Rumors of golf’s demise, yet once again, have been greatly exaggerated. How else to explain that today’s Wall Street Journal’s “Mansion” section devotes the better part of a half-dozen pages to what it calls “The Golf Homes Issue.” The WSJ features mostly “golf homes” outside the U.S. –- the Caribbean and Spain –- and priced beginning above $2 million. Helpfully, for those of us with an urge to splurge and assets to match, the Journal lists three homes for sale “near golf courses” priced from, gulp!, $13.7 million to $27.3 million; the middle one, located in Arizona, is priced at $24.5 million. But for those of more modest means but an urge to play golf in a community near the beach, we are happy to suggest perfectly wonderful golf communities with homes priced well under $1 million.

        Below are a few.  Note that the name of each community in the heading links with our Golf Homes for Sale section.  From there you can connect to full listings of current homes for sale in each community.  (For more information on Amelia Island, please contact us.)

Longboat Key, Sarasota, FL

        Okay, technically on the Gulf of Mexico, not the ocean, but that gulf extends eventually into the wide-open Atlantic. You can spend as much as $8 million for a lushly appointed home at Longboat directly on the Gulf, but for the rest of us, homes start in the $300s for two-bedroom units, some with water views (lagoons, mostly, but the Gulf is within walking distance). Golf is water-infused, meaning lakes and the ever-present Gulf, and with 45 holes, sharing the courses with resort guests is no problem for Longboat Key members. One current listing: A three-bedroom, 2½ bath single-family home on the Harbourside golf course is listed for $369,000. For an introduction to our golf and real estate expert in the area, Dennis Boyle, please contact us.

Audubon clubhouse and croquet lawn in Naples, FL

Audubon Country Club, Naples, FL

        Just three miles from Barefoot Beach and the wide-open Gulf of Mexico, Audubon will appeal to sun worshippers who enjoy taking in the rays on both golf course and beach. We love the oh-so-Floridian gleaming pink and white clubhouse that looks out on the sleek Joe Lee designed golf course. Add tennis, fitness, an impeccable croquet lawn and a debt free club, and you have all the ingredients of carefree living. Although current homes for sale top out at $2.5 million, one current home in a maintenance-free neighborhood of Audubon is listed under $500,000. Jeff Feldman is our expert in Naples, and we would be pleased to put you in touch. Contact us.

Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, FL

        Golf and beach are in perfect harmony on Amelia Island, and there is plenty of both. The four courses include one by Pete Dye, one a combination of the efforts of Dye and Bobby Weed and another the only nominally private club of the group, Longpoint, a terrific Tom Fazio design. All the courses are buffeted by sea breezes that can reach gale proportions and make the rather languid layouts feel as if they are on Scotland’s Firth of Forth. The beach is a lucky 13 miles long and because Amelia, which is only a half hour from Jacksonville, was developed essentially as a playground for resort guests, virtually every amenity known to man is available to those who choose to live on the island. You will find homes across the entire range of styles and prices, with one two bedroom, two-bath end-unit condo on the Oak Marsh golf course currently listed at $269,000. For many years, Lou Simmons, our agent on Amelia Island, has been helping customers find the right home at the resort, and she would be happy to assist you. Contact us for an introduction.

The private beach at DeBordieu Colony in Georgetown, SC.
DeBordieu Colony, Georgetown, SC

        We know of no community that better combines golf and beach than the gated DeBordieu, known to its own residents and the local citizenry as “Debby Doo” (Yankee pronunciation) or “Debba Doo” (Southern pronunciation). Although all beaches in the state are public, those few behind the gates of an ocean community are, for all intents and purposes, private (unless you want to take the time and make the effort to boat in from elsewhere). The Pete Dye golf course is one of the best on the 90-mile stretch through Myrtle Beach known as the Grand Strand, but don’t think for a second that DeBordieu is anywhere near the neon lights and boardwalk hustles of that resort city. It is a good 40 minutes away, and close enough to Charleston -– about an hour -– to make a habit of visits to that historic city and Southern foodie capital. DeBordieu, comprised almost exclusively of single-family homes, is the most upscale community immediately south of the Myrtle area. The lowest priced home currently for sale in DeBordieu is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath beauty with a deeded dock on the DeBordieu Creek and easy access to the community’s two-mile long beach. It is listed at $485,000. Troi Kaz knows everything there is to know about DeBordieu and will be pleased to answer any questions. Contact us.

