Source: Washington Times
Some 26.7 million Americans played golf at least once in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Although not all those players are so enamored of the game that they choose to purchase a home in a planned community with a golf course, many will take the availability of golf into consideration when they are ready to purchase a home.
Nongolfers are often attracted to golf-course communities as well, tempted by the country-club lifestyle and the prospect of living where their neighbors spend as much time as possible relaxing with their favorite sport.
Golf-course communities offer green vistas that will never be replaced with homes or shopping centers. And many include swimming pools, tennis courts and a clubhouse for easy socializing with neighbors and friends.
Although golf is often considered an exclusive and expensive sport, golf-course communities usually offer a relatively economical way to enjoy this form of recreation.
Homes in golf-course communities range from affordable to upscale, with styles and sizes available in a broad range throughout the Washington area.
Maryland
An 18-hole championship golf course is anticipated to be completed in 2007 or early 2008 at Beechtree, an upscale new planned community in Upper Marlboro on 1,200 acres.
More than 600 acres of Beechtree will remain undeveloped woodlands or open space, and the development also will include a 30-acre lake and the golf course. Collington Stream Valley Park extends along the western border of the development.
Stone monuments will define the community's entrance, and the swim and racquet club should be complete by summer 2006.
When complete, Beechtree is to include schools, parks, a network of walking trails and a shopping village on the edge of the community.
Four villages have been designated to surround the 30-acre lake, and builders at Beechtree include NVHomes, 301/627-1734; Ryan Homes, 301/627-4072; Mid-Atlantic Builders, 301/627-9230; Haverford Homes, 301/627-6376; and McDaniels Homes, 301/574-5533.
Single-family homes at Beechtree are now selling in the Eastlake Village area priced from the $500,000s. Visit www.beechtreemd.com.
Ryan Homes and NVHomes are building single-family homes at Cross Creek Club in Calverton, a golf-course community that straddles the border between Prince George's and Montgomery counties. Cross Creek Club residents can enjoy tennis, swimming and miles of trails within the community boundaries in addition to the 18 holes of golf. Minutes away are indoor ice skating, tennis, gymnastics and an Olympic-size pool.
NVHomes and Ryan Homes are building single-family homes, although they have recently sold out of one section and prices have not been released for the next section. Ryan Homes expects to reopen sales in January 2005, and NVHomes had no set date for reopening sales.
Call 301/595-3899 for NVHomes or 301/586-9461 for Ryan Homes, or visit www.crosscreek golfclub.net.
Centex Homes, developer of Glen Riddle, will build single-family homes and, eventually, condominiums at this Ocean City golf-course community.
The 972-acre site, a local landmark known for its equestrian heritage, will include 200 acres of preserved open space with planned walking trails.
Glen Riddle will feature two 18-hole golf courses, a 96-slip marina, tennis courts and the Riddle Farm Golf Clubhouse. The community is water-privileged, with acres of creek shoreline along the Turville and Herring creeks.
The private clubhouse, which overlooks a lake, will offer such amenities as a fitness center, an outdoor swimming pool, a whirlpool spa, a sauna, a library, a business resource center, a sports lounge, a billiards room, a card room, a great room, a catering kitchen and an arts-and-crafts studio.
Centex Homes' initial phase at Glen Riddle will feature single-family homes with 2,600 to 4,700 finished square feet base-priced from the $600,000s to more than $1,000,000.
Sales have recently begun on town homes with 2,600 or more finished square feet and base prices from the $450,000s. Call 866/753-2636, or visit www.glenriddle.com.
Building on its success with River Creek in Virginia, Montgomery Development has planned the guarded, gated upscale community of Oak Creek in Prince George's County.
About 60 percent of the 1,100-acre community will be maintained as open space, and the development will include an 18-hole golf course, swimming pools, tennis courts, a putting green, parks and lakes. Residents will enjoy concierge services as well as the recreational amenities. The golf course and clubhouse are expected to be complete in fall 2005.
The Bowieville Mansion, a Federal-style plantation built in 1819 and located within Oak Creek, will be restored by the developers.
Builders in Oak Creek include Craftmark and Craftstar Homes, 301/390-4471; K&P Builders, 301/390-3667; Michael Harris Homes, 301/390-2214; Mitchell & Best Homes, 301/390-1553; NVHomes, 301/390-4403; Renaissance Housing, 301/390-4766; and Ryan Homes, 301/390-1601.
