Golf Real Estate: For the Love of the Game

by Cyndi Gerken

Since 1456, when the first game was recorded in Edinburgh, golf has been creating some of world's most loyal fans and devotees. But we've come a long way from that crude beginning where players spent their time hitting a rock around on the craggy moors with a well-shaped stick. The Journal of Sports Sciences reports that there are now 30,000 golf courses and 55 million people who play golf worldwide. Over the centuries, players traded in the well-shaped sticks for drivers, irons, wedges, hybrids, and putters. We now have professionally designed courses, state-of-the-art gear, international tournaments and celebrities. For those who really love the game however, perhaps the greatest modern golf invention is the golf community: a place to call home where the whole neighborhood celebrates the game as seriously as players do.

These communities offer the best professionally-designed courses all within a three iron/driver's distance from your front lawn. Often attracting celebrities and professional golf players, the challenging courses will test even the most experienced golfers. Still, there's enough variety in the courses to keep both avid and amateur golfers entertained. Residents don't need to be semi-pro, nor do they have to dumb it down. A range of challenges will keep it interesting for everyone - so feel free to invite your favorite non-golfing friends and relatives over. They might catch the bug too and end up as your neighbors!

With expansive greens and manicured fairways, golf communities offer residents generous and peaceful landscapes, a chance to get out and get active and social opportunities not present in many modern communities. Let's face it, getting out on the green is good for you. Whether you're doing the whole 18 or you're just out for a quick 9 holes before running an errand, walking the course is an excellent way to relieve stress, stay in shape and keep your mind sharp.

Fortunately for most, a huge portion of American golf real estate is found in locations where the weather's good all year round giving golfers time on the links even in December. This is great news for most players who know that once you've caught the bug, love of the game persists in spite of calendars. Regardless of skill level, devoted golfers can make it out whenever the time is right for them, "hitting the greens" as much as possible without weather interference or long distances to travel.

With the enduring popularity of the sport, it's not surprising that golf real estate is also popular. With no shortage of people to play with and all the amenities of a luxurious country club, homes in golf communities will remain a good investment for years to come. Gated security, spas, pools, pro-shops, and communal areas add to both the community spirit and luxury of the lifestyle. But make no mistake, bells and whistles aside, these communities will always hinge on the one thing residents never tire of - the love of the game.

About the Author
Cyndi Gerken is a Rancho Mirage realtor dealing exclusively in Thunderbird Golf Real Estate. Visit him at www.thunderbirdonly.com to search golf properties in Southern California.