The GolfCourseHome Life

Hammock Dunes Features Many Homemade Dishes, Including Warm Apple Charlotte

Hammock Dunes, FL: Jason Hall offers many homemade items

Vacationing to Florida and taking up golf might be as American as apple pie.

Or Apple Charlotte, if you are at the Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast, FL. Executive Chef Jason Hall molds these little treasures in his kitchen there. Warm Granny Smith apples are tucked into charlotte molds, enveloped with buttery white bread crust, and baked. When served to the lucky recipient, the charlotte is topped with a cherry sauce made with pinot noir.

Chef Hall says that like many other dishes at Hammock Dunes, the Apple Charlotte is made in house. “We don’t buy any pre-made sauces, and everything is hand-made from scratch,” he says. This seems a priority for him. While learning to become a chef, he says he felt privileged to work under Certified Master Chefs who believed in scratch cookery and weren’t afraid to push the culinary envelope.

Jason Hall has certainly made the rounds during his 14 years in the industry. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu partner, the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. With this under his belt, he went on to work in private clubs and restaurants in the Carolinas, Ohio and Napa Valley, CA.

Now, as Executive Chef at Hammock Dunes, he continues the culinary legacy of his prestigious teachers. The Apple Charlotte is surely just a taste of what his restaurant has to offer—pair it with a chat about tomorrow’s golf game, and you’re in American heaven.

Apple Charlotte from Hammock Dunes, FL

Apple Charlotte
6 portions

6 granny smith apples
1 cup sugar (may need more depending tartness of apples)
2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt and nutmeg
4 tbsp. butter
1 loaf of white bread
½ stick unsalted butter, melted (this is for the bread)
Special equipment: a 2-inch round cookie cutter; 6 (5- to 6-oz) ramekins

Preparation
Peel and dice the apples.  In a pan warm the butter, then add the apples.  Stew the apples at medium heat.  Add sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.  Cook until apples are soft.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut out 12 rounds from bread slices with cookie cutter, then cut 42 (2- by 1 1/2-inch) rectangles from trimmings and remaining slices. Coat 1 side of each round and rectangle with some of remaining butter. Put 6 rounds, buttered sides down, in molds and line sides with rectangles (5 to 7 per mold), buttered sides against mold, arranging them vertically and slightly overlapping, pressing gently to adhere. Trim any overhang flush with rims. 

Divide filling among molds and top with 6 remaining bread rounds, buttered sides up, pressing gently to fit inside bread rim.

Bake charlottes in molds on a baking sheet in middle of oven until bread is golden, about 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then invert plates over charlottes and invert charlottes onto plates. Serve warm with cherry sauce. Recipe follows

Cherry Sauce
3 cups dried cherries
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup pinot noir
1 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp. water 

In pan bring cherries, sugar and water and wine to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to sauce, stirring. Simmer sauce 2 minutes and cool to room temperature. Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before serving.

'Best of the Best' Golf Course Rankings--Where Living & Golf Are No. 1

Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro GA: Most decorated.

The GolfCourseHome Rankings Compendium

Our modern culture is all about creating lists of who or what
is tops in its field. Golf courses and golf communities have
had various rankings systems for decades, as you know.
What’s hard to know is which communities and courses have
earned which honors—the "rankings season" extends from
October to February.

If you look at all the different kinds of ways to rate or rank
a golf course, you'll discover quite an array. From Best New
Course to Best Residential to Best Public to Best Private to
Best Classic to Best Modern from Top 100 to Top 50, there
are multiple ways to shine.

To all courses and communities, these annual and biennial
awards mean a great deal. There's great crowing when a top
ranking is achieved and much soul-searching when it’s lost.

GolfCourseHome does not send out field researchers and
raters in pursuit of its own, proprietary ranking system. But
we thought we could do the next best thing--look at all the
current rankings and identify all GolfCourseHome communities
that have received more than one or two accolades and
arrange them in a suitable 'Rankings Compendium.'

Topping our compilation is a fabulous Front Nine, with the
most dynamic of them all being Reynolds Plantation, which has
received honors of every sort for its many golf courses and for
the community in general.

