Anyone who still thinks “safe” investments can yield consistently good returns has never heard of a guy named Madoff.  If the last few years taught us anything, it is that investments that seem too good to be true are.  No group of investors learned this lesson a harder way than real estate speculators who gambled that what goes up most continue to go up.  After the crash, few of us shed tears for such rampant –- some would say greedy –- speculation, but let’s not forget that many folks who had no greater intention than to buy and live in their retirement home were hurt as well.

        As prices have reset to pre-boom levels, and 401Ks have recouped most of their recession losses, many baby boomers are coming back to the market for a golf community retirement home, and many working couples are thinking that maybe it is the time to think about a vacation home with a golf course and other amenities.  All of these buyers are concerned about the safety factor in whatever they buy.

        In the March issue of our free monthly newsletter, Home On The Course, we will discuss the status of the ownership of a golf community and its surrounding real estate as a function of the long-term financial security of the community.   We will look at a few communities and clubs owned entirely by their residents, at communities whose residents make decisions about the real estate but not the golf club, and at communities in which the developer runs everything.  Some are safer than others but you can find a secure community across all the categories.  Learn how in the next issue of Home On The Course, arriving in email boxes in the next few days. 

        Don’t miss your copy; subscribe now at the top of this page.

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The Brunswick Forest golf community of Leland, NC, and its Tim Cate designed golf course are fully owned and run by one entity.  The community is featured in the March issue of Home On The Course.

Since we posted this article initially, we have learned that the W I D E Open scheduled for Thursday March 10 has been postponed to Friday, March 11 because of heavy rains in North Carolina.  Those registrants who will not be able to play on Friday may free up some space for golfers in the central North Carolina area who might want to participate.  Contact information is at the end of the article. 

 

        Pine Needles Golf Club in Southern Pines, NC, is a classic Donald Ross layout but a golf event there this Thursday will literally stretch one time-honored measurement of golf.  The Pine Needles W I D E Open, sponsored by Golf Digest, will feature golf holes 15 inches in diameter, about three times larger than the normal hole and almost as large as a basketball hoop.  For those who obsess over the number of putts they take each round, this could be their day to remember.

        The event's geneology traces back to Taylor Made CEO Mark King who suggested publicly that one way to encourage new golfers was to enlarge the hole.  Golf Digest editor Jerry Tarde found the idea intriguing and organized this first W I D E Open to gauge the impressions of professional and amateur golfers alike.

        There may be a few openings left for the event on Thursday.  Cost is $100 per person and includes lunch, a fair price for a wonderful golf course I visited just a week ago.  The greens were in splendid condition.

        Contact Pine Needles at 910-692-8611 if you are interested.

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The greens at Pine Needles are so tough to hit and hold that some players may see more birdies from chip-ins to the larger holes than from putts.  (Par 3 13th green shown)