The GolfCourseHome Life

GolfCourseHome Communities Cited in Where to Retire: America's 100 Best

Terra Vista of Citrus Hills, FL is a top-ranked community.

You may have read news releases this week about 'Where to Retire' magazine's July/August issue in which it announced its bi-annual 'America's 100 Best Master-Planned Communities.' We're happy to report that you will find many of them on GolfCourseHome.

Here's a quick summary of the award-winning communities we feature with links to more information about each one. Congratulations to these 'America's Best Communities!'

FLORIDA

Terra Vista of Citrus Hills, Crystal River - Inverness
Golden Ocala, Ocala
Stone Creek by Del Webb, Ocala
SummerGlen, Ocala
GlenLakes, Weeki Wachee (near Tampa)

GEORGIA

Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro (45 miles east of Atlanta)
The Georgia Club, Statham (75 miles east of Atlanta)

MISSOURI

Branson Creek, Hollister

NORTH CAROLINA

Cummings Cove, Hendersonville
Brunswick Forest, Leland
Carolina Trace, Sanford
St. James Plantation, Southport
Ocean Ridge Plantation, Sunset Beach
River Landing, Wallace

SOUTH CAROLINA

Woodside Plantation, Aiken
Daniel Island, Charleston
Grande Dunes, Myrtle Beach

VIRGINIA

Colonial Heritage, Williamsburg

Rio Grande Named Top Destination, Black Bull Offers Free Golf Memberships

River Wilderness, FL is a gated golf and boating community.

River Wilderness, FL and its newly renovated golf course will host a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier on May 20. The River Wilderness course, designed by Ted McAnlis, has recently undergone extensive renovation and features all new TifEagle greens. It is part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System and rated one of the Top 50 in the state by Florida Golfer magazine. Click here for more information about River Wilderness!

The Bridges at Preston Crossings, TX reports that its Fred Couples’ Signature 18-hole golf course is now open seven days a week. The bar and grill are open through the week, as well.... Branson Creek, MO continues to add direct air service, with AirTran now offering daily roundtrip non-stop flights into Branson Airport from Mitchell International in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.... At Kingsmill on the James, VA, The Mill is now open—a full-service bakery and coffee shop for Kingsmill residents and inn guests,  featuring one of the area's most creative selections of freshly-baked breads.

Ross Bridge, AL plays host to $1.7 million Regions Charity Classic on the Champions Tour which begins tomorrow....Chris Anderson and Michael Clark II are tied atop the leaderboard at nine-under par after the first round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am being hosted this weekend by The Carolina Country Club, SC and Bright’s Creek Golf Club, NC....

Rio Grande Club, CO was named a Top 15 Golf & Fly Fishing Destinations for 2009 by Wild on the Fly magazine....

Black Bull, MT announces that five golf course lots (half-acre+ in size) at the community include a free golf membership (valued at $33,000); prices range from $295,000 to $395,000....The Resort on Eagle Mountain Lake, TX is offering a free one-year golf membership to any buyer who closes on a home during the month of May....

Branson Creek, MO, is the latest community to celebrate its selection to GolfCourseHome's
2009 Best of the Best Rankings list with a press release.

Branson Creek Celebrates GCH 'Best of the Best' Selection with Press Release

Branson Creek, part of a master-planned, multi-use, destination property that spans 7,500 acres in the popular Ozarks highlands region of Missouri, has just issued a press release celebrating its selection as a GolfCourseHome Network 2009 'Best of the Best' community.

The Network's compendium of rankings takes into account all major media rankings of golf courses and golf communities for this year.

"We're pleased to receive this national recognition and proud to see SW Missouri recognized as a great destination for active living and vacation homes with affordable lifestyle options," said Kim McDonald Vice President of Sales & Marketing on behalf of the company.

Branson Creek earned its place among the 19 winners by having captured five major magazine awards. Branson Creek was also ranked in 2008 by "Where To Retire Magazine" as one of the Top 100 Master Planned Communities in the United States. Golfweek magazine named its golf course the No. 1 'Course 'You Can Play' in Missouri.