The Front Nine  (or The Divine Nine)
1. Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro GA uses a rare and
impressive blend of quality and quantity to rise to the
pinnacle of the golf rankings, both for its courses and its
overall amenities. 

• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, The Creek
  Club, by Jim Engh
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• No. 61 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Great Waters course)
• No. 95 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Oconee course)
• No. 38 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (Great Waters course)
• No. 61 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (Oconee course)
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
  (Great Waters and National courses)
• No. 43 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine (GW)
• No. 60 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine (Oconee)
• No. 97 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest
• No. 5 on the 50 Top Courses for Women by Golf for
  Women (Oconee)
• Top 100 Community by Where to Retire Magazine
• Click here for more information about Reynolds
  Plantation!

2. Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, SC, is perhaps the most highly
lauded new community in the U.S. Current awards for this
20,000-acre resort/residential Lowcountry property:

• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, May River Golf
  Club, by Jack Nicklaus
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• A Golfweek Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
• No. 31 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• No. 53 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine.
• Click here for more information about Palmetto Bluff!

3. Sea Pines, Hilton Head SC is a landmark community on a
huge waterfront site with a long list of great amenities but
one in particular that garners close attention from the raters—
Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Golf Links.

• No. 29 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Golf Courses
• No. 13 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
• No. 15 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest
• No. 93 on America’s 100 Greatest Courses by Golf
  Digest
• No. 40 on 100 Top Courses in the U.S. by GOLF
  Magazine
• No. 15 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
• Click here for more information about Sea Pines!

4. Homestead Preserve, Warm Springs, VA benefits from the
combined glory of the lofty rankings and ratings garnered by
the famed Cascades Course and a sister course at the historic
Homestead resort property.

• No. 2 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Cascades)
• No. 12 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (Cascades)
• No. 61 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (Cascades)
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
  (Cascades and Old Course)
• No. 16 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest (Cascades)
• No. 97 on America’s 100 Greatest Courses by Golf
  Digest (Cascades)
• No. 61 on 100 Top Courses in the U.S. by GOLF
  Magazine (Cascades)
• No. 18 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine (GW)
• Click here for more information about Homestead
  Preserve!

5. Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, TX, did more than
other other area property to put Austin on the national golf
map. The residential component of Barton Creek is a golf-
and spa-lover’s way of enjoying this award-winning community
on a daily basis.

• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
  (Fazio Foothills and Fazio Canyons courses)
• No. 83 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest (Canyons)
• No. 68 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine (Foothills)
• No. 69 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine (Canyons)
• No. 40 on the 50 Top Courses for Women by Golf for
  Women (Foothills)
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• Click here for more information about Barton Creek
  Resort & Spa!

The Powder Horn, WY: New clubhouse & plenty of awards.

6. The Powder Horn, Sheridan, WY earns its list of honors
without benefit of being an easy visit for the traveling raters.
Of course, once a visitor does arrive at this grand Western
community, they are sure to agree it has earned its awards.

• No. 24 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• No. 68 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Golf Courses
• No. 21 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
• Top 100 Community by Where to Retire Magazine
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about The Powder Horn!

7. Desert Mountain, Scottsdale AZ, is an upscale and highly
influential Arizona enclave that can provide six excellent
reasons (and courses) for visiting.

• No. 55 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Chiracuhua course)
• No. 75 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Renegade course)
• No. 76 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Geronimo course)
• No. 97 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Cochise course)
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Desert Mountain!

8. Barefoot Resort, No. Myrtle Beach, SC, is a community
that’s had to work to stand out from the crowd of excellent
Myrtle Beach venues. Here’s how Barefoot did it:

• No. 87 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (Love course)
• No. 97 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (Fazio course)
• No. 53 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest (Love course)
• No. 92 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest (Fazio course)
• No. 95 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine (Love course)
• Click here for more information about Barefoot Resort!

9. Cuscowilla, Eatonton GA is a highly ranked community with
a distinctly down-home feel that visitors and residents alike
keep returning to—and golf that keeps earning kudos.

• No. 2 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• No. 33 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Golf Courses
• No. 21 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
• No. 19 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine
• Click here for more information about Cuscowilla!

