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Bumper to bumper crop: Can mountain communities survive their popularity? |
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Friday, 06 June 2008 |
The sage of malapropism, Yogi Berra, once said of a popular restaurant, that, "No one goes there anymore. It's too crowded." In some ways, the mountain communities of western North Carolina are the inverse of that proposition. Everyone goes there because it isn't crowded.
Well, that could end soon. In some ways, North Carolina is the new Florida.
It is hard for many of us under the age of 50 to remember that in our lifetimes, the over-burdened coastalIn some ways, North Carolina is the new Florida.
Today, North Carolina is experiencing a similar migration. One of the drivers is climate, but certainly not the winter climate in the Carolina mountains as temperatures can drop below freezing on some days and snow is not rare. For years a second-home magnet for Floridians tired of the oppressive summer heat, today the North Carolina mountains are attracting more and more Floridians, some choosing it for year-round living. I heard it from local real estate agents and saw it on the Sunshine State license plates that dotted my long and winding drive from Brevard to Tuckasegee last week.
It left me wondering if all these migrants are trading one traffic problem for another. Florida, of course, is well known for clogged roads, made worse by septuagenarian drivers taking it very slow on their way to the 5 p.m. smorgasbords. Carolina mountain roads are essentially two-lane affairs, with many hairpin turns thatIf possible, rent before you buy in a place whose lifestyle, and traffic, may surprise you.
Moreover, and unlike Florida, generally there is no room to expand these mountain roads; the two lanes were originally blasted through rock into the sides of mountains and it is hard to envision anywhere to put more asphalt. Of course, through the marvels of engineering, anything may be possible, at a price.
One local real estate agent told me that a moratorium on building new developments was one local county's response to the population increase and the increased burdens on local infrastructure, such as the roads. That may be what it takes to keep North Carolina from turning into Florida. In the meantime, the guidance here, as always, is to rent before you buy, especially in an area where traffic could scar an otherwise beautiful landscape.
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Review: Bear Lake Reserve, Tuckasegee, NC |
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Thursday, 05 June 2008 |
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The longest and perhaps toughest hole at Bear Lake Reserve is the 445 yard 1st.
Altitude adjustment: Golfers, boaters and hikers live high life in western Carolina
Most dedicated golfers recoil at the notion of membership at a nine-hole golf course, especially one that plays to a measly 1,900 yards and par 29. For most of us, golf is a game divisible only by 18, and par for the course is somewhere between 35 and 36 per nine holes. No fractional memberships for us.
But you just might change your mind after a spin around the soon to open nine at The Summit Golf Club at Bear Lake Reserve, near Tuckasegee, NC. At an altitude of 3,800 feet, the dramatic routing by Nicklaus Design group is both high and mighty.
Bear Lake's developers say that golf is "just another amenity" at the four-year old community. Perhaps, but a tour of the course with Director of Golf Bo Alexander is persuasive that Terramesa Group, which purchased the property earlier this year from the original developers Centex Destination Properties, hopes to reel in golfers to the water-oriented property. They have lavished a lot of attention and made a significant investment to produce some impressive eye candy golf that may just overcome the nine-hole stigma.
The cost to build The Summit amounted to about $1 million per hole, or $9.5 million. That compares favorably with one of the most celebrated regulation courses in the area, Mountain Top, where the Discovery Land Group spent $21 million for its 18 holes. The Tom Fazio-designed Mountain Top, Alexander says, would be the likely choice of serious golfers from Bear Lake who feel the necessity to add membership in an 18-hole club.
Any of the nine holes I saw at Bear Lake could be the "signature" hole at most courses. I didn't get to play the course, which opens July 1, but it was obvious that the average golfer with an accuracy problem might very well go through 18 holes worth of golf balls in the span of 9. From the tips, the longest hole, #1, plays 445 yards and the shortest a mere 91 yards. I hope the accompanying photos do justice to how much danger lurks on most shots at Bear Lake.
A pristine 500-acre lake is in the name and at the core of Bear Lake Reserve. Canoes and kayaks dotted the lake during my visit, and I watched a father and two young children placidly fishing from their canoe. For now, powered boats are permitted on the water but the guess locally is that the state will put restrictions on motor boats in the coming years, especially as more and more people move to Bear Lake Reserve and across the lake. The lake, the result of damming the Tuckasegee River in the 1950s, is also accessible to the public.
