News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.

Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Geoffrey_Walsh

  • Total Karma: 0
Where would you go?
« on: November 30, 2005, 02:13:39 PM »
My father is nearing retirement and is considering buying a house in a development in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast.  Ideally he would like access to good golf, the great outdoors (hiking, fishing, etc.) and be near a college town.

I initially thought of Charlottesville, VA but don't know about the golf options there.  Any other areas or residential developments that come to mind?
Logged

John Kavanaugh

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2005, 02:15:26 PM »
Auburn Alabama is perfect and was just voted by Golf Digest as the number one golf town in the nation.  My uncle retired there and loves it..
« Last Edit: November 30, 2005, 02:16:20 PM by John Kavanaugh »
Logged

david h. carroll

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2005, 02:17:55 PM »
Chattanooga, TN would get my vote....UT-Chattanooga, Black Creek, The Honors, Lookout and also a proximity to The National....sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time!!
Logged

Geoffrey_Walsh

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2005, 02:20:39 PM »
Good suggestion, John.  I also remember that GD article... I will definitely run that option by him but I think that may be a bit too far south for him.  I think he was focusing more on the Carolinas and Virginia (and initially on the western half of those states).
Logged

Tom Dunne

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2005, 02:20:54 PM »
Charleston?
Logged

Greg Holland

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2005, 02:23:40 PM »
Several options in NC:  Brunswick County has a lot to offer -- you can opt for the beach, the river (e.g., Southport) or a bit inland in a golf community (Rivers Edge, St James Plantation, River Landing, Brunswick Plantation, Sea Trails, etc.).  Also, Wilmington is not far, with some good golf and UNCW.  The Pinehurst area is nice, as is the Piemont Triad area (5 colleges & universities in Greensboro alone with good public and private golf).  The Asheville area and the NC mountains are good too (though mostly private golf there).  
Logged

Dan_Callahan

  • Total Karma: 2
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2005, 02:44:40 PM »
Williamsburg area.

You get William and Mary and U. Richmond, plus a few Strantz courses.
Logged

Tom_Doak

  • Total Karma: 25
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2005, 02:46:46 PM »
Dan C:  You could also play Riverfront a bunch.  In fact, you could buy a house on the golf course at Riverfront without breaking the bank.
Logged

John Goodman

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2005, 02:50:31 PM »
Your initial idea of Charlottesville is a good one, though the golf options are not as strong as some of the other places folks have mentioned.  You do have Farmington CC, and UVa's course is quite good, as is the rebuilt Keswick GC.  Charlottesville itself is a wonderful town but the cost of living's fairly high.  Your dad might run into Sam Shepherd or John Grisham or Sissy Spacek . . .  
Logged

Andy Hughes

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2005, 02:51:46 PM »
TomD, how close is your course to the two Strantz courses?
Logged
"Perhaps I'm incorrect..."--P. Mucci 6/7/2007

Bill Gayne

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2005, 03:35:19 PM »
Geoffrey,

The only real drawback to the Williamsburg area is the lack of classic or golden age architecture and if being in a private club is important than the options are limited. Most of the golf is post 1960 but there's plenty of reasonably priced options for semiprivate memberships. On the private side in Williamsburg you only have Williamsburg Country Club and Two Rivers at Governors Land. The James River Club in Newport News could also be an option. Golf is really a ten month activity in the area.

Plenty of recreational activities with the Chesapeake Bay and the river system. Williamsburg is a delightful town and already has a large retirement population. As Thomas Jefferson said when speaking William and Mary "the finest school of manners and morals that ever existed in America." I find that the area is still very civil with a good pace of life.
Logged

George Pazin

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2005, 03:41:26 PM »
I'd buy a chunk 'o Texas, a dozer, and then kidnap Tom or one of Tom's guys ala Misery. :)

What's the weather like in Chattanooga like year round? I like the courses listed and the proximity to many other cities.
Logged
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

A_Clay_Man

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2005, 03:55:42 PM »
George,

Tom's guys are to hard to find.

Re Texas: From what I understand, Someone did do that, but they kidnapped Nuzzo instead.
Logged

Brian_Marion

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2005, 05:50:26 PM »
If I could retire today, I would have to say moving to Brunswick County, NC would be my first choice. Good weather, lot's of golf. Myrtle Beach is just across the state line, Wilmington just north.

Next would be where I live now, the Triad NC. Within 15 minutes of my current home, there are 8 public or semi-private courses and 5 private tracks. Green fees are low and you can play almost year round. Designers include Palmer, Ross, Maxwell, Maples, Hale Irwin and some lesser knowns.
Logged

Andy Doyle

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2005, 06:12:43 PM »
There was a thread on this a while back:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=19570;start=0

It's a pretty expensive area, but you might want to have him take a look at Reynold's Plantation (or the surrounding area).  Great year-round weather, lots of good golf nearby, and lots of good recreational opportunities (Lake Oconee, etc).  It's also pretty near Athens, GA - small college town and within an easy drive of a major metro area (Atlanta).

