October 13, 2026

Arnold Palmer

Phase One Delivers New Dining Venues, Culinary Upgrades, and Refreshed Amenities; Course and Practice Facility Enhancements Underway for Fall 2026 Completion.

Evans, Georgia (April 23, 2026) — Champions Retreat Golf Club—the only property in the world featuring individually designed courses by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player—has completed the first phase of a multi-million-dollar campus transformation. Phase One delivers reimagined dining, social, and hospitality spaces. including three newly conceived venues within the Grille House. Phase Two golf course and practice facility upgrades are underway and targeted for completion this fall.

Acquired by Arcis Golf in 2023, Champions Retreat is taking a significant step forward in enhancing the member and guest experience while honoring the club’s deep connection to championship golf and Southern hospitality.

“With this first phase of renovations, we’re not just updating spaces—we’re creating a sense of place that honors our heritage and elevates every moment on property,” said Blake Walker, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Arcis Golf. “This is only the beginning, as we look ahead to even greater enhancements in the months to come.”

At the heart of the recent renovations is the Grille House, reintroduced as three distinct and imaginatively designed venues.

  • The upstairs of the Grille House has been reborn as Three Kings, a members-only speakeasy honoring Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player. Designed to evoke a classic, prohibition lounge, Three Kings is approached via a hidden stairway entrance. This gathering place is designed to promote post‑round conversation and camaraderie.
Three Kings, a members-only speakeasy honoring Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player
  • A newly renovated Private Dining Room will serve as an intimate extension of the main dining area in the Grille House. The space features custom-built wine displays, showcasing extraordinary collections of wine, plus increased seating.
  • Downstairs, the Champions Room now serves as the primary dining and bar area. The fully reimagined Champions Room is themed around the club’s rich architecture and heritage, with custom-designed trophy display cabinets lining the walls.
Downstairs, the Champions Room now serves as the primary dining and bar area. (Dining & Bar area)

  • Nearby, The Barn has been redecorated with furnishings and an atmosphere that can accommodate any special occasion with a variety of exciting culinary options. The Barn kitchen remodel will commence this summer, and upon completion will offer an open space “culinary laboratory” and a new bar in the pre-function and private dining spaces.

Beyond dining, a new concierge and cottage check‑in area in the Locker House welcomes arriving members in a luxury setting, befitting a private club with both local and national members. Champions Retreat opens to the public one week each spring, offering outside guests a rare opportunity to play its golf courses and partake in distinctive hospitality.

For most of the year, club life revolves around the Foursquare, a collection of well-appointed cottages and gathering spaces. The club offers 84 rooms in 14 unique cottages consisting of four- and eight-bedroom ensuite configurations for use by members and guests.

Phase Two

While the current renovations mark a major milestone, Champions Retreat’s evolution is far from complete. Phase Two extends beyond the clubhouse, focusing on the golf course, practice facilities, and expanded outdoor amenities to enhance daily member play and championship-hosting capabilities. Course updates include bunker renovations across all three nines; major improvements to the practice facility and short‑game area; and the addition of new putting greens, including a warm‑up putting course north of The Barn.

Golfers can also look forward to a Trackman‑equipped driving range with covered hitting bays, a new halfway house serving both on‑course players and practice‑facility guests, and an indoor racquet sports facility. Together, these investments underscore Champions Retreat Golf Club’s ongoing commitment to honoring the game’s traditions while continually delivering southern hospitality in a superior setting for members and guests.

To learn more about Arcis Golf, visit arcisgolf.com.

About Arcis Golf

Arcis Golf is a premier owner and operator of 88 private, resort, and daily fee courses in the United States. Arcis Golf continues to transform its portfolio of clubs into inclusive, lifestyle hubs with dynamic programming and unrivaled amenities. Golf and country clubs are elevated to levels of excellence designed to exceed the needs and expectations of families, friends, members, and guests of all ages. The Company is also known for innovative management, with a best-in-class leadership team committed to enhancing service levels and reinventing the modern club experience. Headquarters: 8343 Douglas Avenue, Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75225. Phone: (214) 722-6000. Website: arcisgolf.com.

Press Release by: Karen Moraghan, Hunter Public Relations

email: kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com

 

“It isn’t easy turning a speech into a book,” according to Charles Mechem Jr, a former lawyer, business executive, and LPGA Commissioner (1990-1995).

As a seasoned veteran of countless speeches throughout his distinguished career, the 92-year-old Mechem turned that challenge into his third book after addressing fellow members at The Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, about his memories as an intimate advisor to two of the game’s icons, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. With plenty encouragement to publicly share his stories of The King and Golden Bear, the end result is the newly released Arnie and Jack: Stories of My Long Friendship with Two Remarkable Men.

“I can say with complete conviction that there isn’t a person, past or present, who knows more about Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and the stories that took place between the two of us — and individually — than Charlie Mechem,” said Nicklaus.

Having spent more than 50 years as a friend, business partner, and legal advisor to Nicklaus and Palmer, the 152-page book is packed with an extensive collection of photographs along with 46 quick-read stories and anecdotes filled with energy and wit portraying why these great icons of the course excelled at both work and play. Some of the recollections he shares are individual stories about Arnie or Jack and some are stories about the two of them together. They all combine to give readers a unique view of two of the most memorable people in golf.

“They were very different in many ways yet very alike in others, particularly in their view of the sanctity of the game; the ethics, the morality, the sportsmanship,” said Mechem, who loved the friendship but was terrified of playing golf with either because as a 16-handicapper standing over the ball and the greatest golfers in the world watching it was hard to remain committed. “What may have set them apart was that Arnie’s public and private persona were identical because he loved people and they loved him but with Jack, his private life is that of being deep family man, yet was all business on the course.”

 

Arnie and Jack is published by Mission Point Press and includes forewords by Jack Nicklaus and Doc Giffin, Arnold Palmer’s personal assistant for 50 years. It is available in ebook and print versions at Amazon. For other retail locations, please visit www.charliemechem.com

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