Owning a stately home alongside a lush golf course radiates prestige. Who wouldn’t love a house beside an emerald oasis? But there are pros and cons to living in a golf course community. Would life in one be an eagle or a bogey?
The positives
Golf courses are manicured isles of landscape perfection. Living beside such scenery has a value that can’t be measured in dollars and cents alone. The fact that homes in a golf course community are commonly built on cul-de-sacs adds to their value.
If you love to play golf, it’s just a short walk from your door to the course. Often the course will offer discounts to community homeowners. The clubhouse may also offer swimming, tennis, a restaurant or other amenities.
While life in a golf course community isn’t entirely private, the wide open space behind your home means you won’t have to deal with a nosy neighbor peering over a fence or someone else’s unsightly landscaping. Instead you’ll look out on lush, manicured vistas frolicking with squirrels, birds and perhaps deer.
Living in a golf course community also can be very quiet if you buy in the right places. Houses mid-fairway are the quietest; those next to a tee box, green or cart path are the noisiest.
The negatives
Despite the advantages, there can be drawbacks to living in a golf course community. The biggest is the possibility that your investment will lose relative value over the long term. Several factors are contributing to the demise of a significant number of American golf courses — overbuilding, the economic downturn early in the century and demographic changes. Golf is not as popular with millennials as it was with earlier generations, and fewer golfers have caused some clubs to neglect their courses or even shut down. This doesn’t mean a home in a golf course community will lose all its value, but the trend is something to consider.
Golf course communities almost certainly will have a strong homeowners association with strict rules on what you can and cannot do in terms of landscaping, parking, outdoor furnishings and building additions. Be sure to study a copy of the HOA rules before buying into a golf community. It is also crucial to find out whether you must pay membership fees or dues to be part of the golf community.
While homes on golf courses offer considerable privacy, golfers will be a continual presence on the course, especially during tournaments. Early-morning maintenance work may bring noise when you don’t want it. And not only will balls land in your yard, they could hit your car or your house, including your windows.
Related – Pros and Cons of Country Club Living