Bear Lake dominates the views from many of the 2,100-acre community's properties and from the rustic clubhouse - the Lake Club -- where couples and families alike gathered last Saturday. Inside, the Lake Club is large and warm, all hewn wood and stone and dramatic angles. Bear Lake does not attract much traffic in the winter, but food is served year-round by a young and enthusiastic wait staff. The food I had at dinner and lunch was well prepared.
Bear Lake's other amenities have a strongly outdoors orientation. Fifteen miles of hiking trails thread their way through the community. Helpfully, Terramesa has published a "field guide" to the hiking trails, identifying their routing and degrees of difficulty ("easy," "moderate," and "strenuous"). A fishing village is also planned although it doesn't take a village today to pull brown trout and small mouth bass from the fertile fishing grounds on the lake.
Bear Lake is somewhat remote, with no commercial airport nearby, but at about three hours from Atlanta and Charlotte, it certainly is close enough to make long weekend stays practical. The community's entrance is at the end of a country lane three miles from State Road 107; the last quarter mile before Bear Lake's entrance is unpaved, a bit of a turnoff but, according to Sales Exec Jeremy Sessoms, the state plans to finally pave it in the coming months. The community is best approached from the north; to get to Bear Lake from the south involves a trip along the winding and often crowded two-lane Highway 64. I drove it during the day but would not look forward to it at night.
Highway 107 continues north past Bear Lake to the little town of Tuckasegee and on to the more substantial Sylva. Sylva is home to Western Carolina University, and consequently the area doesn't want for a little culture and entertainment. Western Carolina, nestled into the local mountains, is home to 9,000 students and some pretty good sports teams. (Bit of trivia: In 1980, Western Carolina hoopster Ronnie Carr became the first college player to make a shot from outside the three-point line.) Director of Golf Alexander has invited Western Carolina's golf team to use the Bear Lake practice facilities. They will be pleased indeed.
Land prices at Bear Lake, while not inexpensive, are certainly in line with other communities that feature impressive mountain and lake views. But the most significant expenses are in clearing land, blasting rock and laying foundations against the hillsides where, of course, many of the best views are found. The developers have wisely factored in the costs to build and priced the home sites comparatively. It isn't unusual, for example, for a flat piece of land with mountain views to be priced a couple of hundred thousand dollars more than a lot with a sidehill lie but a similar view. In the end, the total costs work out to be about the same.
Home sites at two acres and more begin around $250,000 for a modest mountain-view lot and move up to around $600,000 for the best vistas. Lake view property is slightly higher and one-acre lakefront sites, with dock, can exceed $1 million for the choicest positions. For those who do not want to make a full commitment, the many cottage communities that dot the hillside might fill the bill. I stayed in Cottage 77 in the Whispering Falls neighborhood, a cluster of comfortable, Craftsman-style cottages. My cottage, owned by the Edwards family of Tulsa, OK, and rented out by Bear Lake in their behalf, featured three bedrooms and as many bathrooms. (Note: As is my custom, I paid for my accommodations.) Cottages begin at $500,000 for a two-bedroom unit and reach $750,000 for the four-bedroom versions. Some are available furnished. As you contemplate a future purchase, you could stay in one of the cottages or handful of condos that look down on the lake. The tariff is $360 per night in summer and includes access to all amenities, including the golf course.
Bear Lake Reserve, Tuckasegee, NC. 828.293.3455. Course designer: Nicklaus Design. Course yardage: 1,900 yards, par 29. Ratings and slopes to be determined. If you are interested in property at Bear Lake Reserve or additional information, contact me and I will be happy to put you in touch with someone who can help.
From Bear Lake Reserve's Lake Club, parents can sip a drink and keep a watchful eye on their water-loving children below.
The Lake Club is the social center of Bear Lake Reserve. Behind and above the club, condominium units are available for purchase or rental.
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Review: Connestee Falls, Brevard, NC |
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Wednesday, 04 June 2008 |
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The 11th hole at Connestee Falls is a deceptive little par 5. Hit no more than a 3 wood off the tee to remain on the upper fairway. Then a medium iron second shot sets up a wedge to the elevated green. It is the most visually attractive hole on a course that has a number of them.
Escape valve: Florida "halfbacks" let off steam in Carolina mountains
As I wended my way along curved mountain roads from upstate South Carolina to Brevard, NC, I might have been in Florida, for all the Sunshine State license plates I saw on the road and in the gas stations and luncheonettes along the way. When I met with Carol Clay, a local Brevard real estate agent, she explained it.
