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Southeastern Massachusetts/The Cape Is Growing as a Desired Golf Community Area

Farm Neck Golf Course, Martha's Vineyard, MA.

Recent 2010 census results showing significant population growth on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket highlight that the southeast coast of Massachusetts is evolving from a summer-only haven to a desirable year-round location.

Helping spur the growth are golf and waterview communities that offer world-class golf facilities and the lure of the timeless beauty of the coastal areas, Cape Cod and the islands.

I have visited a number of communities in this area and found they range widely in price and amenities. A few to consider are described below. One of them, Bay Club, I visited via sail boat from Vineyard Sound and Buzzard's Bay, which was a fun way to arrive. Let me know if you have a community to recommend.

The Residences at Black Rock, Hingham

The Residences at Black Rock is a 357-acre landmark community 20 miles south of Boston. Wooded hollows, granite cliffs and the meandering Plymouth River frame a boldly designed golf course, creating a four-season panorama of rare beauty.

The privately owned and operated Black Rock Country Club gives residents access to a generous array of activities, including paths for walking, jogging, or biking. The club features two outdoor swimming pools with separate areas for adults and children, plus a full-service health and fitness center, plus five tennis courts, two paddle tennis courts, opulent dining spaces, plus casual, comfortable areas for socializing.

Upon completion, Black Rock  will consist of 138 single-family and attached cottage-style residences, 86 of which sold between 2003 and 2009. Single-family homes are available from $950,000. Request more information.

 The Villages at Brookside, Bourne

Nestled within the Brookside Golf Course, The Villages at Brookside is optimally situated in Bourne--the entrance to Cape Cod--and near shopping, beaches, and fine dining. The 18-hole, 6,300-yard Brookside course was designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and John Sandford, Jr. A scenic, breeze-swept course, it is carved out of natural woodland that rolls toward Buzzard's Bay with a 5,000-square foot clubhouse that overlooks the closing hole and the great bay beyond.

Many townhomes have views spanning across the Brookside Golf Course, with two-thirds of the homes located directly adjacent to fairways. On-site amenities include a village green, resort-style swimming pool and putting green. Homes with walkout basements start at $350,000 and townhomes begin at $345,00. Request more information.

 Willowbend Country Club, Mashpee

With an award-winning championship golf course, world-class tennis courts, Olympic-sized pool, state of the art fitness facility and spa, and gourmet dining, Willowbend is one of Cape Cod's most prestigious and complete private communities.

The 27-hole championship golf courses by Michael Hurdzan and Bruce Besse, Jr. comprise five different 18-hole routings and are complemented by a practice facility with oversized driving range, grass hitting area, six targets, two practice bunkers, large putting green and separate chipping area. Members gather in a 46,000-square-foot clubhouse for gourmet dining or lunch and conversation in the Grille Room.

Lots with fine views begin at from $269,000. One-bedroom and two-bed room villa condos in walking distance to all amenities range from $275,000 and two-bedroom townhomes start at 375,000. Estate homes on prime homesites begin at $730,000. Request more information.

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett, MA.

The Bay Club, Mattapoissett

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett is a private golf and lifestyle community on 625 rolling wooded acres just a mile from the shores of Buzzard's Bay (close to Cape Cod). Member-owned, the club is built around a Brad Faxon-Brad Booth championship golf course and also features racquet sports, gourmet dining and many other athletic and cultural pursuits all within its gates.

The club’s Sports and Activities Center, opened in 2005, is a 10,000-square-foot facility with a year-round fitness center, aerobics room, locker rooms with steam. four Har-Tru (Hydro) tennis courts, plus two platform tennis courts, a junior-Olympic size swimming pool with zero-depth walk-in and much more.

Choice homesites available, ranging from 15,000 to 44,065 square feet, and are priced from $250,000-$790,000. Request more information.

On Martha's Vineyard

Edgartown Residence Club, Edgartown

Located in the heart of historic Edgartown, The Edgartown Residence Club offers beautifully appointed one and two-bedroom condominium suites with all amenities. With only six residences, ownership is limited to 72 owner families.

