As economists struggle to predict when the overall housing market might bottom out or turn upwards again, I have begun to rely on one leading indicator in the golf community real estate market -- this blog site.  In the last two months, I’ve received triple the normal number of inquiries about golf community homes.  With my assistance, three couples will embark in April and May on trips throughout the southeast.  Two months may not make a trend, but from where I sit and type this, people with the desire for a golf community home are coming off the sidelines.

        Here’s a rundown of some of the communities these golf course home hunting couples will visit:

The Thornblade Club

Thornblade Club, Greer, SC

        Not exactly a “planned” golf community, Thornblade is the name of the country club at the heart of an attractive neighborhood of mostly single-family homes with prices that begin in the mid-six figures.  U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover honed his skills at Thornblade, and professionals Jay Haas and Dottie Pepper own homes near the club.  The mid 1980s Tom Fazio layout is a classic; although homes are in view, they never seem to encroach on Fazio’s wide fairways and cloverleaf bunkers.  The underrated town of Greenville, SC, is just minutes away, and the nearby BMW plant helps keep the local economy more stable than the rest of the state.  For those who don't require a gate on their community, Thornblade could be a great choice.

Landfall, Wilmington, NC

        Jack Nicklaus and his golf design mentor, Pete Dye, offer 45 holes of never-boring golf on the same large piece of property.  Nicklaus may have learned too well; his 27 hole course is easily the more difficult of the two, and includes a par 4 with an approach to a tiny green surrounded almost entirely by water.  Homes trend toward the upper six figures and run well into the millions.  Each golf course features its own clubhouse, but one membership provides privileges at both.  Wrightsville Beach is just a mile away, and the vibrant city of Wilmington not much farther.  Tennis buffs can unleash their inner Wimbledon champ on two grass courts at Landfall, part of a 14 court complex designed by former pro Cliff Drysdale.

St. James Plantation, Southport, NC

        Between Wilmington, NC and Savannah, GA, only two golf communities can brag about having four or more private golf courses.  St. James, with four courses, is one of them. (The Landings on Skidaway Island, GA is the other, with a total of six courses.)  The marsh and links land courses at St. James feature a total of 81 holes by P.B. Dye, Tim Cate, Hale Irwin and the Nicklaus Design shop.  The charming seaside town of Southport is just minutes away, with Wilmington another 20 minutes beyond.  For all its golf, St. James also boasts a full-fledged marina with 150 boat slips, marketplace and restaurant, as well as a long roster of other amenities.  Those with an interest in multi-course golf communities and nothing planned for the weekends of April 9 and April 23 can take advantage of a bargain weekend at St. James; for $99, you’ll receive accommodations for two nights, golf for two (or massage), boat cruises, a party and, of course, the obligatory tour of the Plantation with a member of the sales staff.  If interested in a visit to St. James or any other golf community in the southeast, contact me and I will help with arrangements.

River Landing Country Club

River Landing, Wallace, NC

        River Landing, whose amenities are well established, including two top 50 North Carolina golf courses, still has the feel of a developing community.  That is good news especially for those couples who want to build their dream home, as a number of nice lots are still available.  The community, which I reviewed at length in February, was developed by a family with strong local ties and deep pockets (they own a large chain of restaurants and the Holiday Inn Express adjacent to River Landing).  I ate an excellent dinner in the warm and inviting clubhouse, whose bar area was alive with 20 somethings and 60 somethings on a cold February evening.  Because Wallace is not exactly a metropolis -– more than an hour from Raleigh but just 45 minutes from Wilmington –- prices tend toward the reasonable end of the mid-six figures.  And the North Carolina Golf Panel ranks River Landing's two courses #25 and #48 in a state rich in outstanding golf.   Three-day, two-night visits to River Landing are available for $139 and include golf, other temporary privileges of membership and a dining certificate in the clubhouse.  Contact me, and we can set things in motion for your trip.

Next:  Wachesaw Plantation, DeBordieu Colony and Daniel Island and more

        Tiger Woods has made it official, according to an Associated Press report:  He will make his return to professional golf at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta in a few weeks.

