By Scott Kauffman Coral Gables, Fla. - In a state flourishing with more than 1,000 golf facilities, Florida has no shortage of great places to play the game or buy a golf course home. For those seeking the private golf lifestyle, the Sunshine State certainly has a plethora of private clubs to pick from as the perfect place to live, work and play. To be sure, the majority of Florida’s 400-plus private club communities are clustered in affluent South Florida locations from Naples in the west to the Palm Beaches and Boca Raton along the Atlantic side. But none quite measure up to the rich history and pristine nature of Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club, according to the latest blog from vacationhomemarket.com .   And much of what makes Deering Bay so special is its unique setting in the southeast corner of historic Coral Gables. Indeed, less than 20 miles south from the madness of Miami, lies a pocket of unparalleled South Florida luxury and serenity. It’s a sanctuary from the big-city hustle and bustle of Miami’s Sound Machine, and a place that oozes Old Florida alongside the calming waters of Biscayne Bay. Of course, the heartbeat of this peaceful pocket of Florida paradise is the core of Coral Gables, one of the first planned communities in America made famous by developer George Merrick. Developed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s, this swanky enclave of Mediterranean Revival-style architecture is perhaps best known for being home to University of Miami and the Biltmore, a historic resort featuring a Donald Ross-designed golf course and a who’s who of regular guests from American and European royalty to Hollywood stars.   Just a few miles further south past the Village of Pinecrest - where old Florida Ranch homes and new multi-million-dollar estates line leafy Ludlam Road - is where one finds relatively lesser known Deering Bay. While it does not have the high-profile historical status of its Gables neighbors, Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club’s 220-acre oasis is equally as rich in history and beauty.   How else can one describe one of the prestigious Troon Prive communities, situated in the inconspicuous Cutler area of the coastline, contiguous to a large U.S. Department of Agriculture research station whose old Florida fauna remains as untouched and pristine as when William C. Cutler, M.D., discovered the area in the late 1800s? Or a place nestled along the scenic postcard perfect shores of Biscayne Bay, where World War I pilots, Joe DiMaggio, Arnold Palmer and Pres. George H.W. Bush intersected at one time or another.   In many respects this member-owned private club golf and country club community of just 250 condo and single-family homes is truly a world all to its own. Indeed, once you get past the guard-gated entrance, Deering Bay opens up to an utterly quiet and private enclave, a place where peacock crossing signs and towering Royal Palms greet guests and members as they meander along Deering Bay Drive to the 30,000-square-foot clubhouse.   Known for its high ground and ridgelines, hardwood hammock, lush vegetation and easy access to Biscayne Bay, the area remained hidden to most early visitors and is precisely the reason Dr. Cutler first settled on the property and later opened the Richmond Cottage in 1900. Cutler’s cottage catered to people attracted to his namesake area’s natural beauty and seclusion. One of the earliest fans and subsequent cottage property owner was Charles Deering, who, along with his famous half-brother James Deering, belonged to one of the nation’s wealthiest industrialists of the Gilded Age and made the surrounding area their private winter estates.   While Dr. Cutler and Deering might be responsible for discovering what is now Deering Bay, it wasn’t until World War I when the property took off - literally. At least that’s when the U.S. government assembled 850 acres of surrounding marshland, seashore, mangroves and forests and built the U.S. Army Signal Corp’s Aerial Gunnery Field as a training base for U.S. Army pilots headed for the War.   The historic air base opened in September 1918 after the Army dredged a portion of the bayside marsh to create an airfield, a lagoon for water landings and various channels to Biscayne Bay (on Nov. 15, 1918, the airfield was officially named Chapman Field in honor of Victor Emmanuel Chapman, the first U.S. flier to be killed in France during the war).   Though Deering Bay owes its discovery to Cutler and his well-placed Deering friends, the modern-day club actually dates back to 1956, when developer Ben Cooper leased some of the land and built Kings Bay Country Club as an amenity for a 150-unit housing development by the same name. After decades of different owners and eventually financial hardship, the club was acquired in 1990 by Deering Bay Associates, a partnership led by well-known local real estate developers Edward Easton, Armando Codina, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.   After completely redeveloping the property, the group unveiled the newly expanded private club-community a year later to much fanfare - featuring Joe DiMaggio as one of the residents and club ambassadors. In 1993, to celebrate the post-Hurricane Andrew revival, future Florida Gov. Bush and his late father, George, who passed away yesterday at his home in Houston, played in a foursome with Palmer and DiMaggio, who lived in one of the Deering Bay Yacht & County Club condo homes. Now that’s a foursome for the record books.   