The Melrose Company Signs with Georgia Tech Hilton Head Island, SC The Georgia Tech golf team will have a new course with a state of the art practice facility, and Georgia Tech alumni and Yellow Jacket fans will get a chance to "come back home" to the new Georgia Tech Club, according to Bob Kolb, CEO of the Melrose Company. "We’ve just signed a licensing agreement with Georgia Tech’s Alumni Association and Athletic Department which, among other things, allows us to develop a home course for the golf team and a world-class golf community for alumni and supporters who would like to tie back into campus life," said Kolb. While there have been other ventures that have tied college golf and a golf club together, Kolb said this was the first time a community developer, like the Melrose Company, has ever done it. "The depth of our commitment and that of our strategic partners is the difference," he said. Those partners include renowned architect Rees Jones who is designing the course, Troon Golf, the premier operator of high-end resort and private golf clubs, Johnson and Johnson, IBM, Weitz Golf International, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and the school’s Athletic Department. "I think another big difference is that our advisory board will include several of Georgia Tech’s senior administrators as well as various key alumni. Another important consideration is that Georgia Tech shares in the operating revenue of the club. The student athletes win, the Institute wins, and alumni and fans will have the opportunity to join a club that will be an integral part of campus life," Kolb explained. Surrounding the clubhouse will be a series of cottages, a university-centered "home-away-from-home" community for members on vacation, who are retired, are in town for business or pleasure. Homesites will be available along the course. "The Georgia Tech Golf Team will have a place to practice, play and keep in shape. Members will have a place to get together to socialize, recreate, live and benefit the school. We’ve structured the membership so that everyone, faculty, the local community, and alumni, friends and supporters can participate," Kolb stated. "And on top of all that, we will be creating a long-term asset for the university and community." Johnson and Johnson’s Health Care Systems division is designing and will manage the extensive health and fitness program. IBM is creating the "back office" technology that will tie all aspects of the club together; from bookkeeping to broadcasting a lecture being given at Georgia Tech. Weitz Golf International is building the course, clubhouse and cottages. Weitz is one of the nation’s leading golf course and clubhouse construction companies. Troon Golf, recognized as the top golf management business in the country will manage the club and golf operations. Kolb said the beauty of the University Clubs by Melrose concept is very portable and, though individually designed, very repeatable. "We know the concept can be successful at other schools. Right now, we’re in discussion with Texas A & M, the University of Tennessee and the College of William and Mary," Kolb said. The Georgia Tech Club will be located on a 650-acre site on the boarder of Fulton and Cherokee counties, a short distance from the Georgia Tech main campus. The Melrose Company is a land development company based on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Its current properties include golf course communities in Carbondale, Colorado; Edmund, Oklahoma; Noblesville, Indiana (Indianapolis); and Park City, Utah. Completed projects include Hilton Head Plantation, Indigo Run, The Cypress, the Country Club of Hilton Head, and Main Street on Hilton Head Island; the Melrose Club and Bloody Point on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, and Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida. For further information, Bob Kolb can be reached at 843-785-6688. More information can also be found on the Melrose Company’s website, www.themelrosecompany.com.