GCA as a deciding factor on where you live?

[Joe Melchiors]

I recently moved to Chicago and only looked at areas that had acceptable and accessible golf nearby (Chicago has lots of great golf, but traffic can severely limit actual options when looking at regular golf)

Commute time (1) and Neighborhood (2) were at the top of the list and that did take out some great golfing areas.

-Joe

[Steve Okula]

Even as a GCS, for me the architecture of the golf course is far down the list of priorities when I’m considering a job, except insofar as the course must drain well.

Determining factors in order of importance:

1. Political and social stability, not a given everywhere in the world.
2. Area, golf aside, would it be an interesting place to live? Things like culture, geography, entertainment, infrastructure, access to airports.
3. Safety and availability of medical care (mainly for my kids)
4. Schools (again, kids)
5. Salary vis-a-vis the cost of living.
6. Food. It may sound odd, but I have found that if an area has interesting and varied food in the supermarkets and restaurants then other factors tend to be attractive as well.
7. Climate
8. Golf course drainage.
9. Culture, history, and attitude of the golf club.
10. Operating and capital budgets.
11. Government bureaucracy, how difficult is it?
12. Playing and aesthetic appeal of the golf course design.

[David Davis]

Thanks for all the answers.

I can't help but to think of a kind of 7 - 5 set up or even a 5 - 5 - 2 set up as perhaps being ideal.

For the record I'm certainly not talking about retirement golf at 45.

7 - 5:

7 months in someplace like:

Deal
St. Andrews
North Berwick
Even Holland

5 months (Nov - Mar) in someplace like

Melbourne
South Portugal
South Spain

I hate the winters and darkness up here.

Someplace warm basically. Melbourne being likely tougher but not impossible, it would just require some arranging on the flexible work front and perhaps on the golf membership front in the sand belt. No language barriers and no need to commute weekly someplace for work during the week.

5 - 5 - 2

This is a slightly more hectic set up.

5 months England/Holland during golf season.
5 months someplace warm or split between places. Portugal, France, Spain etc.
2 months skiing someplace each year. Ski half a day, work half a day or one on one off kind of thing.

At least until I'm too old to float through the back country.




Anyone do something like that? I'd guess you'd either have to have kids that had already left home, not have kids and be single, have a golfing partner or at least one that was able to leave aside safety and security of a traditional place to call home.

[Michael Whitaker]

To threadjack a bit, what is the best destination for warm weather golf in the Eastern US? Is Aiken warm enough? Is there enough complelling golf from a gca perspective? I haven't found anyplace in Florida that meets my criteria: access to multiple great courses, that allow pull carts or have caddies, but close enough to the water to get my wife to move with me...

Bill,
My wife and I had long discussions on this. Florida was out for a variety of reasons unrelated to golf. Aiken had great appeal but proximity to the ocean was a major consideration and we settled near Beaufort, SC. We have had no regrets. There are seriously good golfing opportunities here as well.

Not fair... you are gone during the brutal summers!

[Brad Wilbur]

It seems as though golf course architecture is certainly not the only consideration, even for this group.  While traveling, it's always fun to imagine how life in various areas would be.  For my wife and I, a nice course is certainly part of the equation, but as others have noted, there is much more to consider.

Areas like Pebble were too costly for housing and golf.  Bandon would be unbeatable for golf, but that three club wind every day could grow tiresome.  Pace of play is almost as important as architecture.  If I were given free afternoon tee times at Pebble, and it took 5 1/2 hours per round, the value isn't as great.  We had looked into South Carolina, in the Litchfield Beach area, and came close to pursuing ownership there, but couldn't pull the trigger.  Summer humidity can be intimidating to someone who lives in the desert Southwest, plus it just wouldn't feel right to complain about USC on football Saturdays, and have people think you are talking about the Gamecocks!

Areas outside of Phoenix have made the most sense to us.  When you get to 5000 ft. elevation, the temperatures become quite comfortable for the vast majority of the year.  It then becomes a matter of inserting the available golf opportunities, along with nearby shopping, eating, social and medical options into the computer within us, and choosing the best fit.

[William_G]

It seems as though golf course architecture is certainly not the only consideration, even for this group.  While traveling, it's always fun to imagine how life in various areas would be.  For my wife and I, a nice course is certainly part of the equation, but as others have noted, there is much more to consider.

Areas like Pebble were too costly for housing and golf.  Bandon would be unbeatable for golf, but that three club wind every day could grow tiresome.  Pace of play is almost as important as architecture.  If I were given free afternoon tee times at Pebble, and it took 5 1/2 hours per round, the value isn't as great.  We had looked into South Carolina, in the Litchfield Beach area, and came close to pursuing ownership there, but couldn't pull the trigger.  Summer humidity can be intimidating to someone who lives in the desert Southwest, plus it just wouldn't feel right to complain about USC on football Saturdays, and have people think you are talking about the Gamecocks!

Areas outside of Phoenix have made the most sense to us.  When you get to 5000 ft. elevation, the temperatures become quite comfortable for the vast majority of the year.  It then becomes a matter of inserting the available golf opportunities, along with nearby shopping, eating, social and medical options into the computer within us, and choosing the best fit.

and the ball goes farther a mile in the air