Now, the current Troon-managed membership at Deering Bay is poised to draft another memorable chapter in the long history of the property after approving a $6 million capital improvement plan in August 2018. The club's investment eventually grew to $7.1 million when the project officially broke ground on Oct. 14, 2020. The improvements centered around the club's 30,000 square-foot Mediterranean architecture-inspired clubhouse. Like so many other private clubs these days with maturing singular-focused membership bases, Deering Bay’s ambition was to re-imagine the club as a dynamic new family-friendly facility that will make it relevant for generations to come.   For John Gale, a South Florida native and Deering Bay's former director of marketing and membership from July 2017-Sept. 2020, it was a treat to share the reinvigorated club and future vision to prospective members and partners. The Miami Marlins and Miami Heat pro sports teams are just two of the latest creative partnerships Gale helped engineer during his Deering Bay days.   "What's really special about Deering Bay are the people," Gale said during an August trip to the club in 2019 while a handful of members enjoyed a midweek lunch served up by the cheerful director of food and beverage/club sommelier Max Miranda. "It's people like Max, who's going to know everything about your family, what you like and how you want to be treated.   "As (former) general manager Lee Andrea says, we are in the people pleasing business so you're going to get treated like a million dollars. Then, from a facility standpoint, we have the beautiful Mediterranean-style clubhouse and meticulously kept private Arnold Palmer Signature course that's right on the bay with a bit of the old Florida feel or tropical vibe."    It's certainly a special slice of South Florida's history and fauna. And a place that will never forget that unforgettable foursome of Joltin' Joe DiMaggio and our late beloved Pres. George H.W. Bush.

For decades, the official tourism corporation of Palm Beach County has used the trademarked slogan: The Palm Beaches - Florida's Golf Capital. Tonight, however, this swanky South Florida region lost a lot of golf currency now that the PGA of America officially decided it will relocate its national headquarters to Frisco, Texas. While rumored for some time, news of the PGA of America's departure was officially announced early this evening after votes by the Frisco City Council, its Economic and Community Development Corporations and the Frisco Independent School District (FISD) board of trustees sealed the deal. As part of the move from its current Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., location, the PGA of America will help anchor a 600-acre, mixed-use development with an initial investment worth more than $500 million dollars. The PGA of America, comprising some 29,000 PGA Professionals around the world, will initially employ at least 100 people at the Frisco-based headquarters. Part of the agreement also encompasses hosting two PGA Championships, two KPMG Women’s PGA Championships and potentially a Ryder Cup in this part of North Texas - situated about 30 minutes from Dallas. This groundbreaking agreement is estimated to have an economic impact of more than $2.5 billion over the next 20 years based on a city commissioned tourism feasibility study. The study considered the economics of golf course activities, including tournaments, plus the additional impact from the new conference center. The PGA of America is teaming with Omni Stillwater Woods (OSW), a joint venture led by Omni Hotels & Resorts with Stillwater Capital and Woods Capital; the City of Frisco, as well as its Economic and Community Development Corporations; and the Frisco Independent School District. “Our move to Frisco will be transcendent for the PGA of America,” said Seth Waugh, who was named the PGA of America's new CEO last August after being a top executive at Deutsche Bank. . “Everything great starts with a dream. This is the beginning of a bold, new journey as we bring together world-class partners in a world-class location – to deliver innovative and differentiated experiences for our nearly 29,000 PGA Golf Professionals, golfers of all abilities and our staff.” Among the ambitious plans for the new golf-centric mixed-used Frisco development: two new championship golf courses, a short course, and practice areas totaling 45 holes; a clubhouse; Class AA office space; a 500-room Omni resort and 127,000-square-foot conference center; a technologically advanced retail village; parks and open space plus several miles of trails. The PGA’s Northern Texas Section will also move to PGA Frisco, where state of the art connectivity will provide opportunities to pilot promising new growth-of-the-game programming for all 41 Sections of the PGA of America. Interestingly, this isn't the first time the PGA of America had eyes on Texas. Back in 2001, the organization was courted by a San Antonio developer to create an ambitious new PGA Village, but the proposed development never got off the ground after three years of bitter debates among city officials and opposition groups in the region. For Florida's greater golf community it's a sad end to a nearly 50-year run in the Sunshine State for this 101-year-old golf organization. The PGA of America got its start in Palm Beach County in 1963 at BallenIsles Country Club. That's when Chicago-based banker/land tycoon John D. MacArthur commissioned BallenIsles' original three courses as the centerpiece of his new master-planned community called Palm Beach Gardens and the new national headquarters for the PGA of America. At the time, the PGA of America was based on the other side of the state in Dunedin, but MacArthur, one of America's leading philanthropists, had bigger plans for the PGA. Within a year, BallenIsles’ newly opened East Course was awarded the Senior PGA Championship. In the 10 years that followed, BallenIsles’ Dick Wilson and Joe Lee-designed courses played host to more