The Next Tier --

Colleton River Plantation, Bluffton, SC, is spread across a
romantic landscape of marsh and woodland—terrain that
inspired two great modern course designers to do some of
their finest work, as the rankings prove:

• No. 44 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Nicklaus course)
• No. 67 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (Dye course)
• No. 35 on America's 50 Greatest Golf Retreats by Golf
  Digest Index
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Colleton River
  Plantation!

Paa-Ko Communities, Sandia Park, NM, burst on the golf
scene in 2000 (it has recently added an excellent new nine
to complement its original 18) and set the stage for build-out
of attractive residential neighborhoods.

• No. 5 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• No. 40 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Golf Courses
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
• No. 38 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest
• No. 30 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine
• Click here for more information about Paa-Ko Communities!

Suncadia, Roslyn, WA, represents a finely honed blend of
resort ambience with a distinctive private golf club secluded
within it. Its honors reflect that versatile profile.

• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
  (Prospector course)
• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, Prospector
  Golf Course, by Arnold Palmer
• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, Tumble Creek
  Golf Club, by Tom Doak
  
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Suncadia!

Best of the Rest

Belfair, Bluffton, SC, is a double-Fazio venue in the pristine
Lowcountry of South Carolina.

• No. 63 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (West)
• No. 72 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
  (East)
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Belfair!

Daniel Island, Charleston, SC, the winner of untold awards for
overall community plan and design, also does well in the golf-
rankings category.

• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, Ralston Creek
  Club, by Rees Jones
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Top 100 Community by Where to Retire Magazine
• Click here for more information about Daniel Island!

Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls, TX, is a must-visit for any
aficionado of Robert Trent Jones, Sr., whose designs here
rank among his finest.

• No. 79 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (RamRock course)
• No. 99 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
  (AppleRock course)
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
  (RamRock course)
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
  (AppleRock course)
• Click here for more information about Horseshoe Bay!

Spring Island, Spring Island, SC, is one of the great
environmentally planned golf communities in the U.S., with
a standout golf course by Arnold Palmer.

• No. 27 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• No. 89 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Golf Courses
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Spring Island!

Grande Dunes, Myrtle Beach, SC, is a 2,200-acres coastal
property that continues to build its reputation as a golf jewel
between the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway.

• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, Members
  Course Club, by Nick Price and Craig Schreiner
• No. 100 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• A Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in the U.S.
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Grande Dunes!

Oldfield, Okatie, SC, is an emerging jewel still adding to
its stock of awards.

• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Top 100 Community by Where to Retire Magazine
• Click here for more information about Oldfield!

Mirabel, Scottsdale, AZ, is perched above the distant city
lights of Scottsdale and admired as a top-echelon private
desert golf community.

• No. 91 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Golf Courses
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Mirabel!

The Cliffs Communities, Travelers Rest, SC, is a leading
innovator among Southeastern U.S. communities, as
evidenced by these honors.

• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, Walnut Cove
  Club, by Jack Nicklaus
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about The Cliffs!

The Villages at Tullymore, Stanwood, MI, is not yet as
famous as some of the Northern Michigan properties are, but
the rankers and raters know it well, as these fine
achievements show.

• No. 14 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by
  Golf Digest
• No. 83 on America’s 100 Greatest Courses by Golf
  Digest
• No. 96 on 100 Top Courses You Can Play by GOLF
  Magazine
• Click here for more information about Tullymore!

Tesoro, Port St. Lucie, FL, is a Ginn Club community
offering two Signature golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer
and Tom Watson—and honored with:

• Golfweek Top 50 New Courses for 2006, Tesoro Club
  course by Arnold Palmer
• Top 100 Golf Community by Travel + Leisure Golf
• A Premier Property by LINKS Magazine
• Click here for more information about Tesoro!

New for the New Year--Golf Course Openings, New Home Models, New Phases & More

Huntsman Springs, ID: New golf, skiing nearby.

With the advent of the new year, we have been receiving
news about communities forging ahead with plans to add
new amenities, announcing golf course openings, new
products and new offerings. Despite what you hear about
the real estate market, these communities know that if
they are to attract new homeowners, they must stay
competitive and invest in their facilities. That's good
news for those looking for signs of a healthy and growing
community.

