We have an informal list of areas and golf course communities to visit in upcoming months for our newsletter, HomeOnTheCourse, as well as for articles at this site.  These include the Gulf Coast areas of Mobile and Biloxi, the Texas Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio, the high elevation areas of Boone, Brevard and Cashiers in North Carolina, Reynolds Plantation in Georgia and developing areas in New Mexico.

    One community we definitely intend to visit is Uwharrie Point in central North Carolina.  Although Uwharrie is secluded, with an adjacent 50,000 acre national forest, it is within easy drives of two major airports in Charlotte and Raleigh.  Its Tom Fazio-designed Old North State Club is one of the best private courses in a golf-rich state, and with three finishing holes along Badin Lake (see photo below), the layout is eye-appealing as well as challenging.  The community offers a nice range of townhomes as well as single-family homes.  It adds all the amenities you would expect to find in a high-end community (Har-Tru tennis courts, a large clubhouse with views of the lake, many swimming pools, and miles of walking trails).  A full-service marina is available for boaters.

    Cottage-style patio homes begin around $300K.  The largest single-family homes with prime views range into the millions, but there appear to be quite a few nice selections in between.  Home sites with views of the lake begin in the mid $100s, and those with views of the golf course are still available at less than $100K.

    For more information, see the community's web site at www.uwharriepoint.com .  Who knows, maybe we will see you there. 

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    Our next issue of the HomeOnTheCourse advisory newsletter will feature the communities north of Jacksonville, FL, including those at the Amelia Island Plantation resort.  During our recent visit, we played three of the four courses at the resort, including the Pete Dye Oak Marsh, the Dye/Bobby Weed Ocean Links and Tom Fazio's sleek Long Point. (We passed on Royal Amelia, a Tom Jackson layout, because it will be undergoing renovation soon.)

    Despite some thinly grassed putting surfaces on the Oak Marsh course, too many unrepaired fairway and green divot marks on Oak Marsh and the Ocean Links, services at the bag drop that left something to be desired and a practice area no better than Joe's Driving Range, we enjoyed the courses, especially the eight holes along the Plantation's 31/2 mile stretch of beach.  We will have much more to say in HomeOnTheCourse, which will be available in two weeks.  In the meantime, if you are considering a stay at the resort to explore real estate options, or just for a vacation, you would do well to read the latest offering from our friends at Golf Vacation Insider with their hints about the best options for lodging.  Click here for the article.

    As always, if you have a question about Amelia Island or any of the places we have visited, please drop us a line and we will be happy to answer promptly.  And if you are considering a visit to look for property, please let us know and we will connect you with a qualified broker/agent in the area, at no obligation whatsoever to you. 

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Eyes right:  Ocean winds bouncing off the homes and seven-story buildings across the fairways from the Atlantic at Amelia Island Plantation can play havoc with ball flight, but beauty outweighs the occasionally beastly conditions.