Forbes has some ideas, and they mostly involve moving out West. Eight of its top 12 private golf communities -- including five of the top six and seven of the top 10 -- are “western” communities.
Here's the list. I've edited the magazine's comments. If you want to read the whole story, click here.
1. Red Sky Ranch -- Wolcott, Colorado
Without a doubt the premier ski country golf facility in the nation, with two excellent courses that have both been rated in the U.S. top 100, one by Tom Fazio and one by Greg Norman. The
residential choice of PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. . . . Importantly, while both courses are excellent, they are very different, something sorely lacking in many multi-course communities, with the Fazio more classic and the Norman more dramatic, with vast elevation changes and risk/reward plays. Both are framed by majestic Rocky Mountain views at every turn. . . .
2. The Boulders -- Carefree, Arizona
One of the first stand-out luxury residential golf developments in the nation, the developers at the Boulders made a big mistake 30 years ago that has greatly benefited homeowners. They painted themselves into a legal corner of limited master plan development, and the result is far less homes than would be the norm if this 1,300-acre resort community were built today. . . . The Boulders sits in the Sonoran foothills outside Scottsdale amidst a vast desert landscape of saguaro cacti, palo verde trees, and the namesake towering boulder formations, and the architecture is distinctive and singular, like something out of the Flintstones. The two gorgeous desert courses by highly regarded designer Jay Morrish are superb. . . .
3. Yellowstone Club -- Big Sky, Montana
Literally one of a kind, the Yellowstone Club is the only private golf community that also has a full-sized private alpine ski area. There are other developments with ski hills and lifts, but this is big-time skiing -– bigger than Deer Valley or Beaver Creek. . . . The skiing might just be the main attraction, but together with an excellent Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course, massive stone and timber clubhouse, spa, multiple dining outlets, equestrian facilities, blue-ribbon fly fishing on private frontage, and even a private fire department, these unrivaled facilities are the reason folks like Bill Gates bought houses here. . . . The place is immense, nearly 14,000 acres with 46 miles of paved internal roads, yet it is also very private and secure, befitting its buyers. The only problem is it is hard to get to and somewhat isolated, and most of the residents rely on private aviation.
4. Sandestin -- Destin, Florida
If value plays a role in golf community quality, then it is hard to beat Sandestin, and virtually no place your vacation home dollars go further. Located on the famed 26-mile stretch of “sugar sand” beach in South Walton County in the Panhandle, one of the best beaches in the world, the region is a far cry from crowded and heavily developed south Florida. A huge development built by Intrawest, the company behind Whistler/Blackcomb and Copper Mountain, 2,400-acre Sandestin contains 30 different sub-communities with thousands of homes and condos, and it has won endless awards from Golf magazine and Golf Digest for its four high-quality golf courses, including The Raven by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and the flagship Burnt Pines, an excellent Rees Jones design. . . There is a large tennis club, spa, 98-slip marina, seven miles of beach and coastline, a shopping center, a large pedestrian retail village, 20 restaurants, and several hotels. Owners have to share the courses with resort guests, but that is part of the reason why the value proposition is so strong, and there is plenty of golf to go around. . . .
5. Mayacama -- Santa Rosa, California
The Jack Nicklaus signature course here is without a doubt the finest golf course in American wine country and easily the best in the most prestigious Napa and Sonoma region. For that reason, big name vintners and well-to-do Bay Area residents -– it’s less than 60-miles from the Golden Gate Bridge -– have embraced the place, making it one of the most desirable private clubs in the nation and one of the most intimate. There are only 31 home sites within Mayacama’s gates and will never be more, plus 31 villas and cabins sold in fractional interests. . . . The main features at Mayacama are the golf course -- walking only with caddies and ranked in the most prestigious top 100 list, public or private -- and the extensive wine program. Every member gets a second locker just for wine, temperature controlled, and many of the vintner members make special releases just for the club, with the wine list boasting bottles you cannot buy anyplace else.
6. Shooting Star/3 Creek Ranch -- Jackson, Wyoming
One of the wealthiest and most star-studded towns in the nation, Jackson is home to movie stars like Harrison Ford, vice presidents like Dick Cheney (who lives here full-time on a golf course), so many multi-millionaires they hardly register, and billionaires like Charles Schwab. It is home to the finest ski resort in the nation, and even more popular in summer due to its extensive outdoor beauty and activities as the gateway to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In keeping with Jackson’s accolades, it is home to two golf communities so spectacular I couldn’t pick just one, so it is a tie. 3 Creek Ranch has a fantastic Rees Jones layout with an enviable location near town with the region’s best views of Grand Teton. . . . Early buyers here were Schwab and Tiger Woods. The newer Shooting Star has an equally excellent Tom Fazio course reminiscent of a mountainous version of Shadow Creek, a stand-out design, and likewise boasts impressive log cabin luxury, with a great clubhouse, spa, and fine dining. The main difference is that while 3 Creek is close to the town of Jackson, Shooting Star is immediately adjacent to the ski resort, literally bordering its parking lot. . . .
