Recently, my wife and I spent a wonderful three days on a Lake Champlain island in Vermont. Our room on North Hero Island –- named in honor of the heroic exploits of Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys during the Revolutionary War -- was sited across the street from one of the lake's hundreds of coves. We spent a few hours in the rocking chairs on the second-floor porch of our room and enjoyed the view of the lake, our reveries punctuated only by the occasional truck rumbling along Vermont Route 2 just below us. Our accommodations at the North Hero House were comfortable, and we did not have anything less than a terrific meal for the three days. (Burlington's Hen of the Wood is rated one of the top restaurants in New England, deservedly so in our estimation.) I didn't bring my golf clubs on this trip and, frankly, I didn't miss them.
These days, about half the folks who ask me for assistance in finding a golf community indicate a preference for a lake location. Whether it is the fear of hurricanes or the fear of flood insurance payments near the ocean, some folks prefer their waters still. It is also a lot less expensive for a home on a lake than it is for one with a mere peek at the ocean.
If you are fine with a golf home on fresh water, here are three lakes in the Carolinas, plus a short list of others in the South, that feature at least one golf community we can recommend. For more information, contact me.
Lake Keowee, South Carolina
Some people think this manmade lake in the northwest region of South Carolina is shaped like a Christmas tree. Whether it is or isn't, flooding this area of the state was a gift to golf community developers, especially those looking to impress future residents with fairways along the irregularly shaped shoreline, long views to the mountains, and strategically placed home sites. Most of the golf communities on Lake Keowee are of the "upscale" variety, including those under the banner of The Cliffs Communities -– The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyard, Keowee Falls, and Keowee Springs -– and The Reserve at Lake Keowee, which is often confused as a Cliffs community but which is independently owned and did not suffer The Cliffs' financial shortcomings during the recession. With Keowee-area golf courses by the likes of Fazio and Nicklaus, expect most homes priced from $600,000 inside these guarded gates, but also expect about every amenity you can imagine, including the equestrian kind. For a more reasonable investment on the water -– much more reasonable, actually –- the long-established community known as Keowee Key offers less fancy but nonetheless quite playable golf, designed originally by George Cobb and recently updated by Richard Mandell, and incredibly cheap prices for water views from many of its homes. (A nuclear power plant about four miles away keeps prices much less radiant than those farther up the lake.) Here's just one example: A 3 BR, 2 BA, 2,100 square foot single-family home on a cul de sac with lots of glass to take full advantage of the lake views, listed at just $232,000. Okay, so the stairs to the attic are located in the corner of the master bedroom. Other, more customary layouts are available at correspondingly low prices. One other benefit of Keowee Key: It is closer than the other lakeside golf communities to the towns of Seneca and Clemson (home of the university).
There may be no better par 3 in the state of South Carolina than the 17th at The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyard, a Tom Fazio design.