For example, Huntsman Springs, Driggs, Idaho, has just
released its first photos of its new golf course and its
spectacular mountain surroundings. Tampa Bay Country Club,
Florida, just announced it has 12 new single-family home
plans to choose from, with prices ranging from $179,950 to
$300,000. And Quail Creek at The Ridges, Tennessee, has
just informed us that its single-family model home is now
complete and ready for people to come and see. Spring may
be months away, but community activity is already heating
up. Watch for next week's newsletter for the first batch of
new communities to be added to GolfCourseHome in 2008!

COMMUNITY NEWS & UPDATES

1. River Landing, NC announces plans to develop a 10-acre
vineyard within its newest neighborhood, The Vineyards.
The concept is intended to provide a rare and contemporary
amenity to homebuyers. The new neighborhood is sited on
a 300-acre tract featuring large, half-acre homesites
starting at $80,000, lakes and ponds, walking paths, a
recreational amenity, a winery facility and the 10-acre
vineyard planted with muscadine grapes. Click here for
more information about River Landing!

2. Lake James, NC, is accepting bookings for two
new rental cabins, currently under construction in the
neighborhood known as 1780. One of the cabins is a 1,700-
square-foot cabin in Hully Gully. The other is a 2,800-square-
foot retreat at Camp Lake James. Both properties will allow
guests to use Camp Lake James. Click here for more
information about Lake James!

3. Black Bull, MT, is pleased to announce that its director of
golf, David Baucom, has received the 2007 Bill Strausbaugh
Award from the Rocky Mountain PGA. The Strausbaugh award,
given annually, recognizes service to the professional
community. Baucom was previously honored as Rocky
Mountain PGA Golf Professional of the Year. Click here for
more information about Black Bull!

4. Mount Vintage Plantation, SC announces that it is building
a nine-hole addition to the community’s original 18-hole
championship course. Renowned architect Tom Jackson, who
created the original 18, has designed the new nine holes on
land deemed to contain the most dramatic topography in the
community. The addition, to open by early summer, yielding
a collection of premier homesites with prime views.
Click here for more information about Mt. Vintage Plantation!

5. Frenchman’s Reserve, FL, announces that parent company
Toll Brothers has promoted Alex de Chabert to assistant vice
president at the prestigious country club community. De
Chabert moved to Florida in 2001 to join Toll Brothers,
initially as an assistant project manager. He has contributed
significantly to the success of Frenchman’s Reserve, where
home prices now start at $1 million. Click here for more
information about Frenchman’s Reserve!

Winning Contest Entry Creates the Portrait of a Perfect Day

Here's the winning entry in our 'Perfect Day' contest in
which we asked GolfCourseHome visitors to describe
their ideal golf/waterview community and what the
perfect day there would be like. We've provided links
to some of the GolfCourseHome communities that might
fit her description. Thanks to all who entered and
congratulations to Evelyn!

A Perfect Day in a Perfect Community
by Evelyn K., NY

As the sun rises on another beautiful day in my golf
community by the lake, I sit on my deck, sipping my
steaming hot coffee and admiring the beauty of the
white swans who add to the calmness and peace that
this beautiful lake provides. 

To the left, I look out at the majestic mountains, with
their brilliant autumn leaves of orange, red and gold.
To the right, I see the green rolling hills of the golf course-–
ready to welcome the early morning golf enthusiasts. 
Who says that utopia doesn’t exist?  Well, it does….it’s
just a matter of time before you find it.

We have a full day of activities planned, but I don’t
feel hurried or rushed, as I did most of my hectic working
life. I’m now in a community of retired or semi-retired
folks who have learned to take life a little slower, to
admire the beauty of the lake and countryside around
them, and who know how to enjoy every moment they
are given on this earth.