One of the key benefits of ownership is that you are free of the traditional chores of home ownership and can enjoy your vacation the way it is supposed to be. Everything is taken care of, right down to having a car provided on-island so you don’t have to worry about automobile reservations for the island ferry.

From the window of your condominium you can look out onto Edgartown harbor, a seaside refuge in its days as a port for whaling ships in the 1800s and now home to white sandy beaches, elegant shops and sailing regattas. Club unit owners can reserve 21 days of planned vacations per year with additional vacation days on a space-available basis. You can also participate in the rental management program with 75% remittance to you as the owner. Units are priced from $100,000 to $290,000. Request more information.

Farm Neck Golf Club, Oak Bluffs

Farm Neck Estates is a neighborhood of wonderfully situated residences in the historic Martha's Vineyard town of Oak Bluffs. The group of homes borders a beloved Vineyard golf course favored by U.S. presidents and traveling golfers of all skill levels. Designed by the dean of New England golf course architects, Geoffrey Cornish, the championship course at Farm Neck may be most famous for hosting both President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton.

The Farm Neck club community—the golf course and adjoining cluster of homes—rests on a peninsula of rolling farmland on the eastern side of the Island, overlooking Nantucket Sound. The golfer enjoys wonderful views while take advantage of practice facilities, golf shop and full golf programs, plus four outdoor Har-Tru courts, a complete tennis program and the Farm Neck Café which overlooks the first tee.

Single-family homes are available at Farm Neck from $2.3 million to $4.5 million. Non-members can begin play at the course on April 8 for just $68 for 18 holes with cart. Island-wide, homes are priced from $350,000 to $17.5 million. And of course, ask about the popular summer rentals. There's no place like the Vineyard in summer. Request more information.

Our Visit to Bay Club, Part 2, Features Golf, Fine Homes and 'A Perfect Cheese'

Our Visit to The Bay Club, Part 2. This is the second installment of our August visit to The Bay Club in Mattapoisett, MA. One of the best parts of the trip was that we sailed to Mattapoisett thru Vineyard Sound, Wood's Hole and Buzzard's Bay on our Cape Cory 270. No traffic, no cars, no hassle. We were picked up at Mattapoisett Boatyard by Marketing Director Dave Andrews and then treated like royalty on what was a perfect day. To see Part 1, click here.

The Bay Club, MA: just a short distance from Buzzard's Bay.

The second half of our visit to The Bay Club was a tour of the golf course and some of the fine homes overlooking The Bay Club golf course. Designed by Brad Faxon and Brad Booth, the par-71 golf course plays to 7,068 yards from the championship tees.

A push-up green guarded by bunkers.

The course is best described as a classic parkland layout with old-fashioned square tee boxes, push-up greens and strategic bunkering. It features close to 100 bunkers and at least four sets of tees on each hole.

What we found most enjoyable about the course was the calm and peaceful atmosphere. With only a couple of parallel fairways, each hole seems secluded and in its own little world.

The view from the living room puts you right on the tee.

There are many fine homes overlooking the course which spread out and away from windows and decks in a lush green panorama.

Imagine sitting on this deck and watching the world (and golfers) go by.

The house (see above) had everything, including a basement putting green.

Homes begin at $749,000 and go up to nearly $2 million. Check for listing prices.

One home we particularly liked was L-shaped with four pairs of columns supporting the roof which extended out over the garage. The effect created a strong sense that we were looking at a stable and not a garage. Too often when you drive up to a house, a wall of garage doors confronts you. The subtle concealment of the doors gave the home an extra classy feel.

Columns on this home tucked the garage away and created a stable-effect.

Besides custom homes, The Bay Club also offers something a little unusual--condominium-style single-family homes. Built by Abbott Homes, you'll find them in a neighborhood called the Preserve.

It's unusual in that they are single-family homes, but are maintained like a condo, which means they are maintenance-free homes. As a bonus, they include a full social membership to the Bay Club; prices start at $649,900.

After our golf and home tour, Dave brought us to the Golf House for dinner where we sat down a little early to get ahead of the golfers coming in from an afternoon event.