The community is home to the new Branson Airport which officially opens on May 11, 2009. Featuring two championship golf courses, including Murder Rock and Branson Creek the Tom Fazio designed course ranked by Golf Digest as the No. 1 public course in Missouri, The Communities at Branson Creek has weathered the current economic downturn with an aggressive pace of development of new homes, golf villas and custom home sites.

The Communities at Branson Creek Joins the WaterViewHome Network

The WaterViewHome Network welcomes Branson Creek.

The Communities at Branson Creek is part of a master-planned, multi-use, destination property on 7,500 acres of natural surroundings in the popular Ozarks highlands region.

Already home to Murder Rock Golf Club and the golf course at Branson Creek Golf Club—one of America’s Top 100 public courses—this development will include resort hotels, convention centers, retail, restaurants, theaters and other attractions.

Boaters' Alert: Creekside Marina is another important community amenity. Set on Table Rock Lake—which is known throughout the central U.S. as a boater's paradise—the marina features
night slips, boat rental, fuel dock and full-service marina store.

Real Estate

• Located off SR 65, south of Branson
• A variety of homes in five neighborhoods
• Prices start in the $200,000s
• Click here for more information about Branson Creek!

Owl's Nest Offers July Deals, Branson Creek Introduces $40 Million Hotel, & More

Owl’s Nest Resort & Golf Club, NH: Hot July deals.

Owl’s Nest Resort & Golf Club, NH reminds homebuyers that only a few days remain in its July-only special financing offer. This month only, it’s possible to buy preferred property high up in New Hampshire's White Mountains, with a championship 18-hole golf course outside your door. Owl’s Nest is providing 2.99% financing on a limited number of premium homesites and also dramatic neighborhood closeout specials starting at just $89,900. Click here for more information about Owl’s Nest!

Admirals Cove, FL has announced the appointment of Sean McDermott as the community’s new director of golf. McDermott, who began his professional career at Connecticut’s Farmington Country Club in 1988, had been overseeing the club’s golf operations as interim director. Matt King, who had been serving as interim assistant director of golf, was named to that position on a permanent basis. Click here for more information about Admirals Cove!

Branson Creek, MO is pleased to report the addition of an important new lodging destination within its Ozarks property. A $40 million luxury hotel near the Branson Regional Airport (presently under construction) will be located at the burgeoning 7,500-acre Branson Creek development, adjacent to the Branson Creek Golf Course. The six-to-nine-story, 180-to-200-room/suite hotel will include meeting and luxury accommodations. Click here for more information about Branson Creek!

Del Webb’s Sun City Peachtree, GA has just announced the sale of Sun City Peachtree's golf course to Canongate Golf. Canongate's ownership of the 18-hole, championship course, designed by noted architect Gary Stephenson, will give Sun City Peachtree residents access to a golf membership that provides privileges at their own course plus 19 other private clubs in the Atlanta metro area. Click here for more information about Del Webb’s Sun City Peachtree!

The Landings on Skidaway Island, GA has recently introduced a variety of informational seminars and art exhibits for its residents and visitors. Seminars include diverse topics including gardening in the South, home staging, home renovation, going "green", and more. Art exhibits, starting with a "Back To School" special featuring Landings resident artist and children's book author, Phyllis Tildes, begin September 1st and will run for one month. Click here for more information about The Landings!

GolfCourseHome Network Continues to Add New Communities Throughout the U.S.

River Oaks, CT is one of many featured communities.

We have continued to add new communities this year, featuring some with golf lots for as little as $39,500 and others offering homes in the millions. There's a community and a lifestyle to fit every pocket book. See below 13 recent additions from 9 different states offering everything from skiing to equestrian to mountain tops to riverfront to lakefront and more.

