Innisbrook to Partner with Two Florida Resorts

In the midst of hosting one of the 43 events on the 2012 PGA Tour calendar, officials at teamed up with the world’s best female golfer to announce an exciting new partnership. 

At a private event hosted by the Palm Harbor golf club, site of this week’s PGA Transitions Championship, Salamander Hotels & Resorts CEO Sheila C. Johnson and retired golf superstar Annika Sorenstam announced the joint venture, which will link Innisbrook with two other renowned Florida resorts. 

The union, known as the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida, will unite Innisbrook, Reunion and Palm Coast’s Hammock Beach Resort in a partnership that will benefit members of all three clubs. 

“This is probably one of the greatest partnerships that’s ever come across my personal life,” Johnson, a respected entrepreneur who is the only African-American to have an ownership stake in three professional sports teams, told the assembled crowd. 

“We have so much in common. We are in sync together, not only about golf, but philanthropically we are of one mind,” Johnson said of her relationship with Sorenstam. 

The joint venture brings the three resorts together under the Salamander umbrella to form the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida, which will create an “unparalleled golf and family destination."

Members of each course will be able to utilize the amenities at the other two facilities, which combined offer 1,250 villas and homes, 200,000 square feet of meeting space, 17 tennis courts, 16 restaurants, 25 pools and 162 holes of golf on courses designed by some of the game’s greats, known as the Legends of Golf Tour. 

Sorenstam, who retired from the sport in 2008 at age 37, is widely considered the world’s best female golfer, with 90 professional wins, 10 majors and eight Player of the Year awards to her credit. 

Since leaving the LPGA, Sorenstam has immersed herself in her family life and charitable work. She has also opened several academies and golf courses around the world, and the health and wellness of children is one of her passions. 

“I stepped away three years ago from competitive golf because there were some other things I wanted to do,” Sorenstam related to the audience. “I felt like there were some other mountains I wanted to climb. One of them was to start a family ... and I wanted to make an impact in kids' lives.”

“The golf academy … is where I share my passion for golf and fitness," she said. "We’re almost five years old, we’re located at Reunion Resort, so for us we certainly welcome the Salamander group to become a part of that now and hope to do a lot more.” 

Johnson echoed the golf great’s sentiments that enjoying long-term good health is paramount to playing a perfect round on the links. 

“As many of you know, it’s about wellness," she said. "We’re not just a golf resort. We’re a resort that takes in the entire person. We want to build a person from the inside out.

"I want the Salamander brand to be about health and wellness, but also combine that with athleticism. You can't play golf if you don’t eat right and take care of your body. And this is where Annika comes in."