ORLANDO, Fla. – Ginn Clubs & Resorts announced a major partnership today, with one of the world's most recognized and successful athletes. LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam will represent Ginn Clubs & Resorts for the next five years, partnering with Ginn Clubs & Resorts in a series of upcoming events and sporting the distinctive Ginn logo on her golf bag.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for us not only to enjoy a relationship with one of the greatest athletes in the world, but to take a serious step toward expanding our commitment to women's golf," said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Clubs & Resorts. Sorenstam, the world's number-1 woman player, has more than 60 LPGA Tour wins to her name and is setting the golf world on fire this season with victories in more than half the events she's entered. "I could not be happier to be part of this collaboration with Ginn Clubs & Resorts," said Sorenstam. "Their dedication to women's golf is inspiring and I believe we can do great things together."
The announcement comes two weeks to the day after Ginn Clubs & Resorts president and CEO Bobby Ginn joined LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw to announce the tour's newest stop -- the Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open, to be held beginning of next year at the company's Reunion Resort & Club near Orlando. The inaugural event will be played April 27-30, 2006, on a composite layout of two of Reunion's courses, the Legacy Course designed by Arnold Palmer and the Independence Course by Tom Watson.
Home to some of the greatest golf in Central Florida, Reunion offers the 7,147-yard Independence Course, Watson's first Florida design, which has garnered many accolades since opening in February 2005. Equally beautiful and challenging is the 6,876-yard Legacy Course, designed by the legendary Palmer. Reunion's third course, the Tradition Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, is scheduled to open in early 2006.
About Ginn Clubs & Resorts
Ginn Clubs & Resorts is a privately held resort development and management firm which specializes in exclusive leisure lifestyle and vacation destination communities across the U.S. From private residential communities to resort destinations offering unparalleled ownership and vacation opportunities, the common denominator throughout every Ginn Club & Resort is service. The company's principals have more than three decades of experience in creating extraordinary large-scale, recreation-oriented communities. Current Ginn Clubs & Resorts projects include Cobblestone Park in Columbia, S.C. as well as Belvidere Club and Resort, which encompasses RiverTowne Country Club, The Cottages on Charleston Harbor and Patriot's Point Golf Course in the Charleston area. The company also owns and operates Hammock Beach and Yacht Harbor Village near St. Augustine, Fla., Reunion Resort & Club of Orlando, Bella Collina north of Orlando and Tesoro in Port St. Lucie on Florida's historic "Treasure Coast." The company also owns and operates Mahogany Run Golf Course in St. Thomas and has several projects under development in North Carolina, Vermont, Colorado and in the Caribbean.
About Reunion Resort & Club
Located on 2,300 gently rolling acres in Osceola County, the Resort is 25 minutes south of Orlando, Fla., immediately south of Disney's Town of Celebration, 15 minutes from Walt Disney World and 25 minutes from Orlando International Airport. In addition to championship golf, planned amenities include a five-acre, multi-pool water and swim pavilion, a first-class tennis complex, stables and riding trails, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, walking and biking trails, and terrific boutique shopping and dining in Reunion Square. More information about Reunion Resort & Club is available at (888) 418-9611 and www.reunionresort.com.
Media Contact:
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations
(908) 876-5100
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
