The following was written by John Frierson for Georgiadogs.com. To view the original article, click here.
Nick Cassini has played hundreds of golf courses in his life, many of them among the finest courses in the world. But he’s never played a course that he co-founded and conceived of from scratch. That will change in the years ahead.
Cassini, the former Georgia All-American who helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1999 NCAA title, has teamed up with his brother Dimitri to found The Rose, an invitation-only private golf club near Athens, in Hull, through their company Cassini Holdings. The Cassini brothers already have a trio of notable founding members in Georgia greats and successful pro golfers Chris Kirk, Brendon Todd and Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters champion. The course, designed by architect Tripp Davis, is expected to open in 2026.
“I’ve think what we’re trying to do is create a place that takes some aspects of some of the best places we’ve seen, and make it it’s own thing,” said Cassini, who was inducted into the Circle of Honor in 2020. “
Cassini is one of two 2024 recipients of the Arch Award, presented by the UGA Athletic Association and Piedmont Bank. The Arch Award recognizes former Bulldogs excelling in the business world, whether they are entrepreneurs and business owners or working at high levels in major corporations. The other recipient is CJ Byrd, a former Georgia football player who is the Sr. Principal Lead at the Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center. Byrd and Cassini will be recognized at the Georgia-Mississippi State game at Sanford Stadium on Oct. 12.
During his Georgia career, Cassini was the 2001 SEC Player of the Year, a two-time All-American and three-time All-SEC honoree. His career scoring average of 72.11 ranks fourth all-time at UGA, and his single-season average of 71.05 in 2000-01 ranks third. While at Georgia, he represented the United States in the Palmer Cup and the Walker Cup, two prestigious international amateur competitions.
Georgia coach Chris Haack said Cassini was an invaluable member of the 1999 national championship team and three SEC championship squads.
“He was a really good player, a good grinder,” Haack said. “He was always keeping his head in the game and grinding out the best score he could possibly get. He was a good team leader and just an all-around great teammate to have.”
After graduating in 2001, Cassini played professionally for five years until a major shoulder injury sidelined him for what he thought might be a year or so. He found a new career instead.
“It was not in my plans to be where I am today back when I first graduated, but things worked out great,” Cassini said.
During his time away from golf after the injury, Cassini began working for IMI Resort Holdings. He’d met the CEO while playing professionally and they’d developed a friendship, which led to a job offer. One of the great things about golf, Cassini said, was it allowed you to make potentially life-changing contacts in the business world.
“It was simply through networking and establishing relationships that I was able to get into the world that I am now,” he said. “I really thought it was going to be a temporary thing — I’d heal my shoulder and get back to playing professional golf. It wasn’t until a couple of years into it that I was like, life’s pretty good. It was one of those things that just really worked out.”
Cassini, who grew up in Europe before coming to the U.S. when he was 12, started out at IMI as Director of Sales, dealing with properties in places like the Bahamas and Mexico. His sales career also led to him living in Montenegro for a couple of years before returning to IMI World Properties as co-president, alongside Dimitri. He later was COO and managing partner at Ansley Developer Services for four years before he and his brother created Cassini Holdings in March 2023.
“We decided it was time for us to go and start our own thing,” Cassini said.
After working on some other projects, Cassini’s eyes turned back to Athens and creating The Rose. While he’s played some of the best courses on the planet, Cassini says he “would not pretend to be a golf course architect.” Davis will handle that end of the project — with input from Watson, Todd and Kirk — and the Cassini brothers will oversee the rest.
“As far as the club, and the envisioning of it, and how it all operates and the things that it does and has, that’s really where my brother’s and my expertise are more relevant,” he said.
Cassini said watching teammate Ryuji Imada sink the final putt to clinch the NCAA title for Georgia in 1999 remains one of his fondest golf memories.
“Just that feeling of having accomplished something that not many people get to accomplish. It’s hard winning national championships,” he said.
And his former coach is very proud of what he’s achieved in the years since.
“All the guys that have played for me always feel like they’re my kids — they’re family. And I’ve always said that I’m equally as proud of the guys that have gone on to do very good things in the business world and in their personal lives.
“I think the guys on tour get the recognition because that’s what they do, but you take a guy like Nick and what he’s done. It’s pretty cool to see. I’m incredibly proud of him and what he’s accomplished, whether it was on the golf course or not. There’s a lot of pride in seeing him do well.”
