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There are more than 3,600 residential golf communities in the United States, and almost as many considerations in choosing one as your home. We weighed numerous factors — property values, quality of golf, proximity to metro areas, health care and transportation — to find the 50 best places to live. We also reveal the top picks in six important categories. From established favorites to chic newcomers, these communities are where you'll find your dream life.
Desert Mountain
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Lots: $282,000-$3.75 million
Homes: $700,000-$7.25 million
Contact: 800-255-5519, desertmountain.com
When uber-developer Lyle Anderson announced plans in 1985 to transform a cactus-choked property outside Phoenix into a luxury residential community, he was greeted with dismissive laughter. Today, Desert Mountain is the gold standard against which all golf-course communities are measured. Perched high above the Valley of the Sun in northeast Scottsdale, Desert Mountain has 33 neighborhoods and 1,515 homes — a runaway success by any yardstick — and the golf has kept pace. Ingeniously marketed as the longtime home of the Tradition, a Champions Tour major, Desert Mountain has six courses, all designed by Jack Nicklaus. The most recent layout, Outlaw, was unveiled in 2004. Other choice amenities include grass tennis courts, a fitness center with personal trainers, wine-tasting events and nature hikes. But the key stat at Desert Mountain isn't the number of golf courses. The average asking price of a lot here in 1987 was $47,500. Today the few remaining parcels start at $282,000 and rise as high as almost $4 million. That's growth any homeowner can appreciate.
Kiawah Island
Kiawah Island, S.C.
Lots: $299,000-$9.5 million
Homes: $350,000-$9.9 million
Contact: 800-277-7008, kiawahisland.com
It's ironic that one of golf's most heated skirmishes — the infamous "War by the Shore" at the 1991 Ryder Cup — took place at its most sedate enclave. Kiawah Island, 21 miles south of Charleston, is home to more than 4,000 residents, a number that scarcely seems possible given the tranquil ambiance of the place.
Most property owners were drawn by the 10 miles of beach, 10,000 acres of maritime forest, and 30 miles of tidal marsh-tinged biking and hiking paths. The golf isn't bad either. In addition to Pete Dye's celebrated Ocean Course (ranked No. 33 on GOLF MAGAZINE's Top 100 Courses in the U.S.) there are six other tracks. Two are for the use of residents only: Tom Fazio's River course and Cassique, crafted by Tom Watson.
Two other noteworthy amenities contribute to the good-life feel on the guard-gate protected island: a new luxury oceanfront hotel, the Sanctuary, which opened in 2004, and the residents-only Beach Club, which sits on the opposite end of the island from the golf courses.
Santa Lucia Preserve
Carmel, Calif.
Lots: $900,000-$2.9 million
Contact: 831-626-8200, santaluciapreserve.com
Intimate isn't the first word that leaps to mind when considering a 20,000-acre residential development. However, if you accept the textbook definition of intimate — "informal warmth or privacy ... fostering a friendly atmosphere" — then you won't find a better example than Santa Lucia Preserve.
This exclusive development occupies pristine mountain terrain three miles east of Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula. Only 300 home sites, at a minimum of five acres apiece, were made available. The rest of the land, comprising more than 18,000 acres, was permanently set aside to prevent further development, leaving a habitat for the wild boar, mule deer and bobcats that have roamed here since it was a Spanish ranchero more than 200 years ago.
Most homes nestle unobtrusively amid mountain meadows, 1000-year-old redwoods, ponds, streams and wetlands. The only outward signs of development are a 20,000-square-foot hacienda-style clubhouse that dates to 1924, an equestrian center, tennis and croquet courts, and a fitness center. The Preserve Club, a Tom Fazio-designed course, melts flawlessly into a landscape peppered by creeks and live oaks.
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