The World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX just re-opened.  The theater upgrades include a new digital 3D projection system, state-of-the-art sound system and a new screen. The screen is actually the largest IMAX digital 3D screen in the Southeast.  One of the perks of working for Davidson Realty was being invited to the private opening last Thursday night for World Golf Village employees. I interviewed a few of our Jacksonville Realtors to see what their experience was.

Pauline and Woody Cake made a family night out the event. In her own words, she said “We went to the NEW 3D IMAX experience and I thought it was awesome before…….but WOW, it is even more AMAZING now.  It was really funny to see our boys’ hands waving at the screen as if they were trying to touch the fish and the sharks as they were swimming around in the ocean.  “The Ultimate Wave” which was filmed in Tahiti, gave a great story of Kelly Slater, a pro-surfer who holds his 10 yr title as the youngest and oldest world champion surfer. He and his friends travel to the French Polynesian Island to meet their friend and surf guide and showcase their passion to ride the biggest waves in the world.  The film was enjoyable, but we all agreed that any film on the 3D IMAX screen would be epic!”

One of the perks of my job is that I get to do “research” at places I write about and this time it is the awesome neighborhood shopping destination: PGA TOUR Stop at World Golf Village.  I’m not a golfer but the TOUR Stop is like having a boutique department store around the corner, complete with men’s women’s and kid’s departments.  In other words, there’s a variety of stuff here whether you golf or not. The Tour Stop is located just a few steps down from the Renaissance Resort and Caddyshack Restaurant in World Golf Village.  And it’s huge. According to Vice President, General Manager Tom Carberry, “PGA TOUR Stop is the biggest golf store in Florida.”

For golfers, the TOUR Stop is nothing short of a mecca.  There’s a huge equipment department featuring the latest and greatest golf clubs.  Knowledgeable staff help golfers find the perfect club to improve their game. In fact, golfers will want to mark their calendars for the TOUR Stop’s Spring Demo Day on March 26th at the Slammer & Squire golf range.  Golfers can try out a variety of clubs – more than 15 vendors will be on site to answer questions and special pricing will be offered.  Customers who pre-register either on the website or in person at the store will be eligible to win one of the 50 $50 gift cards to the TOUR Stop!

Each month we introduce you to a resident of our St. Augustine golf course community. This month, we are introducing you to Rick Rawald. He is the President of Sysco Jacksonville. (Sysco is the largest food service distribution company in the United States.) Rick lives with his wife, Robin, and their two Persian cats, Bebe and Brandie, in the King & Bear. Their relocation to St. Augustine from Orlando about 10 months ago brought them closer to their daughter, Kim, and their two beautiful grandchildren, Dane who is 23 months and Kendall who is 11 weeks old. They also have a son, Doug, who is engaged to be married and is a lawyer working for the Pentagon after serving our country as a Jag in the Air Force. Meet Rick!

1. What’s your proudest accomplishment?

I am proud of the fact that I have been able to watch my children grow into adults and recognize the important things in life through the influence of my wife while watching over a 300 million dollar company.
 
2. What song evokes the strongest memories for you?

 America the Beautiful. When I hear this song it reminds me of my deceased father whose patriotism was second to none.
 
3. What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen? 

The breaking waves on the Saint Lucia shoreline.
 
4. What’s your favorite movie?

West Side Story due to the fact that I had a role in the movie riding a bike through the park setting the scene for the movie at age 7.
 
5. Where did you go on your last vacation?

Las Vegas at the M resort off of the congestion of the Vegas strip.

Dorothy had it right when she said “There’s no place like home” and that’s how I feel every time I pull into my driveway in Turnberry at World Golf Village!  The ambiance of the neighborhood is a perfect mix between country living and city charm. 

Purchasing a home is a very difficult decision to make.  There are certain criteria, which come into play when you pick the location and type of residence that is perfect for you.  I made the decision to purchase in Turnberry five years ago and am extremely happy to be located in a beautiful Florida golf course community between the cities of St. Augustine and Jacksonville – and bordered by some of the east coast’s prettiest shorelines.

