There are hundreds of golf communities in the southeastern U.S. and, contrary to what my wife and friends think, I have not visited all of them.  Those I have, I have reviewed in this space.  I don't like to offer any quality judgments on hearsay, but real estate professionals I have met and trust are often convincing in their praise of a particular community.  Belfair, in Bluffton, SC, fits that category.
    Belfair's 1,100 acres are nestled between marshland and a branch of the Colleton River just
You'll be thankful at Belfair that you don't have to hassle the annoying traffic to and from Hilton Head on a daily basis.

seven miles from the bridge to Hilton Head Island and a few miles from the charming little town of Beaufort and the charming big town of Savannah.  The community's own charms are obvious upon the drive under a ceiling of live oak branches along the half-mile entrance, the eponymous Avenue of Oaks.
    Home sites in Belfair start as low as $70,000, and a few with views of one of the community's two Tom Fazio golf courses are currently listed under $100,000.  In general, home prices start around $500,000.  Services in the area are excellent thanks to significant development on Hilton Head and just off the island in the past two decades.  Belfair, which offers the range of amenities you would expect, such as pools, tennis, fitness centers and fishing, combines the feeling of remoteness with the accessibility to Savannah, one of the most popular cities in the south.  And on returning from the occasional trip to Hilton Head for a day of beach or golf, you'll be thankful at Belfair that you don't have to hassle the annoying traffic to and from the island on a daily basis.
    The Fazio golf courses, called the East and West, are ranked in the top 40 of all layouts in the golf rich state of South Carolina.  Former PGA professional Jim Ferree runs a Learning Center at the site's 30-acre practice facility.  Initiation fees are $17,000 for the club with dues, homeowner fees and other charges running a little over $9,000 annually.  That is competitive with higher end golf communities in the southeast.
    The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch interviewed husband and wife real estate agents who live and sell property in Belfair.  Of note is that although they are bullish on the community, they do indicate a few foreclosures that have tended to tamp down prices.  You can view the video tape here (you will have to sit through a few seconds of advertising).
    If you would like more info about Belfair or any of the communities in the Savannah, Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort area, let me know and I will get on it for you.

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Tiger Woods' first American course design near Asheville will join eight other golf courses under The Cliffs Communities umbrella, including Tom Fazio's layout at Keowee Vineyard (above).

 

    Tiger Woods officially broke ground this past weekend on his only U.S. golf course design, at the Cliffs at High Carolina, near Asheville, NC.  After pushing shovels into the area around the location of the future 18th green, Tiger and Cliffs developer Jim Anthony were interviewed against the background of the Blue Ridge Mountains by CNBC reporter Jane Wells.
    Mr. Anthony volunteered that sales at The Cliffs were off 20% so far this year.  However, Tiger's presence at High Carolina helped sell 45 lots yesterday at an average $1 million each,

Jim Anthony, a wellness buff, will continue to talk the walk for Tiger's HIgh Carolina course.

keeping the Cliffs financial engine well-oiled.  Presumably, all 45 committed to The Cliffs' $150,000 initiation fee and $650 per month dues. (Counting Tiger's course, membership confers full access to nine courses.)  Neither man would comment on Tiger's design fees nor if his deal with the Cliffs includes a percentage of property sales at High Carolina.  It is a safe bet that his architectural fee for The Cliffs course will be less than the reported $25 million the fledgling designer is receiving for his initial commission in Dubai.
    When Tiger's assignment at High Carolina was first reported, the course was to be "walking only."  Yesterday, the two men confirmed that High Carolina be "walkable," Tiger indicating that the maximum elevation change on the course will be 350 feet.  That's the equivalent of a 30-story building, if I do the math correctly, leaving one to wonder just how many Cliffs members will take the two up on their offer to walk the course.  You can be sure, though, that Mr. Anthony, who emphasizes "wellness" in his developments and has spent many millions on fitness centers, walking trails, and other encouragements to a healthier life, will continue to talk the walk.
    Tiger spoke briefly about his personal satisfaction with the Obama victory and added how proud his late father Earl would have been.
     "He would have cried," said Tiger.
    The seven-minute interview with Tiger and Jim Anthony is at CNBC.com [click here].  There is also accompanying text from Ms. Wells as well as a separate video of her taking a tumble during her walk of the course with the designer.  She isn't the only one who has trouble keeping up with Tiger, his bum knee and all.