Single-family homes are base priced from the $520,000s to the low $800,000s, with town homes anticipated to be priced from the mid- to upper $300,000s. Call the Oak Creek Visitors Center at 301/390-8707, or visit www.oakcreekclub.com.
Wood Creek, PCS Homes' newest golf-course community, on the Eastern Shore in the town of Delmar in Wicomico County, features villa-style town homes priced from the $160,000s and single-family homes priced from the $160,000s to the low $200,000s. Town homes with luxury master baths are now available from $175,000.
In addition, buyers of homes at Wood Creek will be given a free golf membership that expires at the end of 2004.
Wood Creek, close to U.S. Routes 13 and 50, offers plenty of nearby shopping.
For more recreational opportunities, the Delaware and Maryland beaches are also close.
Inside the gated entrance of Wood Creek, residents can enjoy an 18-hole golf course. The clubhouse and swimming pool are anticipated to open later this fall, and residents can also enjoy a picnic area and walking and biking trails. Homes at Wood Creek offer golf-course and wooded views, and some enjoy views of the fountains on the course, as well.
Call 410/896-4727 or 866/755-2727, or visit www.pcshomes. com.
Pennsylvania
The Links at Gettysburg, a new community of low-maintenance single-family homes with lake and golf-course views, has a par-72 Lindsay Ervin-designed golf course as its focal point.
The Links at Gettysburg offers a recreational lifestyle, luxurious homes and a mostly maintenance-free environment. Developed by Wormald Cos., the Links will offer homes base-priced from $359,000 to $427,000. Residents will receive discounted golf-club memberships.
Community amenities include a clubhouse featuring banquet and dining facilities and a triple-tiered brick patio and porch overlooking greens, walking trails, tennis courts and swimming pools.
The homeowners' association will offer a range of services, including lawn maintenance, leaf pickup, mulching, pruning, garbage collection and snow removal.
Homes will be clustered around parks and brick-paved courtyards, and many will enjoy views of the golf course or one of the 10 lakes on the property.
Call the Wormald Cos. sales center at 866/334-2457, or visit www.thelinksatgettysburg.com.
A two-hour drive from Washington places golfers at Penn National, where two public golf courses await residents and visitors.
Penn National has grown since 1968 into an 1,100-acre community with more than 850 families. In the November-December 2003 issue of Where to Retire magazine, Penn National was featured as the "favorite neighborhood."
Outside the golf course, residents at Penn National have access to tennis and swim clubs and can enjoy mountain and country views. Recreational amenities nearby include fly-fishing, skiing at Whitetail and Liberty resorts, hiking, outdoor theater in the summertime and antiquing. Community activities can be found in abundance.
Homes at Penn National include condominiums, town homes and single-family homes priced from the $190,000s to more than $600,000. Eventually, the community will have 2,500 homes. Homes in the Farmington Villas neighborhood are priced from the $220,000s to the $290,000s, and homesites for custom homes are priced from the $50,000s to the $300,000s. Resale homes at Penn National start in the $100,000s.
One of Penn National's newest neighborhoods, the St. Andrews Fairway Homes, includes 41 single-family homes nestled between the sixth and seventh holes on the Founders golf course.
The neighborhood includes a maintenance association, which allows owners to enjoy a low-maintenance lifestyle. Homes range from 1,869 to 3,962 finished square feet, with base prices from the $400,000s to more than $600,000.
Call 800/338-7523 or visit www.pennhomes.com.
Virginia
Twenty minutes south of Washington, at the junction of the Potomac and Occoquan rivers, is the waterfront community Belmont Bay, designed in the style of a historic American harbor town. Belmont Bay includes a golf course, a 158-slip marina, office space and planned restaurants, shops and a 240-room hotel and conference center. The golf clubhouse is expected to open this fall.
The Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to the development, and proposals call for a Virginia Science Museum and George Mason University's Marine Biology department to be located here, as well.
A Virginia Railway Express station is in Woodbridge, next to Belmont Bay. A few of the Harbor View luxury condominiums are still available, priced from $470,900 to $484,900. Miller and Smith will be building a new section of garage town homes with rooftop terraces beginning in 2005, with prices estimated to begin in the $500,000s.
