Calc has a reputation for spending most of his earnings and endorsements, and that was the case with the home he and Brenda built on the Loxahatchee River. The Calcavecchias' "end-all spot" features a two-lane bowling alley, which is usually a popular spot during the holidays and Honda Classic parties. Most of the couples attending are of Champions Tour vintage, including Nick and Sue Price, Olin and Pam Browne and recent Tequesta converts Russ and Jackie Cochran. Tunes by Rush and Green Day are the preferred backdrop until late in the night when Brenda Calcavecchia lights up the disco ball and cranks up the dance music.
The Calcavecchias, Brownes and Quigleys were the early golf families along the Loxahatchee, but word spread that with direct access to the Atlantic through the Jupiter Inlet, living on the river might be better than living on the ocean. The north and south forks are now dotted with homes belonging to Fowler, Marino, Villegas, Johnson and one of the newest inhabitants, Keegan Bradley.
The 2011 PGA champion has taken up residence in one of the various multi-million-dollar teardowns that were buys during the Great Recession. Bradley moved to Jupiter from Orlando when he was playing the Web.com Tour in 2010. He rented one of the upscale apartments along Military Trail and used it as a crash pad for some of his St. John's teammates playing the mini-tours. When Bradley won the Byron Nelson and the PGA two years ago, he upgraded to a penthouse along the Intracoastal where Belichick and Bill Parcells were his neighbors.
Keegan didn't last long there. "It was getting too small with all my buddies around," Bradley says. "The privacy just wasn't there, so I texted a realtor and the first house I saw, I loved. I decided I was going to move on a Monday and bought on a Thursday."
Bradley fishes with Villegas, works out at a nearby gym run by famed trainer Joey Diovisalvi and plays The Bear's Club with Rashad (his "ATM") and Michael Jordan. When I interviewed Bradley last year he was still a little star-struck by The Bear's Club treatment that includes customized range balls for individual tour-pro members.
Donald spent a lot of time during his recent 11-week break playing against Jordan. "There are two sides to him," says the Englishman. "He busts you, makes you tougher, then he builds you up. It's nice to have access to someone who is so influential, who was the greatest athlete in America." But the beauty of The Bear's Club is that longtime journeyman Tom Gillis gets the same deal as the superstars -- and his Abacoa subdivision is not far from where Bradley's former St. John's teammates live. Gillis told me his annual dues ($15,000) are more than worth it for being able to practice at the excellent facility, which includes a par-3 course where Donald hones his highly regarded wedge game.
With its opulence, beauty and tour conditions, The Bear's Club is just as much a part of the landscape as the lighthouse overlooking the inlet or a sunset over the river. It's all part of Planet Jupiter.
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