I was recently asked to do a video describing the top five reasons why I chose to call World Golf Village home and I had a great time doing so with friends Dottie Lay and Alayna Oram.  We began our journey at the entrance of Turnberry to do the introduction to the video. A thoughtful neighbor stopped when he saw our car parked beside the road with its flashers on and wanted to know if we needed help.  That’s just the kind of neighborhood it is! From there we moved over to Royal Pines to visit Dottie’s home. Then, we climbed into a golf cart and rode down to Caddyshack for a glass of wine and dinner. 

The great thing about living in Turnberry at World Golf Village is that it is almost as simple as clicking your heels together to return home after a fun day or evening out! Hope you enjoy the video!

Hear from an iconic golfer this Saturday at The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida as Nancy Lopez speaks about her legendary career. The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum will celebrate the life and career of Lopez during a special exhibition, Nancy Lopez: Pride, Passion & Personality. Lopez will visit the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum on Saturday, January 15 to officially open her special exhibition. The Saturday event will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the museum, the new Lopez exhibit and attend her personal speaking event in the Museum’s Shell Hall. Tickets are $25 per person for this memorable experience, and can be purchased here.

Nancy Lopez became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events during her impressive career, including three major championships. She took golf by storm in the late 70’s. In 1978 alone, her first full season on the LPGA Tour, Lopez won nine tournaments, including at one stretch, five tournaments in a row. Also in 1978, Lopez was the only woman to win LPGA Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and the Vare Trophy in the same season. Lopez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987.

The special exhibit at the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum features more than 150 pieces of memorabilia from Lopez’s career, including LPGA Championship trophies, her trophy from the inaugural Solheim Cup and even the Ray Cook putter she used to win so many of her 48 LPGA titles.

In the initial programming of land use at World Golf Village, we planned for and secured 5,540,000 square feet of mixed use development rights. Those rights include 583,000 square feet of commercial use, 2,493,000 square feet of office use and 2,464,000 square feet of industrial use. In addition to the mixed-use rights, there are 1,225 hotel rooms available for construction at World Golf Village. As is the case with most planned communities, services, businesses and commercial development “follows the rooftops”.

The St. Augustine golf course community commenced construction in 1996 with the privately-funded, privately-built I-95 Interchange (now “Exit 323”). Over the past 14 years of development, many stores, offices, hotel rooms and mixed-use establishments have been built in the community – offering great service and convenience for both residents and guests. At the start of a new decade, the residential components of the community have reached the mid-way, build-out threshold. Along with approximately 3,650 more residential units yet to build, we have tremendous office, industrial and mixed-use development opportunities (“commercial”) to follow on.

The World Golf Village commercial opportunities are on advantageously located lands that have been complimented with beautifully designed and implemented infrastructure. The commercial sites are easily accessible and some are highly-visible from the passing interstate traffic. All of the commercial properties are secured through controlled adjacencies with high-quality development standards and are graced with the continuity of a comprehensively-designed unified sign program. From an “addressing” and “association” stand-point, the commercial opportunities are superb; second to none in the region.

I love living and working in our St. Augustine golf course community and this year I am particularly excited to make more time to enjoy all the exciting things we have coming up in the Village.

1. The World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater is reopening in 3D at the end of January.
2. The Nancy Lopez exhibit is opening at the Hall of Fame in mid January.
3. My first Relay for Life event is on April 9th & 10th in World Golf Village – Join our team and walk with us!
4. Isles of the World is being completely revitalized.
5. Playing golf at the King & Bear and Slammer & Squire with my husband and my dad.
6. Recognizing our great teachers from Wards Creek Elementary and Mill Creek Elementary through Davidson Realty’s new “Character Counts” teacher appreciation program.
7. Celebrating our successes in 2010 with staff and agents at our Awards Banquet.
8. Getting to know the new General Manager at the Renaissance Hotel, Jeffrey Oliasami, better.
9. Welcoming a couple of new tenants into Davidson Realty’s beautiful Executive Suites.
10. Our first real estate class at the Davidson building conducted by Florida Real Estate Institute starts January 31st.

Here’s hoping that 2011 brings more fun, more time with family, and more new construction! All the predictions point to a continued slow real estate recovery. I hope everyone has a great year!