During the winter, two or three customers per week ask us for help in identifying a golf community that might suit them. (They fill out our free Golf Home Questionnaire.) But like clockwork in April, when sunshine and warmer temperatures assert themselves up North and golf courses there begin to open for play, dreams of warm winter golf fade. Typically only one customer per week contacts us in the spring.
        We understand. We are golfers too, and as I write this, I am looking forward to a few rounds in the coming two weeks at excellent golf courses in Connecticut. I expect those golf courses will be almost at midseason form, with evenings still cool enough that if green superintendents want to cut the putting surfaces down, we should have some slick greens to putt on. Springs and summers, of course, are generally a lot cooler in New England than those in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, except for the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Quelle Difference:  Residents of Imperial Estates (shown) in Naples, FL, who stuck around for July 2015, endured high temperatures that ranged from 84 degrees to 94 during the month. Yet in Myrtle Beach during that same month, high temperatures ranged from 85 to 95.
        In short, there is no good reason to leave the upper regions of the nation for a vacation in the South during the summer –- unless you are considering a home where the weather is warmer in the winter. In that case, there may be no better time to go South to look for your future home than in the heat of the summer.
        First, you will want to understand just how hot your potential new area gets in the summer. Florida summers scare a lot of people off, but if you can’t tell the difference between an average high of 92 degrees in Florida and a high of 89 in South Carolina or Georgia -– and you can tolerate that kind of heat -- then your choices open up wide. Second, depending on the community, you might find yourself a tad lonely in the summer if that community comprises many second-home owners who head North during the hot months. Sure, the golf courses in the hot South will be easy to access, and local restaurants will have plenty of open tables; but if you are the sociable kind, you could be put off by the isolation. On the other hand, you may look on it as a reprieve.
The Kids are all right...or not
        Some couples, having focused their prior 25-plus years on raising children, may look forward to a community comprising mostly retirees. But we have visited a number of such communities in the summer and found them to resemble summer camps for children; indeed, some of those communities actually organize summer camps for the grandchildren of their residents. If you plan to have visiting grandchildren of your own during summers and don’t mind a couple of months of squeals and splashing in your community’s pools, a visit in the summer will set you straight on what to expect.
        The summer heat in the South can play havoc with turf conditions; it is a good idea to check out how courses in your target communities weather the heat. If you are used to sleeping in and playing golf in the late morning, plan to amend your starting time in summer in the South; or make sure to stuff multiple bottles of cold water into your golf cart (you won’t be walking!). There is a reason why green fee rates drop precipitously in summer and why some private golf courses, in Florida especially, drop their restrictions and welcome public play for July and August. During an exploratory visit in the summer, test your mettle by playing during the heat of the day. You likely will do it only once.
        We have established excellent working relationships with dozens of top golf communities in the South and would be pleased to help arrange for you to visit on a Discovery Package that typically includes lodging, golf, temporary club membership and, often, a meal or two for deeply discounted prices. I’d also be happy to provide some complimentary advice on which golf communities in the South best suit your lifestyle. Simply fill out our free Golf Home Questionnaire and we will get back to you quickly with some initial recommendations. To date, I have visited nearly 200 golf communities and played their golf courses, a few times in temperatures bumping up against 100 degrees. In more ways than one, I know which golf communities in the South are hot.

        Richy Werenski won the BMW Charity Pro-Am yesterday on the Thornblade Country Club course in Greer, SC, located between Greenville and Spartanburg. The BMW is unique in that it is played over four days on three area golf courses. Each competitor plays a round at Thornblade, The Reserve at Lake Keowee and The Preserve at Verdae Greens, before those who qualify play the final 18 at Thornblade. Watching on television Werenski and his fellow competitors play the last few holes at Thornblade reminded me how much I enjoyed the Tom Fazio golf course and what a well organized and run club Thornblade is (the food in the dining room was excellent as well). Thornblade is a family-oriented club, but for those looking for a vibrant atmosphere in a well-established community -– large homes begin around $489,000 -- and economically sound area – BMW of North America headquarters is nearby in Spartanburg –- Thornblade is a great choice.
The layout at Greer, SC's Thornblade Country Club has the hallmarks of Tom Fazio's best designs. It is the site of a preliminary and the final round of the annual BMW Charity Pro-Am golf event.

