Dec. 23, 2004 – Smart real estate investors know that when you purchase a house or villa on a golf course, you aren’t just buying a home; you’re buying a lifestyle.

Homes in communities that include golf courses by “A-list” designers with big-name recognition appreciate better than those in other golf communities, according to an article in the July 2004 issue of The Robb Report Collection of Real Estate & Home Design, an upscale national lifestyle magazine for business leaders. The article focused on a Golf Research Group report that evaluated home appreciation in golf communities over the last five years. The group concluded: “Homes on a course designed by a big-name golf designer appreciate at a rate much higher than those on courses designed by lesser names.”

The lesson: “If buyers can afford to invest in a community that boasts a signature-designed golf course, their [home’s] market value is likely to increase, and increase at a rate much higher than other developments,” Colin Hegarty, Golf Research Group spokesman, said.

Members Club at Grande Dunes
Designed by PGA Hall-of-Fame golfer Nick Price, The Members Club at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is a wonderful example of an “A-list” golf course community.
Price’s impressive career includes winning the most PGA tournaments during the 1990s, with 15 wins in hand. He also is a three-time major winner and is one of a handful of players to capture consecutive majors. In addition, he has won numerous awards including being the first recipient of the ASAP Sports/ Jim Murray award, which is given to a professional player for his cooperation with the media; and the Payne Stewart award for his commitment to uphold golf’s heritage. Additionally, he wrote the book “The Swing.”

His love and knowledge of golf, and his respect for nature, guided Price and award-winning golf course architect Craig Schreiner in designing this par 71 that measures 7,048 yards from the championship tees. Members Club features a classic inland design with wide fairways, L93 Bent grass greens, TifSport Bermuda grass fairways and teeing areas, and Zoysia grass around all bunkers. Its pearl-white bunkers are filled with Felspar Quartz sand and water comes into play on eight holes. Price’s philosophy of “least disturbance” resulted in many holes being sculpted to have a natural look.

A true “member’s course,” Members Club challenges and rewards golfers who play it frequently and who learn how best to manage its rolling fairways and sloping greens. The signature hole is the closing hole on the front side, #9, which is surrounded by a lake, tempting the golfer with high risk and reward.

Accompanying Members Club, Grande Dune’s second private course, will be a 27,000-square-foot Italianate Clubhouse. This exclusive clubhouse features a large rear veranda overlooking the 9th and 18th greens, as well as a lake with three individual islands landscaped with lush native plants and trees. The two-story clubhouse showcases a grand staircase with decorative wrought iron railings leading down from the veranda to the deck area. A full-service golf shop, a “turnhouse” bistro, casual grill, full-service dining room, private members library with full bar and fireplace, and private board rooms are available for members’ use.

Valet parking, full-service locker room amenities, golf cars, and a caddy program, enhance the Members Club clubhouse experience. Members also have access to a state-of-the-art practice facility, which includes two large putting greens, as well as chipping and bunker areas. The practice range is designed and groomed to resemble actual playing conditions, with hitting areas on either side.

The Members Club at Grande Dunes offers 176 home sites along the front nine, with approximately 50 home sites along the Intracoastal Waterway. Quaint cottages are planned along the 9th and 18th holes, in the tradition of the Augusta National.
Barefoot Resort & Golf

Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach is another example of a fine golf community, featuring public courses designed by golf champions Greg Norman and Davis Love III. Barefoot Resort & Golf has been named to Where to Retire magazine’s list of “America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities.” This is the only Grand Strand community on the top 100 list and one of only eight in South Carolina to be selected.
Norman’s golf achievements include 79 career victories (through Jan. 1997), PGA Player of the Year, three-time Vardon Trophy winner, two-time British Open winner, and three-time winner of the Arnold Palmer Award for Leading Money Winner.

Norman proves his mastery of golf with his signature course at Barefoot Resort and Golf. The Norman Course follows his traditional design by framing each hole with the site’s natural vegetation, using very little rough, and running the fairway grass up to the waste areas. With seven holes bordering the Intracoastal Waterway and stacked sod bunker faces, this course is both beautiful and fun to play.

Love, known as one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent champions, has won six major tourneys including The Players Championship, MCI Heritage Classic, Freeport MacMoRan Classic, Buick Invitational and Buick Challenge. He won the PGA Championship in 1997. Set against the background of reproduced colonial plantation ruins, the Love Course is one of the most visually stunning courses along the Grand Strand. Love’s style of meticulously sculpting a course to harmoniously work with the land resulted in elevated greens, shaved green fringes, and large classically shaped bunkers. This course has solidified Love’s reputation as a course designer.

In addition to world-class golf courses, Barefoot Resort & Golf also offers the finest in villa living. These well-appointed villas make a smart investment, whether you’re in the market for rental property, an additional home, or a permanent residence. In addition, Barefoot Resort & Golf property owners are eligible for special golf and social memberships.

The EdgeWater villas, a gated community overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, offer four unique floor plans ranging in size from 1,403 to 2,104 square feet. EdgeWater residents enjoy elevators, luxurious lobbies, and lavish tropical landscaping, as well as such amenities as a private Resident’s Club with pool, cabana, and fitness center, in addition to day docks, gazebos, and a waterfront boardwalk.

Harbour Cove offers resort living at its finest, with luxurious two and three-bedroom villas from 1,343 to 2,150 square feet that overlook the Waterway and the Norman Course. Villas feature screened porches and elegant living and dining rooms.
The Woodlands, a gated community, provides carefree living in an intimate setting with only nine buildings and six one- or two-story units per building. These villas are available in three unique floor plans ranging from 1,406 to 1,867 square feet.

Greenbriar, Barefoot Resort & Golf’s newest resort villa neighborhood, is a quaint community featuring two- and three-bedrooms villas ranging from 1,343 to 2,150 square feet. With just four buildings set along the Norman Course, Greenbriar offers private, carefree living.

IronWood and Arbor Trace, set along the Norman Course, feature two- and three-bedroom villas ranging in size from 1,050 to 1,298 square feet. Ironwood residents have access to a recreational area with a neighborhood pool, as well as the resort’s Beach Cabana.

Tanglewood features Centex Homes’ newest product, Fairway Townes. These homes will be grouped in four to six units per building, with 25 buildings planned. The units, ranging from 1,314 to 1,803 square feet, are available with two- and three-bedroom floor plans, and feature two 1/2 baths and a personal garage. Tanglewood residents also will enjoy a private neighborhood pool and will have access to the resort’s Beach Cabana.
Cypress Bend, River Crossing and Wedgewood are three villa neighborhoods with spectacular views of the Norman Course. These neighborhoods feature three floor plans ranging in size from 720 to 1,298 square feet, carefree living, and optional furnishing packages.

Barefoot Resort & Golf’s villa rental program makes renting your villa simple.
Whether you are seeking a retirement home, an investment, or just a relaxing get-away destination, Members Club at Grande Dunes and Barefoot Resort & Golf showcase the best in PGA champion-designed golf communities on the Grand Strand.

More information about Members Club at Grande Dunes is available at www.grandedunes.com. More information about Barefoot Resort & Golf is available at www.barefootliving.com.