Call 703/491-9000 for Harbor View Condos; 703/821-2500, Ext. 258 for Miller and Smith; or visit www.belmont-bay.com.
The 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature golf course at the private gated community Belmont Country Club in Loudoun County provides scenic vistas for many of its 2,153 homesites. In addition to the golf course, a focal point for the development is the Belmont Clubhouse built adjacent to the renovated Manor House on the property.
The Manor House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1799. The nearly 31,000-square-foot addition to the Manor House includes rooftop and private dining, a full-service business center, and concierge services. While the Belmont Clubhouse is the center of social life for the community, a separate full-service recreation center has also been built to provide indoor aerobic and fitness facilities, along with swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, and a volleyball pit.
Lawn maintenance and a fiber-optic infrastructure with high-speed Internet access are included with every home.
Toll Bros., the developer of the community, will be building several types of homes in separate villages around the golf course, priced from the high $300,000s for town homes and from the low $500,000s to the $900,000s for single-family homes. Condominiums are planned to begin sales soon and are anticipated to be priced from the high $200,000s.
Call 703/858-GOLF, or visit www.belmontcountryclub.com.
Toll Bros. is also developing Dominion Valley Country Club in Haymarket in Prince William County, centered around an Arnold Palmer Signature golf course. Residents can enjoy a sports pavilion with fitness equipment, swimming pools and tennis courts. Other recreational amenities planned for this resort-style community include a clubhouse, hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, ball fields, and acres of open space.
Residents of this community will also enjoy a broadband network and a community intranet. The Residents Business Center includes computers, fax machines, copiers and a meeting room. Market Square will have professional office space and retail space, including a Giant Food supermarket scheduled to open in 2005.
Single-family homes are available at Dominion Valley priced from the upper $400,000s to the upper $800,000s. Town homes, priced from the low $400,000s, are also available. An active adult community, known as Regency at Dominion Valley, features single-family homes with first-floor master suites, priced from the upper $300,000s to the mid-$400,000s, and patio town homes priced from the low-to-mid-$300,000s. Luxury elevator condominiums are scheduled to open soon, priced from the $200,000s. Call 703/753-TOLL or 703/753-8900 for Regency, or visit www.dominionvalley.com, www.regencydominionvalley.com or www.tollbrothers.com.
The gated golf-course community of Fawn Lake in Fredericksburg, under development by NTS/Virginia Development Corp. on 2,300 acres, includes 36 holes of golf on an Arnold Palmer-designed course; more than 300 acres of lakes; eight miles of nature trails; and a variety of recreational amenities, including soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts, boat launches and docks, and a beach club with a swimming pool.
The private Fawn Lake Country Club offers a swimming pool, lakeside dining, social events, and comprehensive instruction and tournaments for golfers of all levels. The Community Association Clubhouse features a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, exercise and meeting facilities, a beach, volleyball pit, tennis courts, and a boat dock.
Homesites at Fawn Lake range from a third-acre to 7 acres and are available for buyers who wish to build now or reserve a lot for future construction. Homesites, whether development lots or resale lots, vary broadly in price according to location and size, from the mid-$100,000s to the $500,000s. Homes in Fawn Lake range from the $500,000s to more than $2,000,000.
The Signature Builder program of recommended custom builders includes Coleman Homes, Thompson Building, Sagun Homes, Regency Homes, Hand Construction, Piedmont Building, C.R. Ball, Fredericksburg Custom Homes, Pettit Homes, Beazer Homes and Signature Series Construction. Some 1,400 luxury homesites have been developed at Fawn Lake since 1989, with about half sold so far.
Call 800/435-8020 or visit www.fawnlakevirginia.com.
The planned community Lake Manassas in western Prince William County, already home to more than 200 families, has 350 additional homesites, many of them right on the golf course. Buyers can choose a custom home design or from the portfolio of homes offered by the community's builders. Recreational amenities at Lake Manassas in addition to the golf course include an Olympic-size swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, hiking trails, picnic areas and fishing on one of the community's stocked ponds.
The 18-hole Stonewall Golf Course was designed by South Carolina golf architect Tom Jackson with nine holes bordering Lake Manassas and with four additional holes featuring water frontage or water features.
