Planner Martinez and Arnold Palmer Collaborate

Los Valles Golf Club, the First Arnold Palmer Signature Course in Greater Los Angeles Area

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. October 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 13, 2006. Neither grey skies nor intermittent showers could dampen the spirits of the VIP crowd gathered atop a grassy plateau to listen to Arnold Palmer describe his enthusiasm for his first Signature course in greater Los Angeles, Los Valles Golf Club. 'The beauty of this place is so spectacular, and the development team is so experienced, that it provides an added thrill to our entire design company to be a part of Los Valles,' he stated. Key to that team was renowned master planner Gil Martinez, who was contacted over eight years earlier by developer Dan S. Palmer, to assist with his vision of a private, amenity-rich enclave tucked into the naturally lush hills of Hasley Canyon. Palmer correctly identified Martinez, President of GMA of Newport Beach, as the most experienced planner in the US likely suited to understand, create and articulate his dreams for this unique but politically-challenging endeavor. It was not lost on Palmer that Martinez was one of the few planners with a platinum portfolio whose work also represents an unblemished record for entitlement - and at the Hasley Canyon venture, this input would be critical.

It turns out that he got much more than he bargained for: through Martinez, subsequent introductions were provided to another GMA client, David Chapman, for whom GMA had master planned the Tradition in La Quinta almost a decade earlier. In fact, the Martinez's concept was to assist Dan Palmer with his first luxury residential golf community by replicating the success at Tradition, widely acknowledged as one of the premier private developments in the country. Tucked at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains, it is also the part-time residence of golf legend and La Quinta ambassador, Arnold Palmer. Introductions quickly followed to Bill Kubly, whose Landscapes Unlimited built Tradition; to Ken Alperstein, of Pinnacle Design, landscape architect; and of course, to Arnold Palmer Course Design, with whom Martinez has worked for over thirty years. Coupled with his own development success, his considerable financial resources, political acumen and top-drawer consultants, Dan Palmer soon found himself the director of the ideal design and development team. [Martinez and Chapman are also teamed for the Tribute at Thornburgh, another high-end resort development in Oregon, not far from the widely acclaimed Pronghorn, also a GMA master planned resort golf community].

Martinez and GMA designers have created some of the world's most dynamic environments, well-known communities where families are raised, jobs and recreation provided, as well as exotic resorts where romances and luxury are natural companions.. By his own accounting, Martinez and staff have routed over 300 golf courses throughout all corners of the world. His skills and experience in understanding the complexities of interpreting real estate with the game of golf, is such that he was asked to author the chapter on routing and real estate in the best-selling book, "Routing the Golf Course", by Forrest Richardson. Appropriately, his contribution is titled, "Real Estate: The Almighty God." This depth of experience and ever-fresh creativity, coupled with his quiet demeanor and commitment to being a team player, underscore why developers like Lyle Anderson, Dan Palmer, Ted Lennon and others seek his involvement, often before the land acquisition is completed.