Florida LINKS Living The Concession Reprint Fall 2013

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FLORIDA LINKSliving

The Concession

The rebirth of one of the country’s great private golf communities offers an outstanding opportunity to experience a celebrated golf course, superb amenities, and attractively priced homes

P

remier golf club communities begin

home in sight. There are no tee times, every hole feels

with a vision—a passion to create a

like a signature hole, and the course’s design and

special place to play, to live, to feel

limited membership let golfers feel they have the place

at home. But it is the rarest of all

to themselves.

communities that is inspired by a

Opened near Sarasota, Florida at the height of the

moment. Not just any moment, but the greatest in the

last real estate boom, The Concession, developed by

long history of sportsmanship. The Concession was

Core Development and Property Markets Group,

born from that historic act.

enjoyed immediate success. The golf course, with its

The story is legendary. On the final hole of the 1969 Ryder Cup match at Royal Birkdale, Jack Nicklaus conceded a two-foot putt to Tony Jacklin to halve their match that resulted in the first overall tie in Ryder Cup history. Nicklaus’s gesture became known as “the concession” and marked the beginning of a lasting friendship between the two that became the inspiration for one of America’s great golf course communities.

Designed in association with Jacklin, the Nicklaus Signature Golf Course was hailed by Golf Digest as the “Best New Private Course” when it debuted in 2006.

Spanning over 520 pristine acres, this is a course full of thought-provoking, strategic challenges and nary a

tournament quality conditioning (they will host the

ABOVE: The Clubhouse is filled with all kinds of golf memorabilia, with particular emphasis on the 1969 Ryder Cup. BELOW: Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, past Ryder Cup captains, are honorary club members.

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ABOVE: Formal meals are served in the Clubhouse’s elegant Dining Room. Members enjoy casual and private dining, as well.

BELOW: There are only 236 homesites, most more than an acre in size, available on 1,200 acres.

2015 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships) and the country’s highest slope rating, won praise far and wide. On the real estate side, the first phase of 114 homesites sold out quickly, with prices ranging from $500,000 up to $1.3 million. Then the world changed overnight. Real estate at the community, like countless others across the country, went into a holding pattern.

If you want to know the true character of a place, look at what it does when the going gets tough. Even in daunting market conditions, The Concession invested in the club, continued their relentless pursuit of

for members to gather and socialize, the new club

perfection, and stayed committed to their member-

proudly proclaimed to the world, “We’re here!”

ship. Real estate may have been at a standstill, but the club certainly wasn’t.

In 2009, while others were looking for ways to shave

The club also brought Nicklaus back to review his course with an eye toward improving the fun factor without losing any of its toughness. They introduced

their budgets, The Concession opened a spacious new

national memberships, golf cottages, and added a Young

clubhouse worthy of the Cup. With wide verandas

Professional category to their membership offerings.

overlooking the golf course and lake, the clubhouse features a men’s locker room complete with lockers for

Now, with the real estate revival in full swing, they are poised—with new homesite prices starting in the

25 of the living Ryder Cup captains. They introduced

$200,000s—to offer tremendous value to homebuyers

an exceptional culinary experience. Their Bistro was

with the introduction of their second phase. The

honored with an invitation by the James Beard

timing is impeccable—250 homes have sold for

Foundation to host a performance dinner at the Beard

$1 million or more already this year in the Sarasota

House, the equivalent of a culinary Oscars. A venue

area. The market is hot again and this low-density

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community is ready with its final 135 homesites.

From the winding entrance drive, past hammocks of 100-year-old oaks and towering pines, past sandhill cranes standing sentinel over acres of natural beauty, the allure of The Concession is immediate. The Old Florida landscape is evocative of North Carolina, but improved by the warm Florida winters. You get the sense that this type of community will never be duplicated again. Its expansive 1,200 acres are home to only 236 homesites. Many of those remaining homesites are one acre in size—perfect for creating real backyards and ensuring coveted privacy.

The Concession’s rebirth is ringing true with

Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Even closer to home, are all the conveniences of neighboring 17,500-acre Lakewood Ranch, which

homebuyers. More often than not, new owners are

provides easy access to a movie theater, restaurants,

saying they have finally found a lasting home and that

quaint shops, A-rated schools, business parks, church-

this is the last place they will build. In the past three

es, and a top-rated hospital and medical center.

months, just barely after opening the second phase,

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport,

they have already sold 25 homesites.

Long embraced as a vacation getaway by the world’s

which serves more than one million passengers a year, is just 15 miles away. It is

rich and famous, nearby Sarasota adds a zesty pulse

true, as they say here, that The Concession

to the club’s lifestyle. The cultural scene boasts world-

is remotely connected to everything.

class opera, ballet, museums, and art galleries. The waters of the Gulf Coast provide plenty of opportunity

Created from a great moment in golf’s history, The Concession finds itself at

for boating, fishing, and kayaking, and relaxing at one

another great moment: in the ideal time

of the world’s Top 10 beaches—Siesta Key. One of the

and place for discerning homebuyers

grandest amenities is the residents’ luxurious 53-foot

and golfers searching for the home of

club yacht available for travel and private parties in

their dreams.

TOP: The 349-yard 12th is a great risk-reward par four.

ABOVE: The residents’ 53-foot motor yacht, “The Concession”

The Concession 7700 Lindrick Lane Bradenton, Fla. 34202 941.388.0501 TheConcessionRealEstate.com PAR: 72 YARDAGE: 7,474 YEAR FOUNDED: 2006 ARCHITECTS:

Jack Nicklaus/Tony Jacklin

FLORIDA LINKSliving

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THE CONCESSION 7700 Lindrick Lane Bradenton, Fla. 34202 941.388.0501 TheConcessionRealEstate.com

The green on the 543-yard 13th is protected by bunkers.

JIM MANDEVILLE

PPOSITE: The green on the 543-yard 13th is rotected by bunkers.