For more than two years, we have listed golf homes for sale at our companion site, GolfHomesListed.com. Thousands of people visited the site to look at pictures and at brief details about homes in some of the finest golf communities in the Southeast. But when we asked for a name and email address in order to show more details about a particular listing, we scared off many of them. Okay, that's life on the Internet.
        With the launch of a new set of pages here at Golf Community Reviews, we have removed that impediment. As of today, if you want to see the complete group of listings in any of our three-dozen recommended golf communities, you can do so without any requirement of name and email address.
        All we ask in return for this free service is that, if you choose to work with any of our professional golf home specialists, you tell them we referred you. Our only compensation is via a referral fee if you decide to buy a property from one of these Realtors, and the only way we can collect is if you tell them we sent you. The referral fees help us maintain this site and continue to post helpful information. We also intend to add more golf communities in the coming weeks.
        To use this free service, click on the "Golf Homes for Sale" tab above (or click here). Choose the state you are

We have two ways to search for a golf course home: 1) Listings of properties for sale; and 2) A customized service based on your requirements.

interested in, then the area of choice and then the community or communities in that area. We provide information about each community and an easy link to a full complement of listings for the community you choose. We encourage you to contact the professional golf home specialist for that community and, of course, to tell them Golf Community Reviews sent you.
        If you would like personalized assistance in your search for a golf home in the Southern U.S., I encourage you to fill out our free online Golf Home Questionnaire. It takes just a few minutes but will give us enough information to put together an initial list of recommendations of those golf communities that match your criteria. After that, we can refine the list together and, when you are ready, schedule visits. Most of the golf communities we work with offer specially priced "discovery" visits that treat you like a resident and club member for a few days. We can help you tailor those visits to your needs and schedule.
        Thank you for your continuing interest and support of Golf Community Reviews. If you have any suggestions for improving this site, please contact the editor, Larry Gavrich.

 

        In the last week, I have played two golf courses in the Low Country between Myrtle Beach and Charleston that will appeal to those spry retirees and younger golfers looking for a club that encourages walking.
        "Most of our members walk the course," said Director of Golf Pete Dunham about Snee Farm Country Club's golf course. That was my impression on a wet day at Snee where golf carts were confined to cart paths only; if I hadn't been toting a camera bag, I would have been tempted to walk myself, like most of the other players I saw.
        Snee Farm was designed by George Cobb, and because the club has not engaged anyone to update it in 40 years, you see it pretty much the way the well-respected Mr. Cobb intended it, but with one caveat: Over time, the greens have shrunk, as happens at many courses that don't pay close attention to mowing practices, and the greenside bunkers have pulled away, making them less a hazard but also making the now smaller greens more difficult to hit in regulation. I liked the Snee Farm layout but it is likely a much more leisurely challenge than it was intended to be by Cobb. (Snee Farm has hosted the Rice Planters amateur tournament for four decades, and the winning score over four days is typically 18 under par, according to Pete Dunham.)
        The other golf course, The Reserve at Litchfield Beach, is a more modern layout by Greg Norman that was recently refreshed by Richard Mandell, a Pinehurst-based architect who specializes in making good golf courses significantly better.  At The Reserve, he certainly accomplished that -– I have played both the before and after versions –- especially by reshaping fairway and greenside bunkers.  One interesting aspect of the refurbishment is the contrast in sands Mandell used -– brown, almost beach sand for the fairway bunkers and white for the greenside bunkers. It provides an interesting visual effect.  I was impressed that The Reserve doesn't hide its pull carts; they are front and center at the bag drop, a welcome sign for golfers who would rather pull than carry.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect about The Reserve is that it is part of the McConnell Golf Group; Reserve members have access to McConnell's other nine private golf courses in the Carolinas, and they are among the best (including three by Donald Ross).  I'll be featuring McConnell Golf in an upcoming blog posting.
        The greens on both these courses were excellent, but The Reserve's had been cut prior to my round and Snee's, because of rain for two days before, were a little fluffy.  But the turf was clearly in good shape and will only get better as the growing season kicks into high gear.
        Below is a visual taste of each course.  Look for more extended comments in the coming weeks.

ReserveLitch10sandwater
Snee11par3Sand and water meet at greenside on The Reserve's par 4 10th hole (top). At Snee Farm's par 3 11th hole, all manner of hazards, including a stiff wind on the day we played, can put a damper on the scorecard.