The Golf House: informal and intimate.

Since it was early in the week it was a pub menu and we were intrigued by an item called 'A Perfect Cheese.' We had to try it and it was--blue cheese, with sesame crackers, balsamic vinegar and a grilled peach which was fabulous. A nice white wine and baked cod rounded out the menu.

'A Perfect Cheese" which included a grilled peach was, in fact, perfect.

After dinner, we rushed back to the boatyard to catch the last launch, just in time, at 1 minute before 8 p.m. We said our good-byes to Dave and rode the launch back to our boat and looked forward to a restful sleep on the gentle waves of the harbor.

Early the next morning we eased out of the harbor in order to catch the slack tide at Wood's Hole. We acknowledged Ned's Point Lighthouse and then headed out into Buzzard's Bay.

Ned's Point Lighthouse shows the way back to Buzzard's Bay.

To see  Part 1 of our visit, click here.

Our Visit to Bay Club, MA, Begins with a Sail Through Wood's Hole & Buzzard's Bay

This entry is Part 1 of a two-part article on our recent visit to The Bay Club. Click here for Part 2.

Sail On: Instead of taking the regular route by ferry and car, we set sail for The Bay Club from the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club and a route up Buzzard's Bay.

On what has to be the hottest day of the summer here on Martha's Vineyard, Elise and I sailed on our Cape Dory 270 from Vineyard Haven Harbor this morning to Mattapoisett, MA. Our 4-hour sail took us through the often dangerous and swirling currents in Woods Hole and across Buzzard's Bay.

Classic Boat: Cutting through the morning mist along with us was this gem.

Our objectives: To spend our first overnight on the boat, to venture out past our own backyard in Vineyard Haven and to see the wonderful Bay Club, just about a mile, as the crow flies, from the Bay.

The Maze: After successfully navigating through Wood's Hole, we looked back at the maze of buoys. It is slack tide. It can be very dangerous when the tide is against you.

We moored at Mattapoisett Boatyard and were met at the marina office by Dave Andrews, the personable Director of Sales and Marketing for The Bay Club, who gave us a quick tour of the stunning waterfront homes that look out to the harbor. Massive homes clad in silver cedar shingles looked much as they did in Mattapoisett's heyday 200 years ago when it was noted for its shipbuilding and the whaling captains who lived there.

Stylish Homes: Architecture inside the gates at Bay Club echoed the many fine homes from previous centuries that overlook the harbor. Good design never goes out of style.

We drove past the Kinsale Inn as we motored through town. The Inn was built in 1799 and is the oldest seaside Inn in the nation, still operating as an Inn and in it’s original structure.

Over the years, the Inn has been a blacksmith shop, a general store, two separate dwellings, a tavern, a ship chandlers, a storehouse for the China Tea Trade, a speakeasy and, of course, an Inn. It looks out at the harbor and the harborside area called Shipyard Park, which was where the shipyard was located.

We watched Head Pro Chris Shannon give a lesson on the Har-Tru courts. Two paddle courts add to what is a racket's player's delight.

Dave then took us to the club where we met General Manager Craig Fleming and had a relaxing lunch by the pool under a cooling awning. The pool was active with children and grandchildren (who can stay with grandpa and have membership privileges) and families. It was great to see the club filled with activity. The club now has more than 200 full members and 16 Social Members. The club will stay small and intimate with full memberships being held to 300.

An excellent tennis program keeps members such as Julia Woodard and Dr. Alan Solomon (right) coming to the courts at every opportunity.

Took a quick tour through the activity center and saw the kid's play areas, locker rooms, demonstration kitchen for visit chefs to show their stuff and members can take cooking classes and conference room where I am writing this entry. Love the air conditioning, wood paneling and wireless internet!

Good dining is a important focus at Bay Club where Chef Jim Mercer provides memorable and creative dishes. Last week was a Julia Child night which members were still oohing and ahhing about as they reminisced about the French delicacies they downed.

This entry is Part 1 of a two-part article on our recent visit to The Bay Club. Click here for Part 2.