TRAVELERS REST, S.C., Sept. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gary Player Design and The Cliffs are pleased to announce that The Cliffs at Mountain Park Golf Course is scheduled to open in the fall of 2013. One of only a few golf courses currently under construction in North America and the seventh golf course in The Cliffs Communities, the Gary Player-designed golf course is part of the 5,000-acre Mountain Park private residential community on the southernmost edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
"I have a tremendous amount of optimism for the future of The Cliffs under the new ownership, especially our project at Mountain Park that will be open for play in the fall of next year," said Gary Player. "I continue to enjoy my relationship with The Cliffs and hope to enjoy many more trips to the area as the construction of the course continues."
Surrounded by more than a million acres of State Parks and National Forests, The Cliffs at Mountain Park Golf Course is set in a stunning wooded valley surrounded by mountains and divided by the Saluda River and was designed with the highest environmental standards. It was carefully routed to preserve the site's natural beauty and allow native flora, fauna, trees and grasses to flourish and cuts down on operating and maintenance costs by using organic materials and implementing eco-friendly design practices.
"In designing the Mountain Park golf course we paid close attention to making the fairways firmer, not use as much water, not use as much fertilizer and take full advantage of the natural characteristics of the land," said Scott Ferrell, President of Gary Player Design. "The setting is extraordinary and will prove to be a perfect showcase of our most recent design work, as well as a great base for our company's operations."
Beyond designing the golf course, Black Knight International's global headquarters are adjacent to the course which also border the Gary Player Estates enclave and The Player Residence, a stunning 8,000-square-foot home infused with artifacts, fabrics, furniture, light fixtures, reclaimed wood and rugs from various parts of Africa.
"We are happy to now call the Gary Player Estates home, and bring a bit of African infusion to The Cliffs," said Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International. "The pristine mountain scenery has really given us the feeling of being tucked away in paradise, yet we are just minutes from the convenience of Greenville, South Carolina."
Gary Player Design expects grassing to be complete over the next several weeks with the course fully complete and operational by the 2013 season.
ABOUT GARY PLAYER DESIGN
Widely recognized as the world's most successful golf course architectural firm, Gary Player Design established by Marc Player in 1983 has completed over 325 championship courses spanning the globe. With an ever-increasing number of courses stretching across five continents and encompassing more than 35 countries, the firm is renowned for its select and ecological approach to design.
Magazines such as Golf Asia, Travel & Leisure, Golf Digest, Golf Week, Golf World Worldwide Golf and The Complete Golfer have consistently listed Gary Player courses among the top places to play. Travel & Leisure Golf named Leopard Creek in South Africa one of the top ten Best International Courses; Geneva National was referred to by Golfweek as the best course you can play in America; and Golf, Inc. named BlackSeaRama in Bulgaria the 2010 International Development of the Year. Awards and accolades such as these are numerous, and for good reason. Gary Player Design doesn't simply design the course and walk away; they also provide the consulting services that will guide a newly established project through the implementation steps necessary to ensure success. The results are premier golf courses & resorts that provide golfers with a unique style of luxury, the challenge of risk versus reward, and a truly memorable experience.
Although Gary Player's golfing expertise influences every project, Gary Player Design offers three tiers of golf course design service; Black Knight Design™, Player Design™, and Gary Player Signature Design™. On Signature Design projects, Mr. Player is involved in every phase of design and development. With over 50 years of professional golf experience, Player, The World's Most Traveled Athlete™ has visited and studied most of the great golf courses of the world so he understands that the design of a course takes both vision and respect for existing conditions. His design philosophy, and also that of The Player Group, is to create challenging yet playable courses that enhance the existing resources and retain the natural beauty of the land. Environmental sensitivity is a cornerstone of Gary Player's passion for golf course design.
Gary Player, often referred to as the Black Knight, is one of the century's greatest golfers and one of the original inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He is one of only five golfers to ever win the Grand Slam on the PGA Tour and the only golfer to win the Grand Slam on both the regular and Champions Tour. Over the course of his career, Player participated in 438 Tour events, placed in the top 25 in 281 of them, and won 165 worldwide tournaments. Player, whose career earnings exceed $15 million, is a legend in his own time. Currently serving as The Global Ambassador to the World Golf Hall of Fame, he has been a three-time President's Cup Captain and is ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top ten all-time golf greats. Player's iconic status in sport adds immeasurable marketing value to all golf course design assignments he accepts. His legacy will most certainly ensure Gary Player's Design success for many years to come.
BACKGROUND
In late August 2012, The Cliffs Club and Hospitality Group emerged from bankruptcy under the ownership of Silver Sun Partners. Silver Sun has established Cliffs Club Partners, and Cliffs Land Partners, respectively to manage club operations as well as real estate sales, marketing and development. Collectively, the partnership offers the professional management, club operations and real estate development experience to deliver a global solution that ensures a strong future while upholding the distinctive lifestyle and brand of The Cliffs Communities.
ABOUT THE CLIFFS
The Cliffs Communities offers a unique collection of seven private communities nestled among lakes and mountains between Asheville, N.C. and Greenville, S.C. Collectively bordered by hundreds of thousands of acres of national forests and state parks on the southernmost edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, each community is designed with a unique style and personality and all are located within minutes of one another. To learn more about The Cliffs, call 866.411.5771 or visit www.cliffsinfo.com
ABOUT THE OWNERSHIP GROUP - SILVER SUN PARTNERS
Silver Sun Partners, LLC, joins the Carlile Group, a diversified company based in Marshall, Texas, SunTx Urbana, a Dallas-based developer and manager of mixed-use residential communities, and Arendale Holdings, a Jacksonville-based real estate investment and development company specializing in residential communities and golf course operations.
Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14552
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14553
CONTACT:For more information about Gary Player please contact Grace Lipscomb, Archivist & Media Coordinator, Gary Player Group, at +1 864-477-2720, or grace@garyplayer.com