"They leave Florida because of the Hs [aitches], the same reasons my husband and I did three years ago," said Clay, who lived in Florida for 30 years. "It's the heat, humidity, hurricanes and hectic way of life.
"To be honest, after three years in the mountains, I need to be dragged back to Florida for a visit."
Most people from Florida who live in and around the charming, artsy town of Brevard, which hosts a famous annual summer music festival, haven't left the warm climes of the Sunshine State forever, choosing to maintain second homes in the Carolina mountains. Prices are still reasonable enough to have it both ways -- the warm winters in Florida and Georgia, and the beat-the-heat and laid-back nature of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Plenty of folks from Atlanta are also attracted by the Brevard area climate and the mere three-hour ride up the interstates.
As if to prove Carol's point, I was matched up for my round at Connestee Falls, just south of Brevard, with David Kelley, a hale fellow well met from West Palm Beach, FL. David, a litigation attorney, maintains a second home just a couple of miles from the community's front gate but he enjoys playing the reasonably priced (greens fees just $60) George Cobb designed course at Connestee Falls. He confirmed Carol's opinion that the North Carolina mountains provide stress release for those forced to buck traffic and dodge the occasional hurricane in Florida.
David and I played a course that is vintage Cobb, which is to say it is neither boring nor dramatic. I am more If the greens had been cut, Connestee might have played three or four strokes tougher.
The first hole, a wide-open par 4, sets the tone. Even a modest drive will leave a routine approach to a large, albeit sloping green. The challenges at Connestee are all in the sloping, both in some of the fairways and in most of the amply sized greens. As at Cherokee Valley, which I reviewed yesterday, only one of the par 5s plays to over 500 yards. Also, as at Cherokee, the mountain vistas are curiously out of sight from most of the course, the best view reserved for Connestee's practice range, a hint that the developers at Connestee, which emerged in the 1970s, gave the prime land to the home sites.
Cobb does use elevation changes well, throwing a few blind tee shots and approaches to elevated greens into the mix. The par 4s are the strongest holes at Connestee. The 4th is the #1 handicap hole on the course, a medium length (398 yards) par 4 with a lake in the middle of the fairway but unreachable with driver for all but the most accomplished (and strongest) player. The approach after a decent drive will need to carry about 130 yards to a steeply elevated green that slopes back to front. It is worthy of its designation of toughest on the course.
I noted very few fairway bunkers to worry about off the tee, and those at greenside did not seem to pose any significant threats. The course is beautifully conditioned, although I would like to play it when the greens are cut. They were quite slow; at the end of May, there really is no excuse on a Friday for them not to be cut. We saw plenty of men on lawn mowers during our round, so it was not a case of a day off for the workers. With a few tougher pin positions and faster greens, I estimate that Connestee Falls would play three to four strokes more difficult. Slow as the greens were, I had some straight downhill four footers on the big, sloping greens that gave me pause. I was struck by how hard it was to read breaks on most putts; mountain courses typically give you a clue of which way putts break (either toward or away from the mountains), but I found no such clues at Connestee.
Connestee Falls has some odd touches. It is the only place I have been where you pick up and return your carts to the deck outside the pro shop, overlooking the practice green below and the mountains in the distance.  Given the 30+ year old vintage of the club, the clubhouse, locker rooms and pro shop seem a little long in the tooth but are well maintained. There is nothing odd about the golf membership fees, however, which are assessed on an annual basis. A property owning couple pays just $2,750 for unlimited golf, range balls, locker and club storage. Although the community is in the mountains, the golf course is open year round. Snowfall is minimal and rarely stays on the ground for more than a day or two.
Because of the 1,600-acre community's age, and the availability of home sites after more than 30 years, house sizes and styles are all over the place (literally and figuratively).
"Connestee Falls is still an evolving community," says Carol Clay. "The new homes are considerably bigger than the older ones." A selection of condominiums appeal especially to the 60% of Connestee's residents who stay on property seasonally and don't see the point in making any sizeable investment for a short-term stay.
Prices range from $150,000 to the millions, but the median spot seems to be in the $400s. A two-bedroom, two-bath condo, for example, built in 1978 and sporting 1,250 square feet, is on the market currently for $179,000. A three-bedroom, three-bath home with lake and mountain views and 2,500 square feet is available at $650,000.
