It's odd how the meaning of an expression can change over time.
During the 1990s, the phrase I wanna be like Mike referred to those who dreamt of jumping, soaring and dunking a basketball like Michael Jordan.
Fifteen years after his NBA career ended, Jordan is the majority owner in a new golf course construction project in southeastern Florida, giving new meaning to that 30-plus-year-old slogan
Grove XXIII, named to reflect Jordan's 23 jersey number with the Chicago Bulls, will be designed by Ponte Vedra Beach-based architect Bobby Weed and built on the site of a former citrus grove on 227 acres in Hobe Sound.
The area in and around Hobe Sound is a playground for golf's rich and famous, including Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, who live nearby. The neighborhood also is home to some pretty high-falutin' layouts, including Jupiter Hills in Tequesta; The Medalist, built and owned by Norman and where Woods is a member; and The Floridian in Palm City, which was built by garbage and automobile magnate H. Wayne Huizenga and where members include Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.
Jordan owns a home and is a member at the Bear's Club in Jupiter, as are Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Michelle Wie.
Unique in its design, the two nine-hole routings at Grove XXIII will be intertwined, criss-crossing each other. The result for the golfer of this uncommon approach are four possible nine-hole routings.
"This project is an opportunity to update how architects provide all players with a fun and interesting challenge," Weed told Golf Course Architecture magazine. "It will be a course for tomorrow, a course with a refined edge."