Andy
Logged

Tom_Doak

  • Total Karma: 25
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2005, 07:34:51 PM »
Andy:

Riverfront is in Suffolk, VA, just over (and through) the bridge-tunnel on the west side of Norfolk.  Probably about 45 minutes from Royal New Kent if I remember correctly.

Frankly I would go senile despairing for great golf in any of the areas mentioned so far.  There are a lot of 6's in The Confidential Guide, a couple of 8's, nothing more.  The most happy retired person I have ever met is Archie Baird, who plays golf seven days a week at one of the three clubs to which he belongs ... Kilspindie, Gullane, and the Honourable Company.  [He doesn't want more than 1-2 days a week of Muirfield.]  

And I'm willing to bet Archie pays LESS in golf dues than anyone in Myrtle Beach or Williamsburg or Chattanooga!
Logged

Mike_Young

  • Total Karma: 1
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #16 on: November 30, 2005, 08:24:58 PM »
Athens, Georgia
UGA
Reynolds..40 minutes
Atlanta 1 hour
Logged
"just standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona"

Andy Doyle

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #17 on: November 30, 2005, 09:56:04 PM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on November 30, 2005, 07:34:51 PM
Frankly I would go senile despairing for great golf in any of the areas mentioned so far....

Tom D:

Are you going to be able to add to the selection of courses in the Lake Oconee area?  What's up with that Harmony project?  Having only played Beechtree, I was hoping to have another Doak course closer to Atlanta.

Andy
Logged

Jimmy Muratt

  • Total Karma: 1
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #18 on: November 30, 2005, 10:04:42 PM »
Having recently moved to Charlottesville, VA, I can definitely recommend it as a wonderful place to live.  Having the University of Virginia here definitely adds a great deal to the town.  There is also a vast array of outdoor activities nearby.  The mountains are nearby for hiking, camping, or skiing and great fishing is all around.  The golf options are fairly good right around Charlottesville.  Farmington Country Club is the best course in town.  Birdwood is a very good public course where UVA's golf team plays.  The Homestead and Greenbrier are also within 2 hours.
 
The best golf option nearby is Kinloch, which is about a 45 minute drive from Charlottesville.  
« Last Edit: November 30, 2005, 10:05:20 PM by Jimmy Muratt »
Logged

Tim Gavrich

  • Total Karma: -1
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #19 on: December 01, 2005, 10:36:12 AM »
Chapel Hill, NC
Duke
UNC
Wake Forest
and others

Governors Club
Duke GC
Finley GC (UNC)
Forest Oaks GC (Greensboro PGA Tour event)
Prestonwood (3 courses)
Stoney Creek
Tot Hill Farm
Tobacco Road
Treyburn GC
Woodlake

all within 50 miles of Chapel Hill.  One of my father's good friends lives at The Governor's Club, and it's beautiful.
Logged
Senior Writer, GolfPass

Jim Franklin

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #20 on: December 01, 2005, 11:20:21 AM »
I would go with Reynolds Plantation. Lots to choose from and the area is really taking off. National is just up the road too.
Logged
Mr Hurricane

Ken Bramlett

Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2005, 05:00:02 PM »
Consider Boone, NC, the home of Appalachian State University.

Plenty of private golf nearby and some decent public like the Boone Golf Club.

All the fishing and iking you can stand.

Good luck.
Logged

Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Total Karma: 2
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #22 on: December 01, 2005, 05:07:58 PM »
I second Mike Young except stay away from Athens and those Georgia Bulldogs for a month or so while they lick their wounds. I think Austin and San Antonio are great choices as well with a little bit better weather. There is more winter in Georgia and up the east coast.
Logged

Bob_Huntley

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #23 on: December 02, 2005, 11:22:07 AM »
Not knowing much about the areas mentioned, but could someone provide the data on those places in the lower 48 where one can pretty well tee it up twelve months a year. I'm not talking here of wearing mukluks and and ear muffs etc., but where it would be reasonably agreeable to tee it up.?
Logged

Dave_Miller

  • Total Karma: 0
Re:Where would you go?
« Reply #24 on: December 02, 2005, 01:45:02 PM »
Quote from: Geoffrey_Walsh on November 30, 2005, 02:13:39 PM
My father is nearing retirement and is considering buying a house in a development in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast.  Ideally he would like access to good golf, the great outdoors (hiking, fishing, etc.) and be near a college town.

I initially thought of Charlottesville, VA but don't know about the golf options there.  Any other areas or residential developments that come to mind?

As my oldest son graduated from UVA I can attest to Charlottesville being a great area.  I am also a member at Farmington CC which is a great place.
In addition to Birdwood, which is a very nice Public course which does sell Memberships there is Glen Moor which is a housing development with a very good Golf Course.  Bob Rotello actually lives there.
Bet,
Dave
Logged
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up