Laurel Links' turf was in a period of dormancy when I visited two years ago, but there was no hiding the charm of the layout, which brought the adjacent marsh into view and into play on a few holes. The course was designed by Davis Love III, originally for the municipality of Kingsland, but later was purchased by a private group. A lot along the first fairway is for sale on eBay.
I have never spent more than $50 on any one item on eBay, the global Internet auction site. I was nervous about spending that much on a 1950s baseball card, but I needed it to fill a hole in my collection, the photo showed it was in nice condition, and the seller had a solid eBay reputation rating.
I would never think of buying anything over, say, $100 on eBay, let alone something for, gulp, $1.5 million. Yet at the moment, two golf course owners have their country clubs on the market at eBay for that figure (one for sale, one at an opening bid).
I have written about the North Augusta Golf Club here before. It was up for auction in South Carolina a
The owners of Dan Hall Mountain Resort in southwestern Virginia are offering their nine-hole golf course, 10 room resort lodge and 380 acres of mountain-view land for a set price of $1.5 million. The short golf course, just 2,700 yards, plays to a par of 35 and an altitude of about 2,900 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. Owner Doug Kilgore, in response to questions I sent him, responded that the surrounding area could be used to expand the golf course. Although it would be necessary to change zoning, Mr. Kilgore advised that the county has already said new owners could build single family homes in the resort. However, he advises that building cabins would yield a better return. "The closest place to rent a cabin in the mountains," he wrote me, "is about 3 hours from here, and I have calls all of the time."
Zellwood Station is a gated community for folks 55 and older. It is about a half hour from Orlando, FL. Five lots at Zellwood are posted on eBay at starting bids of just $10,000, with $5,000 down and a year to pay the balance at no interest for the winning bidders. One important note: You will have to meet with one of the community's builders within a year to choose a home design. The 18-hole golf course was designed by George Maddox and opened in 1974. It runs to 6,500 yards from the tips (par 72) and carries a rating of 70.1 and slope of just 118.
The lowest bid for a golf lot on eBay is currently just $700, for a ½ acre piece of property on Fairfield Bay in Arkansas. Bidding began at $200 on February 1 and closes on March 3. The nearby Mountain Lake Ranch Golf Club has a terrific reputation, considered one of the top resort courses in the state (it is open to the public). Designed by the respected Ed Ault, it plays to about 6,700 yards (par 72), a rating of 72.8 and a robust slope of 140. A private golf course, Indian Hills, is also nearby. The eBay ad for the lot stresses that "utilities are nearby," which could be a signal that the lot is, shall we say, in a rustic location. Proceed with caution.
Down on the coast, near the charming town of St. Marys, a lot in the community surrounding Laurel Links is posted on eBay with a starting bid of $65,000. I visited St. Marys a few yeas ago and drove through golf community, although I did not play the golf course. St. Marys is a wonderful town, quiet but with a few choice restaurants, a ferry to Cumberland Island (wild horses, a charming old inn) and a location just a half hour from Jacksonville, FL. I wrote at the time that Laurel Links' "Davis Love III design looks sleek, although flat," and commented about "one par four with a dramatic marsh backdrop." However, the rest of the community did not present itself well. For example, a big, ugly maintenance shed could not be hidden from the community's main road without erecting a fence that would be equally ugly. Landscaping in the community was spotty, some neighborhoods nice and others a bit unkempt. Perhaps things have changed in the two years since I visited; if you are interested, let me know and I will check it out.