I'm editing the initial draft of the main feature for the July edition of Home On The Course, our free monthly newsletter. The piece that I am calling "How to Play Smorgasbord Golf," details five strategies for those aiming to play a lot of golf in retirement without breaking the bank. For serious golfers considering a move South for year-round golf, the options are almost dizzying. Our five strategies help put a little balance into the search for the perfect golf home and best rotation of golf courses you can play consistently.
        Sign up for our free Home On The Course newsletter now by clicking here and we will make sure you receive the July edition, which will be published in the next few days, and all future issues. And if you are in the early stages of your search for a vacation or retirement golf home and would like our suggestions about where to look, we invite you to fill out our Golf Home Questionnaire. It takes less than five minutes, we never share your personal information without your permission, and we will get back to you within a few days with a suggestion of golf communities that match your requirements...including those with multiple golf courses inside the gates or nearby. You can access the Golf Home Questionnaire by clicking here.
MusgroveMillpar4fromteeAs the golf industry continues to retrench in the wake of the recession, savvy entrepreneurs have built portfolios of excellent private clubs they can offer to members as a package. No one has stitched together excellent private courses than has John McConnell in the Carolinas. The tough Musgrove Mill in rural Clinton, South Carolina (above) is a member of the McConnell group of courses.

        My first visit in 2008 to Bright's Creek in Mill Spring, NC, was a mixed bag of impressions. It was not easy, even with a GPS car system, to find the road that led into the community. I stopped at a gas station to ask for directions, and the proprietor told me he had never heard of Bright's Creek. It turns out the gas station was a mere three miles from the Bright's Creek front gate. Location, location, location was not working in the young community's favor; a billboard or even a discreet sign would have helped. Marketing was not a strong suit at Bright's Creek in its first few years.
HorseGolfatBrightsThe new owners of Bright's Creek are full-on in their support of both high-level golf and equestrian activities. Photo courtesy of Linda Valerio Stenzel
        When I finally did arrive, an enthusiastic sales person greeted me and, after a pleasant drive through the community, he handed me a key for a room at the community's "lodge," one of the most comfortable and spacious rooms I've encountered in over 10 years of golf community visits. The bathroom was huge, the shower area itself was almost obscenely big, and the room looked out on the golf course's impressive practice area. It was tough to drag myself out of those rooms early the next morning for a round on the Tom Fazio layout, but my attitude changed after a hole or two. The impeccably conditioned course, which sits beneath a ring of mountains, has all the hallmarks of a top Fazio track, which is to say the big cloverleaf fairway bunkers, the buried cart paths and an overall delight for the eye. It also provides challenge enough to have played host to Web.com professionals a few years ago.