The 13,000-square-foot Stonewall Club House includes a pro shop, a pub, a grill room and a party room.
Custom single-family homes may be built by National Capitol Homes, Nelson Construction, Castle Rock Homes, Petra Builders, Stonewall Homes, Quaker Homes and Entre Builders. The Airston Group, Quaker Homes and Renaissance Housing have single-family-home models available for viewing.
Single-family homes are available from the mid-$500,000s to $2,500,000 and up.
Call 703/754-7868 for information on the custom homes, 703/753-0705 for the Airston Group, 703/753-0992 for Quaker Homes and 703/753-1426 for Renaissance Housing, or visit www.lakemanassas.com.
Lansdowne on the Potomac, which will include 2,155 upscale attached and detached homes, has houses being built by the Partner Builders - Centex Homes, Beazer Homes, Brookfield Homes and Van Metre Homes. In addition, Basheer & Edgemoore, NVHomes, Ryan Homes and Equity Homes are building in Lansdowne, which is adjacent to the Lansdowne Resort and borders Goose Creek and the Potomac River.
Lansdowne residents have the opportunity to become golf members of Lansdowne Resort and Golf Club. Lansdowne's Potomac Club, Lansdowne Resort and the National Conference Center offer recreational amenities including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, fitness centers, clubrooms, ballrooms, meeting rooms, and more. Planned amenities include a canoe and kayak launch, a second golf course opening next summer, ball fields, and more than 10 miles of trails. Prices range from the $600,000s to $800,000s for town homes and from the $600,000s to more than $1,000,000 for single-family homes.
For additional information, call 703/726-0417 or visit www.lansdowneonthepotomac. com.
Piedmont, the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association's three-time community of the year, continues to set sales records in the mid-Atlantic. A gated entry leads into the upscale planned community in Haymarket.
Residents now enjoy the private Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole championship golf course, with a practice facility and clubhouse. Piedmont's community center includes a staffed athletic club with fitness center and aerobics studio, an aquatic center with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, a business center and a boardroom.
Piedmont residents enjoy views of lakes and woodlands, the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the golf course.
Estate homes and executive-style homes are being offered from a variety of builders. The newest section of Piedmont is the Parks at Piedmont, where builders, including Ryan Homes, Engle Homes, Drees Homes, M/I Homes and NVHomes are building single-family homes, town homes and condominiums. In addition to their own private recreation center, business center, athletic club and swimming pool, residents of Parks at Piedmont also enjoy access to the Piedmont Golf Club.
Condominiums and town homes are priced from the mid-$300,000s and low $400,000s, and single-family homes from the mid-$400,000s to the mid-$600,000s.
Call 703/753-7070 or visit www.piedmont-club.com.
Marquis Custom Homes will be building estate homes on the golf course at Raspberry Falls in Leesburg on half-acre to 11/2-acre lots. Residents can enjoy a Gary Player Signature golf course, along with a Southern-mansion-inspired clubhouse with a pool and bathhouse, grill restaurant, and pro shop.
Homes will be priced from the mid-$800,000s to more than $1 million and will feature brick, stone and stucco exteriors.
Most of the homes will include a three-car side-entry garage; four to six bedrooms; rear staircase; a fireplace in the family room; and a choice of oak hardwood flooring or 12-by-12 ceramic-tile flooring in the kitchen and breakfast area, hall and foyer. A kitchen with Corian counters and state-of-the-art appliances will be part of each home, along with three to seven full baths and two half baths. A full range of options will be available, including a home theater in the lower level.
Call 703/425-2602 for Marquis Custom Homes.
The guarded, gated community River Creek in Leesburg occupies a prime location on the banks of the Potomac River and Goose Creek, with 70-foot-high bluffs and an Ault Clark and Associates-designed golf course winding through the development.
The luxury homes at River Creek have views of the 18-hole golf course, the woods, lakes and the river. The 30,000-square-foot main clubhouse features formal dining rooms, dining balconies and decks with panoramic views of the Potomac, which are perfect for parties or intimate dinners.
Community cookouts and other social events are held on a village green near the clubhouse.
The Swim and Tennis Club includes a pro shop, exercise facility and traditional grill room with a fireplace, plus a swimming pool, children's wading pools and lighted tennis courts. More than 50 percent of the property is undeveloped open land. The concierge staff brings the neighborhood together with planned events and outings and assists in organizing the many clubs that residents have started.
