Real Estate which is committed to developing custom homes within residential experiences associated with Gary Player designed golf courses; the Gary Player Golf Academies offering exceptional instruction; and The Player Foundation, which executes global charitable efforts in support of underprivileged children’s education. www.garyplayer.com.
For additional information contact Gida Campbell, Gary Player Group, +1 561 624 0300 gida@garyplayer.com
Contact:
Gida Campbell
Media Director
Gary Player Group, Inc.
3930 RCA Boulevard, Suite 3001
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410-4214
United States of America
Tel: (561) 624 0300 ext. 623
Fax: (561) 624 0304
gida@garyplayer.com
www.garyplayer.com