My friends here are mostly from the big city and, like me,
had their fill of traffic and crime. Here we are, only 30
minutes to a big city, where we can find employment,
entertainment, the arts, concerts and major sports events;
however, our little town of quaint shops and delectable
restaurants, make it feel like we are hours away from
the maddening crowds. Unlike the crammed feeling you
get in the city, the homes here are spaced apart, each
with their own beautiful manicured lawns. We are close
enough to see and talk to our neighbors, yet far enough
to enjoy privacy. We are also foruntate to have a lakefront
home, where we can enjoy the serenity of the lake.

On to the day's events. With the multitude of activities
going on around us, my husband and I are able to enjoy
both individual activities that interest us, and then meet
up later in the day to enjoy time together. My husband is
heading out for a round of golf with his friends, as I first
head off to the tennis courts for my weekly tennis lesson. 

Afterwards, I’ll head back home to change, and then on to
our clubhouse. Being one of the few women in our community
who enjoy fishing, our clubhouse activities director has
provided me with a local fishing guide who will take me out
on the lake to catch what I hope is a record breaking bass.
Later in the afternoon, my husband and I have agreed to
meet up at the spa in our clubhouse, to spend time being
pampered with his and her massages.   

As evening begins to arrive, it’s time for our neighborhood
evening cocktail hour. It’s our turn for the neighbors to
congregate back on the deck where I started the day. 
Our friends talk about their successes and failures of the
day, the holes in one and the one that got away (my bass)!

We talk about our families, the changing climate, politics
and just how much we appreciate the beauty of this land.   
After our cocktails we are ready to head over to one of the
many fine restaurants in our clubhouse. Tonight we will dine
in the restaurant run by a graduate of the Culinary Institute
of America and enjoy one of the fine bottles of wine from
one of our local wineries.

After dinner, we have the option of joining in one of the
many activities in our clubhouse, but we choose to go back
to our deck and have a nightcap as we listen to the silence
surrounding our home, watch the moonlight reflecting off
the lake and thank God we found this heavenly place we
now call home. 

'Win a GolfCourseHome Weekend' Contest Sparks Dreams

The entries are coming in for GolfCourseHome's
"Win a Weekend at Your Dream Community Contest."
We've asked subscribers to our New Communities
Newsletter to write us describing what they would
imagine their perfect community to be. We've received
some excellent entries making us think there are a lot
of aspiring copywriters out there.

There is still time for you to email us your entry:
Tell us what your dream community would be like
and describe a perfect day there. The winning entry
wins 2 days/3 nights at the GolfCourseHome Featured
Community of his/her choice. Details of the stay depend
on the rules governing the community.

Here's one of the recent entries:

The Perfect Community
by K R.

Imagine a place that is the antidote to the stress of
daily life; one that fosters family relationships and a
creates a deep sense of community - a sort of “Leave
It To Beaver” atmosphere, where children are safe…
life is simple, and “home” is permanent.

How do you create that environment?  First, by creating
a barrier between the community and the outside world –
a protected place where the air is clean and the surroundings
are green.  Where better to do this than within a golf
course community?  Rather than homes surrounding a golf
course, surround the homes with the course!  Create a
“decompression zone” for people of the community to
drive through on their way home -  a meandering road
through lush green and natural spaces.  This will begin
the daily transformation from life’s “rat race” to a slower,
calmer pace.

After the drive has imperceptibly eased your tensions,
you will come upon a neighborhood of homes that are
not built merely to impress, but built to last, with a
sense of history and permanence. Not “McMansions”
designed with the latest “fad” in mind, these homes
will seem as if they were built many years ago and nature
has grown and worked its special magic around them
with moss and ivy-covered stone walls, mixed with
beautiful architectural details – stately and classic,
but welcoming.

Now add to that ambiance, hidden technology - an
intranet for neighbors, where they can easily become
acquainted and communicate with one another,
inviting one another to meet at the clubhouse to
begin an easy 9-hole afternoon on an impeccably
manicured course…or for an invigorating walk through
the nature trails or exercise class at the community
fitness center…or for a relaxing evening meal in
the fire-lit dining room at the clubhouse, where you
can plan your next neighborhood gathering around
the fire pit so children and adults alike can enjoy the
old-time pleasure of roasting marshmallows over an
open fire.  This is the best of both old and new worlds.
This is the perfect community.

Win a Weekend at a GolfCourseHome Featured Community!