Luxury town homes priced from the $700,000s are available from Craftmark Homes, Mitchell & Best Homebuilders, Michael Harris Development, NVHomes and Renaissance Housing. Single-family homes priced from the $800,000s are available from Renaissance Housing Corp. and Mitchell & Best Homebuilders.
Call 703/443-2800 or visit www.river-creek.com.
One of Northern Virginia's newest golf-course communities is River Falls.
Three builders will be constructing homes in this upscale community in eastern Prince William County: Craftmark Homes, Basheer & Edgemoore and Equity Homes. The community surrounds the Old Hickory golf course and clubhouse. Some 240 homes will be built on the 280-acre property, and six models are now open for viewing, with prices starting in the upper $500,000s and $600,000s and rising into the $800,000s.
Georgian-style architecture and such community features as a springhouse and pocket parks are the hallmarks of River Falls, which has an entrance lined with maple trees, as well as other amenities, including walking trails, ponds and tennis courts along with multifunctional courts.
In addition, River Falls is just minutes from the eclectic mix of shops and restaurants in nearby Occoquan.
Call 703/590-8105 for Craftmark, 703/590-8335 for Equity or 703/590-8626 for Basheer & Edgemoore, or visit www.riverfalls.info.
The planned community of South Riding, set on 2,000 acres in southeastern Loudoun County, is already home to more than 4,200 families and will eventually have 6,039 homes.
South Riding, landscaped and designed to be pedestrian friendly, includes a Town Center with shopping and services, an 18-hole Dan Maples-designed golf course, four swimming pools, five tennis courts, ball fields, hiking and biking trails, playgrounds and a day-care center.
More than 600 acres of open space have been maintained at South Riding, including 18 lakes and ponds and Conklin Park. South Riding was recently certified as a community wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation - the second in Virginia and only the sixth in the United States to receive this designation.
Toll Bros., the developer of South Riding, is building town homes priced from the mid-$300,000s to the mid-$400,000s and single-family homes priced from the upper $500,000s to the mid-$700,000s.
Call 703/327-3600, or visit www.southriding.com or www.tollbrothers.com.
In addition to the Toll Bros. homes in South Riding, Ryan Homes is building luxurious single-family homes on half-acre homesites in South Riding Estates. Residents enjoy access to the recreational and social amenities of South Riding, including the golf course. These homes include gas fireplaces and hardwood foyers and are base-priced from the $790,000s to the $870,000s. Call 703/327-5221 or visit www.ryanhomes. com.
Winchester Homes is building several collections of homes at South Village in South Riding, where residents can enjoy the Dan Maples-designed golf course, arbor-covered pathways to the village green and fountain, walking paths, tennis courts and a community swimming pool.
Town homes will be priced from the high $400,000s and single-family homes from the upper $600,000s to the low $700,000s.
Call 703/542-5502 for the town homes or 703/542-2272 for the single family homes, or visit www.southvillageva.com.
West Virginia
The Woods Resort, planned by developer Ray Johnston to be convenient to suburban Maryland and Virginia residents and to city dwellers in both Washington and Baltimore, is located in Hedgesville, next to West Virginia's 23,000-acre Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area, just 90 minutes from the Beltway.
Billed as "the casual mountain resort," the Woods now features two golf courses. The Woods also offers other recreational amenities, affordable lodging for vacations and almost 1,000 homes.
A variety of home styles are available in addition to homesites with mountain, fairway or wooded views. Besides the golf and recreational amenities, the Woods offers conference facilities and dining facilities at the Walden restaurant, the Walnut Pub and the Woods Club Grill.
Resale home prices range from just more than $100,000 - although few are available at this price - into the $400,000s. Homesites start at $90,000, with the average price $120,000. Most of the homesites offer fairway views.
The average price for a chalet-style home is about $200,000, with larger homes starting in the $370,000s. New homes come complete with a recreation membership for 27 holes of golf; two outdoor pools; tennis courts; and an indoor recreation center with an indoor pool, racquetball, whirlpools, saunas, exercise facilities and massages.
A new spa, the Sleepy Creek Spa, has recently opened and is accepting appointments.
