Florida is the third most populous state and, because of its year-round warm climate, contains the most golf communities of all. Indeed, The Villages, a huge retirement community in the north central part of the state, can boast of 35 separate golf courses alone. During the early years of the recession that began in late 2007, Florida real estate prices crashed, with homes in many golf communities losing between 30% and 50% of their value. But now, prices have rebounded to near pre-recession levels in the most popular areas of the state, including Naples, Sarasota and Jacksonville. Because summers can be too hot for many, Florida golf communities are a magnet for second-home owners who are tired of cold winters, still enjoy spring and summer in the North and appreciate the lack of an income tax in the state. Many "snowbirds" stay in Florida for six months and a day to take best advantage of the tax situation.
For most of 2023, I harangued any golfer in my presence about which tee boxes to play for maximum competitiveness – and fun. My point was that course ratings and slope ratings are meaningless as...
I got a taste of it yesterday when my son Tim, a resident of Vero Beach, arranged for us to play afternoon golf at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie – even though summer officially is a week away. As we...
The last time I played a so-called “executive” golf course before this past Sunday was about 45 years ago with my late father, Ed Gavrich. The course a few miles from his condo was named “Sabal”...
It takes quite an investment in time to get to Edisto Island (pronounced with the accent on “Ed”) in a remote area of the South Carolina coastline, some 40 miles from Highway 17. And once you are...
A week before Johnny Miller retires from the golf tournament broadcast booth, I had the opportunity to play one of the 17 layouts he designed. Harmony Preserve Golf Club is located smack in the...
If I had a choice of Florida towns in which to live, my first choice would be Sarasota. It has a lively downtown area, some of the finest beaches in America nearby, is not far from major league...
Whether it starts out that way or not, a golf vacation can end up with the purchase of a home in a golf community -- maybe not right away, maybe not for a few years, but eventually the hook is set. ...
You know the saying “Idle hands are the devil's playground.” Apparently, 35 golf courses, plenty of other amenities and dozens of social clubs (aka taverns) are not enough to divert some residents at...
From time to time, people ask me if they can produce an article for this web site on a topic that might be of interest to my readers. For as long as I have been writing about golf communities, Great...
London bridges aren’t exactly falling down, at least not yet, but London real estate prices are. Previously buoyed by an influx of wealthy foreigners, especially Russian and Arab, London has for some...
You don't see this very often on a golf course: A player who putts for eagle on a par four AND catches a five-pound bass during the round. Jake Bailey, a Palm City, FL, real estate manager for a...
Because my beloved Brooklyn Dodgers conducted spring training there, I grew up loving Vero Beach without ever having set foot in the place. Dodgertown was perennially regaled as the most fully...