These prices seem especially reasonable given Connestee Falls' proximity to the charming Brevard, and except for the current blip in the market in Florida, in-flows from the south have been brisk in recent years. Consequently, the Connestee community is undergoing something of a modest transformation. In its earliest days in the '70s, naturally the lots with the best views sold first. Although homes on those properties likely have not yet reached the end of their natural lives, some have been bought and torn down to make way for new homes that take fullest advantage of the great views. Other older homes have simply been refurbished. All homes are set well back from and above the golf course, and hidden in the woods. I didn't have a clear view of any home until late during the first nine, although I knew they were there. Out of bounds stakes were at a minimum, just the way we like them, and in the few cases that a backyard was anywhere near the fairway, red hazard stakes made it possible to strike your ball without penalty (just don't ground that club). The lack of OB stakes is a refreshing touch and a big plus for the golf experience at Connestee Falls.
I don't often write about property taxes -- compared to what all of us are used to in our primary homes, they tend not to be outlandish in most communities I survey -- but the taxes in Connestee Falls and the surrounding county are worth mentioning, just 54 cents per $100 of assessed value. A $500,000 home in Connestee Falls, therefore, will throw off property taxes of just $2,700. If you were to live inside the city limits of the attractive Brevard, count on close to double that rate, still a pleasant surprise to those of us used to metro area taxes up north.
That isn't the only cost of living advantage to life in the mountains.
"We cut our car insurance in half when we moved up here," says Carol Clay. Take that, Florida.
Connestee Falls, Brevard, NC 828.885.2005. Designed by George Cobb. Yardage/rating/slope: Black tees 6,485/70.8/125; Blue tees 6,062/69.3/117; Ladies tees 5,056/64.4/104. Green fees $60 May to Oct (cart included). Membership fees (full family): $2,750 annually (includes practice range, locker, club storage). If you are interested in more information or in a visit to Connestee Falls, please contact us.
Homes around the Connestee Falls golf course sit back and above the course, when they aren't totallly hidden by trees.
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Review: Cherokee Valley, Travelers Rest, SC |
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Tuesday, 03 June 2008 |
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The Cottages at Cherokee Valley feature dramatic wraparound porches for the best views of the 16th green and 17th tee. The interior layouts mimic those of the cottages at Augusta National.
Details will make easygoing golf course easier to play
As Yogi Berra might put it, my walk through one of the Cottages at Cherokee Valley was "déjà vu all over again." I had the feeling I had seen this layout somewhere before -- the four master-sized en-suite bedrooms, one in each corner of the layout, and the large, comfortable living room and dining area combination where tired golfers can flop down for a beer and a view of The Golf Channel on the big screen TV hung above the Virtually all the flags were positioned a third of the way up, no matter where the pin was.
Then it hit me: It was a larger version of a tidy little cottage at Augusta National where I was fortunate to stay and play for two days 10 years ago. Cherokee Valley's Cottages seemed to be trying to channel Augusta.
After my two days at the famed site of the Masters, I can say I know Augusta (a little), and Cherokee Valley is no Augusta. But the Cottages in the Travelers Rest, SC, community, priced beginning around $650,000, are well configured, the rest of the community pleasant and close to the fine city of Greenville, and the golf course playable and in nice condition, if not overly challenging. As I wrote here a few days ago, with the dramatic Blue Ridge Mountains just to the west of the course, it was disappointing that they were hidden in plain sight. Most holes on the P.B. Dye routing played away from the scenery, and those that played toward it were carved into funneled fairways that hid all vistas. Also disappointing was a lack of attention to the little things that compel golfers to return.
Cherokee Valley's course is short, just 6,500 yards from the back tees, with a rating of a mere 71.3 and slope of 133 on the par 72 course. Dye, son of the uncompromising Pete, must have been given strict instructions to simplify the Cherokee Valley layout for what were expected to be higher handicap golfers in residence. I probably have no right to declare the course easy since I not only played from the tees at 6,100 yards (69.0/124) but also hit the ball miserably (I barely broke 90). But all the par 3s were rather routine, except for #6, a 200-yard downhill shot that provided the only true view of the distant mountains. Alas, #6 played much shorter for me because a slope about 175 yards from the tee brought my dying quail shot down to the green, about 20 feet from the pin. The other par 3s measured 125, 170 and 156 yards; the few bunkers in sight, yards away from greenside, did not threaten slightly misplaced tee shots on the one-shotters.
