Angels' Mike Trout, Tiger Woods Provide Update On Golf Course Collaboration

Construction is underway at the future site of Trout National in Vineland, NJ

Mike Trout's relationship with Tiger Woods has evolved over the years from one of mutual admiration to one of close collaboration. Woods' eponymous course-design firm (TGR Design) announced last March that it would work with the Angels' center fielder on a new course near his home in Millville, New Jersey.

Updates since then have been few and far between. Last August, Trout posted a hype video posted to his social media platforms. Coincidentally, Golf Digest reported on the first publicly released renderings of the course layout:

Routed on an old silica sand mine and rambling farmland, Trout National appears to utilize sandy waste areas on most holes, including heroic carries over these hazards, plus water in play on five of the holes. Plans are for the private club to tip out at 7,455 yards as a traditional par 72 with four par 3s and four par 5s.

— via

Golf Digest

 

We didn't learn much about the state of Trout National on Friday beyond getting a general idea of the current temperatures in South Jersey. (It's cold!) 

But Trout himself offered a few photos on his Instagram account of he and Woods touring the construction site. Wouldn't you know, it's all coming together. Have a look for yourself:

The pictures pass the eye test. Trout and Woods are smiling. The land itself requires less imagination to project something resembling a golf course. You can see the rough outlines of water hazards and sand traps starting to look less like rough outlines.

Still, the course is a long way from completion. Initial estimates pegged Opening Day for sometime in 2025. There's plenty of grass to lay (read: all of it) between now and then.

In the meantime, any updates will be welcomed by local linksmen, fans of Woods' later work, and Angels fans hoping to see their best player doing, well, something.

So far, so good.