The new GolfCourseHome blog is called The Golf Course
Home Life. There's a reason for that--keeping you
informed about what's going on in our featured golf and
waterview communities is a full-time job, and these
communities represent the kind of activity and fun-filled
life you'd like to lead.

But we shouldn't assume too much.

That's why we are inviting you to write us about the kind of
community you'd like to live in, what you imagine the perfect
day would be like and the kind of activities, friends and
environment you'd enjoy.

The best ones received by midnight this Friday will be
posted on our blog and the overall best entry will be
rewarded with a two-night, three-day stay at the
GolfCourseHome Featured Community of your choice.
Details dependent on the various rules governing the
selected community.We await your entries!

Women- & Family-Friendly Golf Communities: Where Everyone Counts

Vista Ridge, CO: Community center embraces all family members.

The times they are a' changing at today's golf course
communities. While once they were simply golf courses
with homes around them and geared mainly toward the
sport and the men players, today the emphasis is on
a sense of community and the family. And that means
not just men, but women and children members as well.

Today's buyers expect to find a lifestyle at the community
that is more diverse and well-rounded, with women in
particular finally having their the tastes served and
their preferences recognized. Media outlets geared
toward the female side of the market—Golf for Women
magazine, for example—make a point of evaluating
golf resorts and golf communities in terms of how
well they appeal to that audience.

Emphasis on Community
In addition, greater emphasis on "community"
means providing programs and facilities that bring
families together for quality time and "memory
making." Learning about nature and the outdoors
with a staff naturalist is a typical example of the
organized togetherness now being promoted. That
sort of opportunity can bridge multiple generations,
inspiring a greater sense of community within one's
own family.

Women sizing up a golf community are also looking
for programs their children can do on their own—swim
lessons, kids clubs and camps—so that Mom can take
time out for cooking class, computer club or a
relaxing half-day at the spa.

Golf for Women
Of course, many women living in golf communities
are golf nuts themselves, and expect the courses,
clubhouses, locker rooms and lounges at top-tier
golf communities to accommodate women as
luxuriously and spaciously as they accommodate men.
And increasingly, they do. Where do you find these
communities? See below as the first installment in
our new, multi-part series, "Women- and Family-
Friendly Golf Communities," begins.

COLORADO: Vista Ridge, Erie
The accolades have been generous for this mountain
community’s golf program. Designed with families
in mind, Vista Ridge offers all the amenities of a five-
star resort including spectacular mountain views
and miles of parks and trails. Recently, the community
was named the “Most Female Friendly” Golf Course
in the annual readers-choice awards conducted by
Colorado Avid Golfer magazine in recognition of
such Vista Ridge features as year-round women’s
clinics, a women’s golf league, Moms Play Free policy
on Mother’s Day (the course is public) and a course
design with six sets of tees and generous wide
landing areas for drives and long approach shots.

FLORIDA: Willoughby Golf Club
Given the wide array of special golf experiences
that Willoughby offers its women members, the
members at this Treasure Coast community must
need their clubs regripped regularly. Events include
a 60-member, 18-hole group and a 70-member nine-
hole group with both holding weekly competitions.
Ladies Day on Thursdays offers a wide variety of
tournaments including Rally for the Cure, a
Grandmothers Tournament, Guest Days and other
team and individual events.

Willoughby also participates in a four-club Fun
Interclub League, a four-club Competitive Interclub
League and also sends teams to the 18-club Treasure
Coast Challenge Cup. Club events include a Member-
Member Tournament, Club Championship and Ladies
Cup. Mixed events include a one-day mixed member
guest days, Mars vs. Venus Tournament and a three-
day mixed member guest weekend each spring.

VIRGINIA: Belmont Country Club
The lifestyle of the woman golfer at Belmont suits
the serious golfer who is also into fitness, fashion
and fun/socializing. The community’s golf calendar
for women covers the spectrum from beginner
clinics to the member-member championship and
from trunk shows of the latest golfwear to seminars
on the rules of golf and intelligent “course management.”