Only one par 5 at Cherokee measures more than 500 yards from the men's tees and the rewards on these holes are way greater than the risks of attempting daring approach shots. The only time water came into play, on the par 5 16th, the small lake sat in front and well to the right of the green. You would have to work harder to land in the water than onto the green with a wedge approach shot. Holes 12 through 15 play like an executive course -- two par 3s averaging 162 yards and two short par 4s, the 338 yard 13th and the 278 yard 14th. The 14th is the most interestingly designed hole on the course, a hard dogleg left that requires a deftly played five wood or hybrid club from the tee aimed over the left edge of the fairway. That leaves a wedge to a small green, just beyond a pond fed by an attractive waterfall.
Conditions were quite nice, with nary a bad lie in the fairways and greens that were smooth and medium fast, although some, including the practice green, appeared to have been spray painted a bright green. The attractive homes were kept well away from the field of play. Only the aforementioned Cottages, behind the 16th green and well to the left of the 18th fairway, were anywhere close, and that made sense since those residences are all about the golf experience (and views).
I was miffed by some silly little missteps out on the course, the most egregious of them being pin placements  on greens. Cherokee Valley chooses to use the small-flag-on-the-flagpole approach. A flag roughly one-third the way up the pole signifies a front pin, halfway up a middle pin, and almost all the way up a back pin. Virtually all the flags were positioned a third of the way up, no matter where the pin was. I hit my best fairway wood of the day to the 3rd green which sported a pin with the flag at one-third mast. When I reached the green, I found the pin was on a high shelf at the rear of the green, 40 feet beyond my ball. Cherokee Valley, which caters not only to members but also to visiting golfers and the public, should invest in colored flag systems or divide the greens into numbered quadrants and declare a number each day.
The ranger, who drove by once in his cart - on the back nine - could have been put to better use (such as checking the flag positions were correct). Also, there was no beverage cart making the tour on a hot day. Ball washers were infrequently available and 20 yards forward of the back tees when I did see them. When I asked the kid at the bag drop where the clubhouse was, he directed me to the pro shop. Workers were out on the course mowing grass, but I also saw some of them parked off to the side. (Okay, everyone deserves a break, but for how long?) I had the impression that a strong hand does not guide the operation at Cherokee Valley. Perhaps the club, which has only 150 members, is suffering from a cash crunch, but treating fee-paying golfers cavalierly is no way to generate lasting cash flow. The $5 wooden nickel they give you when you pay the reasonable $60 green fees (cart included) is a nice touch but not enough to make you forget the missteps.
The surrounding community is a mix of substantial homes on nicely sculpted lots perched on hills above the course or on ascending streets. Some sections of the community feature small homes on small lots, whereas other, newer homes are typical of a higher end community. The price range in the community is unusually wide, about $300,000 to over $1 million. Available home sites are priced beginning at $150,000, with a 100% premium for the choicest lots with views of golf and mountains.
Landscaping in the community has been well handled; it is clear that the developers respected the many trees they found on the property and probably restricted the homeowners' natural attempts to clear them away to promote better views.
Cherokee Valley benefits greatly by its proximity to the vibrant upstate South Carolina city of Greenville, one of my favorites in the southeast, and about 25 minutes away. Greenville is home to interesting museums, concert halls and restaurants, as well as a stable economy fueled largely by the BMW plant in nearby Spartanburg. Greenville also is the hometown of Shoeless Joe Jackson, the legendary baseball player whose reputation was besmirched in 1919 when he was caught up in the famous Black Sox scandal at the World Series. There is evidence that Jackson was a benign and innocent participant in the affair and, anyway, Greenville forgave him a long time ago. His statue adds an offbeat touch to the city's downtown.
Cherokee Valley, 450 Cherokee Valley Way, Travelers Rest, SC. 800.531.3834. Course designer: P. B. Dye. Full golf membership fees are $25,000. Yardage/rating/slope: Gold tees 6,586/71.3/133; Blue tees 6,084/69.0/124; White tees 5,395/66.9/113; Women's tees 4,308/69.7/119. Cherokee Valley is home to a Golf Digest Training School which offers one, two and three-day training packages. If you would like more information on the golf or real estate at Cherokee Valley, please contact us.
The 14th hole at Cherokee Valley is the best designed of the 18. It begins (top photo) with a long iron or hybrid tee shot to a narrow landing area framed by bunkers on the right. The short approach to the green (middle) must negotiate the pond in front that is fed by the greenside waterfalls (bottom).
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