Isn't The Old Course partially a "housing course"? At any rate, the Road Hole is definitely a "housing hole," and perhaps the strongest example of the intrusion of real estate on any single notable golf hole. We celebrate it!
As has been suggested in previous posts, routing is usually the biggest loser at "housing courses." There are definitely courses where a real estate developer has clearly dictated pretty much the entire routing of the course, which really torpedoes a course's chances to be better than just okay.
I'm interested in courses where the presence of housing makes a positive contribution to the ambiance, rather than being just a nuisance.
- Mid Ocean Club: Is there any doubt that the integration of the course with the residential area in which it was built adds to the experience?
- Mountain Lake: Same thing here. ML is gated and self-contained in a way MOC is not, but there is a harmony between the course and the greater planned community (including the houses).
- St. George's Hill: Similar to Mid Ocean, looking at the houses as you're walking the fairways here is part of the fun.
- Windsor: RTJ Sr. course in Vero Beach that is the centerpiece of a New Urbanist community. Most of the housing is in a central area, with larger homes ringing the perimeter of the course. The West Indies-style architecture of the houses is really cool to look at, and the main part of the course feels like a big room to play golf in.
- Brays Island: Super low-density, with the houses on the course being set back farther than at any other course I've played.
Here in Florida, there are so many housing developments - with and without golf - that are just overwhelmingly cookie-cutter. The houses look the same, they're lined up close together and there's no vegetation to lend even a semblance of character. I get that there's an urge to maximize revenue, but damn, at what cost?