Connecticut: The Club at River Oaks - Championship golf on rolling foothills, luxury clubhouse, homes from $995,000

Georgia: Sun City Peachtree - Del Webb, 55+, near Atlanta, golf, $31 million in amenities, homes from $180,000

Florida: Juliette Falls - Award-winning golf, great dining and gathering spots, home with lot from $499,000

North Carolina: The Coves at Round Mountain - Hale Irwin golf, riverfront, equestrian, early pricing from $60,000s

North Carolina: Carolina Trace - Sandhills beauty, 315-acre lake, 36 holes by RT Jones, Sr. golf, homes from $175,000

North Carolina: 12 Oaks - Research Triangle, fitness and aquatic center, Nicklaus golf, homes from $290,000

North Carolina: The Preserve at Wolf Laurel - 1,300 mountaintop acres, golf, hiking, horseback, skiing, homesites from $80,000

South Carolina: Briar's Creek - Private golf, 900 preserved acres, new clubhouse, estate homesites from the $500,000s

South Carolina: Carolina Country Club - Secluded, 2,000-acres, golf, tennis, dining, homes from high-$300,000

Michigan: Forest Dunes - 1,200 acres, Weiskopf golf, fractional real estate, golf/woods lots from $39,500

Massachusetts: The Bay Club - Buzzard's Bay, Brad Faxon-designed golf, a grand clubhouse, homesites from $275,000

Missouri: Branson Creek - Destination village on 7,500 acres, Ozarks vistas, great golf, homes from $200,000

Tennessee: RedTail Mountain - Craftsman-style, Tennessee charm, lodge homes from $385K, homesites from $100,000

Summer 2008 Community Events Calendar: Communities Feature Concerts, Golf & More

Barefoot Resort, SC & others are holding summer events.

Summer is the Peak Season for leisure travel, new-home hunting and special events at the featured communities on GolfCourseHome. We know that attending a special event at a community can give you a good sense of the people, the local culture and what it would be like to live there. Below is a set of capsule descriptions of some intriguing summertime events, geographically distributed. Some are coming right up while others are scheduled for later in the season. Start planning and enjoy!

JULY
Barefoot Resort & Golf, SC welcomes Phil Lesh—the original bass player and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, to its House of Blues concert stage at Barefoot Landing tomorrow night, July 9. House of Blues is a premier dining and entertainment venue with a 300-seat restaurant and a 200-seat outdoor deck with a juke-joint feel. Click here for more information about Barefoot Resort & Golf!

The Communities at Branson Creek, MO will host the Energy & Education Pro-Am at Branson Creek Golf Club on Sunday, July 13, beginning at 1:30 pm. The tournament is part of the Price Cutter Charity Championship Presented by Dr. Pepper, in partnership with The Nationwide tour. Its field consists of 28 teams, made up of four amateurs and a Nationwide Tour professional. Click here for more information about Branson Creek!

Suncadia, WA, in conjunction with the Laughing Horse Arts Foundation, presents the Kairos Music Festival at Suncadia, this July 20th at the Suncadia Amphitheatre beginning at 1 pm. Tickets are on sale now, priced at $10 for the concert only, $25 for concert plus picnic basket lunch and $45 for reserved concert seating and plated lunch. Click here for more information about Suncadia!

Hot Springs Village, AR invites theater enthusiasts to attend a weekend engagement of the 1950s-era comedy, “Moon Over Buffalo.” This popular backstage farce by playwright Ken Ludwig is presented by the HSV Players at 7 pm on July 24-26 at Woodlands Auditorium. Click here for more information about Hot Springs Village!

AUGUST
The Georgia Club, GA is the place to be for a local Celebrity Golf Tournament on Saturday, August 2. The club’s golf shop is still accepting entries for teams wishing to compete. The cost for the event is $200 per person or $800 per team of four. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. It’s a rewarding day of golf featuring your favorite local personalities, with proceeds benefiting The Georgia Club Foundation and select charities. Click here for more information about The Georgia Club!

World Golf Village, FL is set to present the World Golf Hall of Fame’s fifth annual Putting Championship this summer, with qualifying rounds on the last two weekends of July and the finals to be held on August 2. This fast-growing competition gives amateur golfers the opportunity to win thousands of dollars in prizes and the title of 2008 World Golf Hall of Fame Putting Champion. Click here for more information about World Golf Village!