than a dozen major golf tournaments, including numerous Senior PGA Championships, the World Cup event won by Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and, later that year, Florida’s first-ever major - the PGA Championship. BallenIsles also was the site of the original Qualifying School where players such as Bruce Fleisher and Tom Watson earned their PGA Tour cards and celebrities like Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason went to play. “For years, the PGA of America has served its membership all across the nation where they engage their local communities, and help to raise over $4 billion annually,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott. “The decision to relocate their headquarters to Texas because of our business-friendly climate is a welcome one. I thank the PGA of America for the new jobs and investment that they will bring to the City of Frisco, wish them continued success, and welcome them to the Lone Star State, the home of champions.” #PGAofAmerica #FloridaGolf #golfcoursehomes #JackNicklaus #TomWatson #BingCrosby #BobHope #golfandcountryclubcommunities

While the U.S. economy is experiencing the second-longest expansion in stock market history, Fidelity Investments is reporting the average American's #401K savings account increased to $104,000 in the 2nd quarter of the year, a 6 percent jump from the previous year, according to a report by #CNBC reporter #Bob Pisani today. Meanwhile, the average #IRA jumped 7% to $106,900. For those already closest to retirement age, Vanguard reports the average 401K held by an American aged 65 or older is now $209,984; the median balance is $64,811, which means half have more than this figure and half have less. Though the increased balances are a pleasant development, these average balances are still woefully low, considering many experts believe it will take 2- to 4-times these amounts to living another 20-plus years in retirement. As one retired friend in Northern Virginia said, " I invest with both Vanguard and Fidelity and they have grown the most in the past few years." He added: "I have read that it requires almost a million in savings to have a comfortable retirement these days. For older folks, the biggest expense will be healthcare." The reality and disappointing part of these statistics is most Americans are just not saving for the future. The only reason why the averages are as high is due to a great amount of "super savers" who are pulling up the averages. For instance, there are some 157,000 Americans with 401K balances greater than $1 million. How is your retirement savings shaping up compared to these numbers? Are you going to be able to retire comfortably in your dream home somewhere, like this private world-class luxury golf and lakefront community below #BellaCollina near Orlando?

Orlando, Fla. - AV Homes, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVHI), a leading homebuilder with award-winning active adult communities in Florida, Arizona and North Carolina, recentlyannounced the addition of new and enhanced amenities at Solivita, its nationally recognized 55+ community in Kissimmee, Fla. Upgrades to the community, which already boasts more than 150,000 square feet of resort-style amenities, are part of a larger series over a few years. ​ "Solivita is a premier Active Adult community noted as one of the top 5 in the country, and it is only going to get better," said Matt Orosz, Central Florida Division Co-President of AV Homes. "While AV Homes is proud of our leadership position, and the more than seventy awards Solivita has received for excellence in design, community planning and environmental sustainability, we understand it's recognition we didn't earn by resting on our laurels." ​ A remodel of the Stonegate Grille began this month. AV Homes is investing in modernizing, updating, and upgrading the restaurant, which will be relaunched as the Stonegate Sports Bar and Grille upon completion. This includes a fresh and enlarged outdoor seating area, redecorated dining area, a new sports bar with TVs and new updated kitchen. AV Homes also tapped Hampton Golf to manage and operate the Stonegate Grille, Stonegate Golf Club, Mosaics Restaurant and the Bistro. Hampton Golf is a sister company to Evergreen Lifestyles Management which currently manages the Homeowners' Association for Solivita, so combining golf, food and beverage, facility and HOA management will ensure a streamlined, coordinated effort. ​ AV Homes will also add a pharmacy and convenience store offering sundries on Village Drive. Furthermore, a new manned, gated entrance which will include high-end transponder technology and a license plate recognition system will open at the west entrance of Solivita Boulevard. The guard gate will come as the second phase of the Poinciana Parkway concludes, providing access to on and off ramps on Cypress Parkway, east of the Solivita Boulevard west entrance. ​ The Poinciana Parkway, which saw its first phase completed in April, has always been a part of AV Homes' long-term growth strategy to enhance the community for residents and attract new home buyers. The roadway provides additional access to Solivita where AV Homes has earmarked 3,000 acres towards future development. Plans include additional communities, as well as commercial development throughout the area. ​ "The completion of Poinciana Parkway aligns perfectly with the additional residential and commercial development we have planned," added Orosz. "Solivita will only continue to evolve into an even better active adult's paradise, delivering new enhancements that are not only a reflection - but truly worthy - of the dynamic and incredible residents who currently live here, and the ones who will one day call our community - home."