BEING GREEN

Sustainable initiatives are a hallmark of Mike Meldman's globe- spanning collection of high-end Discovery Land Company developments

- STORY BY SHIVANI VORA

When I first met Mike Meldman more than seven years ago at Silo Ridge Field Club in New York’s Hudson Valley, he was wearing jeans and a fleece, his affable personality unmistakable. Silo Ridge was among the latest properties to open under Discovery Land Company, the ultraluxury real-estate brand he founded in 1994, and I was there for a tour.

Within minutes of chatting, Meldman shared that a love of golf wasn't the impetus to start the members-only developments. Trying to teach the game to his sons Hunter and Will was.

Meldman, a cofounder of Casamigos tequila with his close friends Rande Gerber and George Clooney, repeated the same sentiment in our recent interview. “The traditional game wasn’t fit for kids. They hated dressing up and weren't keen on playing by the rules,” Meldman says. “With a career in real estate, I quickly realized there wasn't one place that brought golf, beautiful destinations and impeccable amenities together. So I created Discovery Land Company.” Meldman says he was driven by a passion for fostering family connections in a setting of laid-back luxury and world-class service and amenities.

The former means members can wear jeans and a T-shirt for dinner and flip-flops and board shorts on the golf course. Oh, and there are no tee times, and members are welcome to bring their kids. Jackets are never a requirement, nor are formal clothes—the antithesis of the strict dress codes that traditional golf clubs adhere to even today.

Discovery members enjoy a lineup of perks that might be better than anything offered at some of the finest hotels worldwide. Clubs feature Tom Fazio-designed golf courses, decked-out gyms, spas, swimming pools, movie theaters, kids' clubs, restaurants serving farm-to-table cuisine and courts for tennis, pickleball and basketball.