Baseball Star Mike Trout and Tiger Woods Have Teamed Up to Build a Golf Course in New Jersey

Mike Trout is known for his long drives on the baseball field—and now he’s bringing them to the links.

The Los Angeles Angels center fielder is getting his own golf course in southern New Jersey, and it’s being designed by none other than the sport’s biggest name: Tiger Woods. The two have teamed up on Trout National—the Reserve, which is slated to open in 2025, Sports Illustrated reported on Monday. Along with an 18-hole championship course, the property will include a practice range, a short-game area, a clubhouse, a restaurant, lodging, and a wedding chapel.

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“If you had told me before that this would happen one day, I would have said you are crazy,” Trout told the sports publication. “It’s more than I ever thought possible.”

The slugger came close to owning his own links right before the pandemic began, but he and his wife, Jessica, stepped away from the deal and put the idea on the back burner. Then, a year or two later, Trout saw footage of someone trying to build a couple of holes in Vineland, N.J., where he was born. That video led him to meet with a developer—and eventually resulted in the plan for Trout National. When it came time to find a designer, reaching out to Woods and his golf course architecture firm, TGR Design, only made sense.

“My favorite golfer growing up obviously was Tiger,” Trout said. “We reached out, got a positive vibe when we mentioned it, and got his team down to the site. Once Tiger’s team came down to the site, they loved it. It’s surreal.”

The overall design is still being ironed out (pun intended), but Trout said the property will cater to a golfer’s every need and serve as an escape from everyday life. At least one detail is set, though: A signature hole called “Mike’s Choice” will feature an island green with various tee boxes.

For anyone worried that the Trout National announcement is just a preface to the center fielder’s eventual retirement from America’s favorite pastime, fret not. Trout called baseball his “number one priority” and emphasized that golf is simply “a great mental getaway from the game.”

If he did decide to make the switch, though, it seems like he’d have a pretty good shot on the green: His handicap is a seven or an eight and he has previously hit a hole-in-one. What can’t the three-time American League MVP do?

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