The Reserve at SugarTree, TX has set August 4 as Tournament and Awards Day to conclude its summer-long junior golf program. Rolling signups are continuing for this program, at a price of $20 per clinic or $150 for all summer. All clinics are on Tuesdays and are conducted by a PGA staff highly motivated to teach golf skills and values to junior golfers in the area. Click here for more information about The Reserve at SugarTree!

Daniel Island, SC returns this summer with its annual “Homegrown Concert” at the Family Circle Tennis Center, scheduled for Friday night, August 15 and featuring Hootie and The Blowfish. The event is an area favorite with a philanthropic twist. Concertgoers bring school supplies to provide South Carolina children with the right tools to go back to school. Click here for more information about Daniel Island!

RoseWood Village at Wintergreen, VA caps the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival with an Americas Weekend of music, food and festivities. From Friday, August 1 to Sunday, August 3 the assembled players will pay tribute to American jazz. Wine tastings, an American play by Peter Coy, and readings by American poets will round out the occasion. Click here for more information about RoseWood Village at Wintergreen!

Amelia Island Plantation, FL sets aside August 29 to September 1 for its Labor Day Weekend package of festivities for adults and families with children. From Watermelon seed spitting contests at the Beach Club to a Craft Extravaganza to the popular Guinness & Golf Boardwalk Bash and nighttime Movies under the Stars, the big weekend is one long celebration of summer before it’s time to head back to
school and work. Click here for more information about Amelia Island!

New Communities Continue To Thrive Online at GolfCourseHome

Quiet CT is the setting for The Club at River Oaks

Despite a choppy real estate market, new communities continue to come online--many with value pricing--and people continue to anticipate retirement, look for a vacation home or a primary home in a country club environment and purchase their dream home. Here is a selected list of communities from 9 states new to GolfCourseHome over the last few months that you may have missed. Good Hunting!

Connecticut: The Club at River Oaks (Championship golf on rolling foothills, luxury clubhouse, homes from $995K)

Florida: Juliette Falls (Award-winning golf, great dining and gathering spots, home with lot from $499K)

Massachusetts: The Bay Club (Cape Cod, Brad Faxon-designed golf, a grand clubhouse, homesites from $275K)

Michigan: Forest Dunes (1,200 acres, Weiskopf golf, fractional real estate, golf/woods lots from $39,500)

Missouri: Branson Creek (Destination village on 7,500 acres, Ozarks vistas, great golf, homes from  $200K)

North Carolina: Bright's Creek (Gated, 5,000-acres, T. Fazio golf, Rod & Gun Club, homesites from $175K)

North Carolina: The Preserve at Wolf Laurel (1,300 mountaintop acres, golf, hiking, horseback, skiing, homesites from $80K)

North Carolina: 12 Oaks (Research Triangle, fitness and aquatic center, Nicklaus golf, homes from $290K)

South Carolina: Briar's Creek (Private golf, 900 preserved acres, new clubhouse, estate homesites from the $500Ks)

South Carolina: Carolina Country Club (Secluded, 2,000-acres, golf, tennis, dining, homes from high-$300K)

Tennessee: RedTail Mountain (Craftsman-style, Tennessee charm, lodge homes from $385K, homesites from $100K)

Virginia: The Highlands (Convenient to Richmond, championship golf, private lake, homesites from $110K)

Branson Creek, MO, Offering Golf & Marina, Joins GolfCourseHome.net Today

Branson Creek. MO: 7,500 acres, golf and marina, too.

The Communities at Branson Creek, part of a master-
planned, multi-use, destination property on 7,500 acres of
natural surroundings in the popular Ozarks highlands region,
joins the GolfCourseHome Network today.

Already home to Murder Rock Golf Club and the golf course
at Branson Creek Golf Club—one of America’s Top 100 public
courses—this development will include resort hotels,
convention centers, retail, restaurants, theaters and other
attractions.

Lakefront Too: Creekside Marina is another important
community amenity. Set on Table Rock Lake—which is known
throughout the central U.S. as a boater's paradise—the marina
features night slips, boat rental, a fuel dock and a full-service
marina store.

Real Estate

• Located off SR 65, south of Branson

• A variety of homes in five neighborhoods

• Prices start in the $200,000s

• Click here for more information about Branson Creek!