The par 3 7th at Wachesaw Plantation is among the best one-shooters on the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach.
Wachesaw Plantation, Murrells Inlet, SC

        Real estate values in this friendly, highly livable golf community with a classic Tom Fazio private course at its core have always been lower than other comparable local golf communities, including some without gates or private clubs. A decision 30 years ago by Wachesaw’s original developer to put out the unwelcome sign for local realtors retarded the community’s growth for years. But savvy golf interested buyers know a bargain when they see one, and Wachesaw’s three bedroom, two bath cottage-style homes especially meet the definition of good buy. We note that three of them are currently listed below $300K; but there are many other options nestled in amongst dramatic, sprawling live oaks. When Wachesaw residents crave a sandy adventure, Huntington Beach State Park, the site for many local weddings because of the Atalaya Mansion that overlooks the beach, is just five minutes from the community. So is the town’s famed Restaurant Row, with more than a dozen seafood restaurants overlooking the inlet. Local Realtors Bill and Kathy Curtis live in Wachesaw and can answer any questions about the community. Contact us for an introduction.

St. James Plantation, Southport, NC

        Big, sprawling and with 81 holes of golf and every other conceivable amenity a retired couple might want, the only possible reason to venture away from St. James is to stroll amidst the shops and restaurants of the charming seaport of Southport, just 10 minutes away and a ferry ride from there to Bald Head Island; or to spend a day at the community’s private beach club on Oak Island. Size matters in golf communities, and St. James’ size means the widest possible range of real estate options, including two bedroom, two bath condos from a mere $130,000 to villa townhouses from around $230,000 to single-family homes that start at $240,000. The golf courses bear the names of architects like Nicklaus Design, Hale Irwin and Tim Cate, a local designer who has received rave reviews for his links-like style. Jerry Biffle is our go-to guy at St. James. Let us know and we can make an introduction for you.

Landfall, Wilmington, NC

        The Wilmington area has a few choice golf communities, and none are better situated or laid out than Landfall, which sports 45 holes of golf –- 18 by Pete Dye and 27 by Jack Nicklaus, who trained initially as a golf architect in Mr. Dye’s shop. Some of the Nicklaus holes are difficult and, when the wind blows in off the ocean, real hair pullers; but both golf courses are always in peak condition. Beach-going residents can arrive at Wrightsville Beach within a mere 10 minutes from the back gate of the community, and the exciting town of Wilmington is an equal distance in the other direction. Landfall’s location is a big plus, but that doesn’t mean real estate prices are out of sight. Homes are priced from $365,000 into the millions. Landfall Realty can help you get started with your search; we’d be pleased to put you in touch with them.

Water is the dominant element on the Jack Nicklaus design for Peninsula Club

Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Millsboro, DE

        Delaware isn’t exactly top of mind for those contemplating a golf community home, but it should be. Given Delaware’s size, you are really never too far from the coast wherever you are. The Peninsula Club is almost on the coast, the Rehoboth Bay separating it from the beach, which is in full, if distant, view from many of the holes on the sporty Jack Nicklaus layout. The community got off to something of a rocky start financially, but it seems to have regained its footing nicely in recent years. One sign is that prices have firmed up in recent years, although condos start at only $190,000 and you can still buy a single-family home for under $400,000. One other reason to consider Delaware, especially if you like to buy things: The state assesses no sales tax. Kathy Sperl-Bell covers Peninsula and the area’s other fine golf communities, and we would be pleased to send you her contact information.