Belmont competitions and fun participation days in
both tennis and weight training are also part of the
regime. To unwind, Belmont CC women get together
for Ladies’ Night Out, a Mother’s Day Spa Brunch,
a regular Mom’s Group and the Bridge Club.

NORTH CAROLINA: St. James Plantation, Southport
At St. James Plantation, where golf shares the marquee
with recreational centers, private beach club and a full-
service marina, more than 250 women play in weekly
golf tournaments and enjoy social events sponsored
by two community golf associations. The women-only
tournaments are held every Tuesday and rotated among
the community’s four courses spread over 81 holes.

In addition, 10 major tournaments held annually at
St. James Plantation are either women-only or mixed
couples. While women are welcomed any time at the
community’s golf school, the  St. James Golf Academy
also conducts two weekly schools that are reserved
exclusively for women.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Grande Dunes, Myrtle Beach
Setting aside an age-old distinction which to many
seems no longer appropriate, this luxurious ocean-
to-Intracoastal master-planned resort community
eliminated the “women’s handicap” tees on its
new Members Club Course, instead inviting players
of both sexes to play from the tees appropriate to
their individual ability.

Nick Price and Craig Schreiner designed the new
Members Club Course with setup options that
allow all Grande Dunes members and guests to
“test their athleticism and shot-making ability
on every hole or just relax and enjoy themselves.”

How Nicklaus Name on a Golf Course Adds Immediate Value to Real Estate

Sea Pines, SC: First golf community & first Jack Nicklaus course.

Whether you play golf or not, when you consider buying
real estate in a golf course community, the designer of the
golf course can affect the price you pay. Today, no other
golf course architect impacts real estate values like Jack
Nicklaus. (Some of Nicklaus' courses are featured here.)

Once the king of the golf course, the Golden Bear is now the
king of golf course design and sits atop the leader board in
regard to the value his signature imparts to his creations
and the surrounding real estate.

Colin Hegarty, president of Golf Research Group, studies
how a course architect’s name and reputation affects
property values in golf communities. Hegarty recently
equated the homes in communities built around Nicklaus
courses with “blue chip stocks” whose “value grows
dependably.”    

    FLORIDA: Reunion, Orlando

In the past six, Nicklaus has designed more than 80
residential golf courses. Golf Research Group puts their
average net value—course and real estate combined
—at a cool $246 million per community. Run the same
calculation for other leading U.S. course designers and
none of them matches up with Jack.

     NORTH CAROLINA: Governors Club, Chapel Hill

Nicklaus got his start in golf course design in 1968 as co-
author (with Pete Dye) of the famed Harbour Town Golf
Links at Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island—perfect
symmetry considering it’s the same place where golf-course
real estate was first invented.

Nicklaus has since designed some 250 additional courses,
of which 35 have been listed on national and international
Top-100 rankings. His achievement as a designer is such
that the Nicklaus name will be forever revered in golf
circles, even if he had never picked up a club.   

FLORIDA: Grand Haven, Palm Coast

A fine example of the Nicklaus approach to residential
course design is his new layout at Bay Creek Golf & Marina
Resort in Cape Charles, VA. Measuring 7,417 yards with
Tifsport Bermuda fairways and smooth A-4 bentgrass greens,
this Nicklaus course is characterized by large waste areas
and more than 100 boldly shaped bunkers.   

SOUTH CAROLINA: The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Lake Keowee

Of all golf communities with Nicklaus-designed courses,
Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ, has the deepest
Bear tracks. It is home to no fewer than six 18-hole
layouts bearing the Nicklaus signature with their
openings stretched over a 15-year period. Some call
it a Nicklaus Design Museum, showing the evolution
of his style and beliefs.

GEORGIA: Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro, Lake Oconee

Despite his lack of formal training in course design,
Nicklaus had several advantages when he started. He
knew the game well and he was given bigger construction
budgets than the average architect. His courses have a
fine, finished look to them—no corners are cut and it
shows. In fact, the quality-control standards Nicklaus
applied to his own early courses quickly became adopted
industry-wide.

Early on, Nicklaus courses were discouragingly difficult,
especially on shots into the greens, which were wide, but
shallow—often just a few paces from front to back—which
frustrated all but the most accomplished golfer.   