Life can be good, even in a non-golf community

        A golf community isn’t always the best choice for golfers, including those whose major activity is golf. On a visit to Beaufort, SC, last week, and at the invitation of developer J. C. Taylor, I stopped by for a tour of Celadon, a small but charming community characterized by live oaks arching over the roads, front porches on every home (it’s mandatory) and intermittent pocket parks on most streets. If a community can have neighborliness built in, Celadon is it. Plus the community center, featuring a fitness center, pool and activities rooms provides just about everything a golf community can, at a much lower cost. Golf memberships are available nearby at such established clubs as Dataw Island (10 minutes) and Callawassie Island (20 minutes). In short, for those looking to save some money on homeowner association dues but to live the same kind of lifestyle you would in a typical golf community, Celadon and the growing number of these “new urbanism” communities are worth a serious look. Contact me if you would like an introduction to J.C. Taylor and Celadon.
Sometimes a golf community may not be the answer, even for dedicated golfers. In that case, they might choose to live in a small, but full-service development like Celadon in charming Beaufort, SC, and buy their golf membership at a club like Dataw Island, with 36 holes of Arthur Hills and Tom Fazio golf, just 10 minutes away (shown above).

Duh: Florida top state for retirees, but where are SC cities?

        I stumbled across a website run by Smart Asset, an online information service aimed at retirees. The operators of Smart Asset looked at 2014 census data and came up with a list of those states and cities to which most people over the age of 60 are moving. By a wide margin, Florida topped the state list, followed by Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. Three cities in Florida –- Cape Coral, Jacksonville and Port St. Lucie -– ranked #2, 5 and 7 on the top 10 list -– and Charlotte, NC, placed 8th. Two of our favorite areas for golf communities made the top 15 list, including St. Petersburg, FL (12), and Savannah, GA (14). Curiously, the third most popular state for retirees, South Carolina, placed no cities in the top 25; not Charleston, Myrtle Beach or Greenville, which would all be on our list. You will find the Smart Asset article here. 
Savannah, GA, is one of the top 15 most popular cities with people over the age of 60. Ford Plantation members spent more than $7 million on course and clubhouse improvements a few years ago. Pete Dye did the work on the course he originally designed but, except for railroad ties on one par 3, you might not recognize it as quintessentially Dye.

Chinese food for thought in Myrtle Beach

        Myrtle Beach’s golfers and local club members are nervous these days, yours truly included, because of a video out of China that recently surfaced. If you have read these pages over the last year, you know that Chinese business interests have purchased nearly one-third of all the 100-plus golf courses along the Grand Strand. My own Pawleys Plantation is part of a group of 22 clubs owned by Founders International. Its leader, Dan Liu, indicated in the video aimed at Chinese investors in Asia that recent non-golf related financial issues in China could be covered by the “sale of properties” in the U.S. Many of those properties include the Myrtle Beach area golf courses which the financial group behind Founders has owned for less than two years. Reports are that conditions at Pawleys Plantation have deteriorated since the soaking rains of last October, including the collapse of a small portion of the dike that holds the tee boxes for the par 3 13th and 17th holes; as of last week, not much repair work had been done.  Anyone interested in Myrtle Beach as a destination for a primary or second home –- some excellent buys still available -– or for a golf vacation, please contact me for the latest on the China issue.
China-based owners of golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area are facing financial difficulties and have hinted that their golf courses might be for sale. Shown is the approach to the 10th hole at Jack Nicklaus' Pawleys Plantation in Pawleys Island.