        Although tempted to write articles today about golf communities that are giving away free land, or that Donald Trump has put Sarah Palin in charge of Trump Doral Country Club, or that Bernie Sanders shot his age at Burlington Country Club, I would never try to make fools of any of my readers. Instead, here are a few headlines that sound foolish but actually are real.

16 Lots for Sale for $1 in Top Bluffton, SC, Golf Communities

As we’ve reported here a number of times, the recession was particularly hard on those speculators who loaded up on $400,000 properties in golf communities with mandatory memberships. But we are now a good two years past most of the problems with leisure residential real estate in high-quality communities, and who can pass up nicely treed lots priced at just $1 in places with great golf by the likes of Dye, Nicklaus and Fazio. Apparently many buyers haven’t gotten the memo, because we count 16 lots currently for sale at $1 each in those top communities. For you to snare one of them, all you have to do is commit to an initiation fee of $17,000 and to annual dues and homeowner fees of close to $20,000 -– and to writing a check for a buck. Contact me if you want more information.

Residents at River Landing in Wallace, NC, have free and easy access to its two golf courses, since full golf membership is just over 100.

Twenty-Year-Old Course with 100 members, 36 holes

The general rule of thumb is that private golf clubs with fewer than 250 members are struggling to keep up. But what does that say about the prospects of a 36-hole club with just barely more than 100 members. We have all heard stories about a wealthy family or individual building a golf course for essentially their own use. In the case of River Landing, the Murphy Family originally built an entire golf community initially to help attract executives to the family’s sprawling commercial farm business two decades ago. Today, the two Clyde Johnston designed layouts on site rank in the top 50 in North Carolina, according to its state golf panel, and the River course is ranked just outside the top 25. (The other course is called The Landing.) The River has been the site for many U.S. Open qualifying rounds. Any couple looking for a quality golf community with a walk up and play golf club at a reasonable price -– dues are less than $500 per month –- should consider River Landing. Contact me and I will be happy to introduce you to Keith Suttle, the broker in charge. Look for an article about River Landing here in the next week.

Amelia Island Real Estate Agents Turn Down Customers

I am working with a customer who has identified Amelia Island, FL, as a place of interest for a potential relocation. Over the last two weeks, I have attempted to qualify a real estate agency in the area to work with my customer locally. If I don’t work with an agent in a particular area, my initial research is to scour the Internet looking for those who appear expert in golf communities. When I find one that seems the most qualified, I send him or her an email through their web site asking if they would like to discuss my customer. Understand that a buyer’s agent typically earns a 3% commission for his brokerage and that the agent receives a good chunk of that commission check. At minimum, the payoff amounts to a couple thousand dollars on most home sales. I have contacted four Amelia agents by email, and not a single one has responded. Memo to Amelia agents: Why do you spend the money to build a web site and maintain an email address?

New Homes in Fine Golf Community for $100 a Foot

If the terms “tragic” and “golf community” intersect anywhere, that place could be Cobblestone Park in Blythewood, SC, just north of Columbia, the state capital and home to the main campus of the state university. It was at the fledgling Cobblestone Park that bad boy developer Bobby Ginn in the mid 2000s wined and dined mostly blue-collar potential buyers and convinced them that a $200,000 payment for a lot and $500,000 for a home would generate many multiples in appreciation. Long story short, it didn’t, and today, some of those homes are for sale in the $300s & $400s. To make matters worse for their owners, D. R. Horton stepped in at the beginning of the recession and purchased lots in bankruptcy for pennies on the dollar. They are now offering new homes in the high $200s and low $300s at roughly $100 per square foot, much lower than the resale homes. One of our readers, a retired police officer in Minnesota, got caught up in the hype and sold his $250,000 lot recently for $7,000.
Say what you will about developer Bobby Ginn, he commissioned some nice golf courses, including the 27 holes at Cobblestone Park, north of Columbia, SC. The men's and women's golf teams at the state university have used the Cobblestone facilities for practice.