SOUTH CAROLINA: Woodside Plantation, Aiken

With experience, designer Jack learned to accommodate the
average player by building in more options and bailouts.
His courses took on softer lines and avoided the sharp edges
that sent impure shots careening sideways upon landing.   

DELAWARE: Bayside, Selbyville

Today, Nicklaus retains a fondness for the split fairway, using
that feature to add character and a sense of fun to the tee shot
on par-5s. As more and more architects have squared off their
tee boxes in a nod to the formal-landscape look of the early
20th century, Nicklaus has bucked the trend, preferring to keep
his teeing grounds "free-form."   

GEORGIA: Riverwood Plantation, Augusta (one of three nines)

To see a complete list of the 23 Jack Nicklaus-designed golf
courses on GolfCourseHome.net, click here. To see the
complete list of the 75 golf course architects (and their
courses) featured on the GolfCourseHome Network with links
to the golf communities for which they were built, click here.

The Dream 18: Great Golf Holes from World-Class Golf Communities

Teton Springs, Idaho: No.3 Hole on the Dream 18.

If you were to play 18 of the best, most memorable
golf holes--a Dream 18--that can be found within today's
best golf course communities, which ones would you
choose? That's the hypothetical question we posed to
ourselves if we had to choose from among the 200 golf
communities featured on GolfCourseHome.net.

These havens of the country club lifestyle represent
more than 5,000 golf holes, 300-plus championship
golf courses and over 75 different golf course designers.
A lot to choose from. Furthermore, many of the courses
are highly ranked by the various golf publications
and have been crafted by the greats of golf course
design. That's only part of the story, however.

The Lucky Ones
The crux of the matter is that all these courses
are home courses to the lucky ones who live around
them. Whether you play their carpeted fairways,
traverse around them on your morning walk or just
have them as a lovely background as you go about
your day, each help create a beautiful environment
that makes you glad you live there.

Thus, you could go mad trying to select the "best" 18
holes. Instead, we select 18 of the ones we'd most
like play with the full knowledge that if we paused
and started over, we'd most likely pick another
group of 18, and then yet another.

A Happy Solution
Which gives us the happy solution of saying that
this group is the first of what will be an annual
selection. If you'd like to add your own favorite
golf hole to this list, please email us and we will
publish your selections at a later date.

Each entry includes a parenthetical denoting which
number hole on the original course our selected hole
represents. For detailed information on any of these
courses or communities, just click on the name of
the community. For the sake of saving space, we
present a few of the Dream 18. You can go to the
Dream 18 page on GolfCourseHome.net for the
full list.

Hole No. 1,  The Cliffs at Glassy (1st), Travelers
Rest, SC. Sophisticated cuisine and high-tech wellness
facilities are a theme at each of the eight Carolina
communities bearing The Cliffs brand. Our Dream
18 starts there with an inspiring tee shot courtesy
of architect Tom Jackson.

This tight and dramatic par-4 at Cliffs at Glassy plays
to a narrow landing area beside a steep wooded hillside.
Drives that steer clear of it flirt with water on the right.

Hole No. 3, Teton Springs (11th) Teton Valley, WY.
Rocky Mountain snow-splashed peaks, mountain-fed
stream and lakes and vast green fairways make golf
at Teton Springs a continually memorable event.
The community's 11th hole takes advantage of great
mountain views from allalong its straightaway 460-yards.

Two ponds lie in perilous locations along the fairway
and up by the green. The front of the green is open
to allow a long second shot to bounce in front and
run in, proving that yes, you can you can build a
great par-4 without doglegs or elevation changes.

Hole No. 6, The Founder’s Club (14th), Sarasota, FL.
Inside a guarded sanctuary accented by 90 acres of
picturesque lakes and shaded by stands of pines,
palms and old oak hammocks, there is a “core”
golf course (not lined by housing) by Robert Trent
Jones, Jr. that represents some of his finest work
in recent years. Our highlight hole is a monster par-5
that plays from a narrow chute of trees.

This 570-yarder plays along water for half its length,
and a mistake off the tee will make getting home
in a decent score a difficult task. The large green
provides plenty of rippling contour, so par will be
well earned.