7. Kiawah Island Club -- Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Kiawah is most famous for its 90-hole luxury golf resort, one of the best on earth, which includes the Forbes (formerly Mobil) 5-Star Sanctuary Hotel and the Ocean Course, the best east of the Mississippi, a Ryder Cup venue and host of next year’s PGA Championship. But one side of the island is entirely devoted to a quietly prestigious private community, the Kiawah Island Club, which has two stand-out courses of its own plus access to the five at the resort. . . . Besides the full slate of luxury club amenities like restaurants, spa, and golf, plus an endless list of special events and activities for adults and families, the unique attractions of the club are its location, one of the most charming and beautiful yet accessible around, and its sister clubs -- Ireland’s Doonbeg, with its Greg Norman links course, and the new Christophe Harbour, with a Fazio design, in St. Kitts.
8. Village of Pinehurst -- Pinehurst, North Carolina
Pinehurst is the most famous and historic location in American golf, home to more big events than anyplace else, including the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, repeat U.S. opens and Tour championships, and just about every other significant USGA event for men, women, and amateurs. The Pinehurst resort was the very first golf resort in the nation and remains the largest, while its famed Number Two is the seminal design of Donald Ross’ long and successful design career. . . . A living, breathing museum of golf, Pinehurst is frequently called the “American St. Andrews,” and, like its Scottish counterpart, offers an incredible deal for actual residents. Village homeowners have the right to buy an annual unlimited membership package to seven of the resort’s eight courses (including Number Two) for as little as $300 monthly -- far less than the dues at most good one-course country clubs. . . .
9. Martis Camp -- Truckee, California
The most successful golf course development in the Tahoe area, this 2,200-acre community combines the regional best of both worlds: golf and skiing. Owners enjoy a stand-out Tom Fazio golf course plus a three-acre lake, spa, fitness center, 20 miles of running and hiking trails, and, most notably, a private ski lift with direct access into the recently expanded and upgraded Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort. . . . Martis Camp sits just 12 miles from the lake, one of the most impressive in the nation, and is positioned as “a private, gated national park experience.” It is also one of the most family-friendly golf communities ever built. . . .
10. The Golf Club at Black Rock -- Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Talk about your hidden gems! The course at Black Rock is simply spectacular, a stand-out even among the best private club layouts in the nation, designed by stealth architect Jim Engh, not exactly a household name but the genius behind such winners as the Sanctuary, Redlands Mesa, and the Creek Club course at Reynolds Plantation. It combines drop-dead eye candy with strategic decisions at every turn and is great fun to play. Then there is the setting on pristine Lake Coeur d’Alene, 30 miles long with nearly 200 miles of coastline. Another unsung asset is weather: three quarters of the year, the weather is not just good, it’s great. . . . The original developers at Black Rock got into financial trouble, and the club is now owned by its members. . . .
11. Talisker Club -- Park City, Utah
The Talisker Club is a unique golf and ski hybrid community located in and around Deer Valley, one of the most desirable, expensive, and prestigious ski vacation home spots on the planet. The original golf club community spans 10,000 acres
adjacent to the ski resort, with an excellent Mark O’Meara-designed golf course featuring 360-degree mountain views. . . . On top of that, the club has plenty of other great facilities, including fishing, water sports with club boats on the Jordanelle Reservoir, hiking, horseback riding, and, in the winter, cross-country skiing on the golf course. . . . But what sets the club apart is its Talisker Tower, a three-story clubhouse located mid-mountain on the slopes of Deer Valley, complete with private dining and second spa facility, so that members have a home away from home on the slopes. . . .
12. Reynolds Plantation -- Lake Oconee, Georgia
Georgia’s second largest lake, the 20,000-acre Oconee, was entirely man-made by hydroelectric efforts in the 1970s and today is a major recreational and second-home destination. It is also home to one of the most impressive golf communities anywhere, Reynolds Plantation, which offers a whopping six golf courses by top designers including Jack Nicklaus, Rees Jones, Jim Engh, and Tom Fazio (with a seventh by Pete Dye in development), all of them very good, including stand-outs Great Water, Oconee, and Creek Club. . . . There is a Ritz-Carlton Lodge on site, great restaurants throughout, and endless amenities from tennis to the lake itself. No private club in America has the breadth of golf that Reynolds Plantation boasts, all just an hour from Atlanta.
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