        Earlier indications were that Woods could return as early as next week's Bay Hill Classic near his home in Florida.  Arnold Palmer, host of the tournament, has been especially supportive of Woods in the wake of his Thanksgiving night crash and subsequent revelations of rampant adulterous womanizing.  But the Masters, which has a reputation for strict crowd and media control, was the more logical choice for the coming back party.

        Woods' return may be modest good news for Cliffs Communities founder and developer Jim Anthony, who has been among the golfer's most loyal supporters since the scandal emerged.  Anthony attended Woods' recent press conference and talked later about the man-hug they exchanged at the event.  If Woods can get things in order in his personal life, win a tournament or two and dull the noise in the media, Anthony may be able to rechurn the marketing machine for Woods' first American course, at The Cliffs' High Carolina community.  If we were Anthony, however, we'd be cheering more loudly for the Dow Jones Industrials to add another 20% or so in overall value.

        High-end planned golf community developers will be looking toward the Carolina mountains and Cliffs Communities property owners in coming weeks to determine if the path to cheap financing lies within their own communities.  Developer Jim Anthony and his group have asked Cliffs property owners to lend him $60 million or more to complete all promised amenities at his latest two communities, Mountain Park and High Carolina, where Tiger Woods is still on tap to design his first American golf course.  Anthony has promised interest payments of 7% to the owners for their minimum $100,000 investment each.

        In the external markets, The Cliffs would pay interest well into double digits and, in the case of

        Some Cliffs owners read this blog.  One wrote me yesterday that “the loan request has a good chance” of acceptance at the minimum total level of $60 million.  The Cliffs, wisely, has proposed the loan as if it were a regular bond offering in the open market, complete with all the “financials, risk factors and due diligence” of a major bond offering.  A final tally is expected in the next few weeks.

        “In my opinion,” the Cliffs owner wrote, “it has been a very professional approach, both from the Cliffs and the committee of property owners.”

        The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel, of which I am a proud new member, announced at its annual banquet last night the top 50 golf courses in the state.  The banquet was held at Seabrook Island.  Given that the state is a prime vacation home and retirement destination for golfers, the list boasts a number of terrific courses at the core of South Carolina’s best golf communities.

        The timeless Harbour Town at Sea Pines tops the list, as it has since the Panel began ranking courses in 2005.  Originally a collaboration between Pete Dye and then architectural “student” Jack Nicklaus, Harbour Town edged out that other famed Dye seaside creation, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.  Homes in Sea Pines generally start in the high $300s for condos, with some large single-family homes selling for well into seven figures.  Few homes are within view of The Ocean Course.

        Other golf community courses that made the top 25 on the list include:  Kiawah Island (Cassique, #9); Bulls Bay, Awendaw (13); Kiawah Island (River, 15); Old Tabby Links, Spring Island (16); Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards (17); Colleton River Plantation (Nicklaus), Bluffton (23); Haig Point, Daufuskie Island (24); and Belfair Golf Club’s East Course, Bluffton (25).

Colleton River (Pete) Dye Course, #23 on the Panel's list.

        Community courses on the rest of the list that I have played and rated highly include:  Clliffs at Glassy (29); Daniel Island Club, Ralston Creek Course (30); Wild Dunes Resort, Links Course (32); Wachesaw Plantation (33); Reserve at Lake Keowee (35); DeBordieu Club (36); Thornblade Club (37); Barefoot Resort, Dye Course (38); Reserve Club of Pawleys Island (46); Pawleys Plantation (49); and Mount Vintage Plantation (50).

        I have excellent real estate contacts in all these communities and would be happy to provide more information or arrange for a visit for anyone interested in a vacation or retirement home.  In April and May, current customers will be visiting many of the communities on the SC Panel’s list.  I look forward to sharing their feedback with anyone who requests it.  Reminder:  I never charge for my advice or services.  Contact me here.

        The full list of the Panel’s choices will be available soon at http://www.scgolfpanel.org.  In the meantime, you can find them at the Myrtle Beach Sun News.

Old Tabby Links (Arnold Palmer) on Spring Island, #16 on the Panel's list.