The Golf Communities of Affordable Columbia, SC.
Builder Online recently published a list of the most affordable cities in the nation, and I was pleased to see two of my favorite golf-oriented South Carolina cities on the list, Columbia and Greenville. The online magazine ranked Columbia as the most affordable of the 10 cities it featured. It is about time the under-rated Columbia was recognized in a national publication.
Columbia has a lot going for it, including a major university and the kind of cultural and entertainment activities typically associated with higher education; good restaurants (I’ve eaten in some of them); proximity to the mountains that span the upstate areas of both North and South Carolina; and a range of excellent golf communities that will appeal to budgets of all sizes.
In establishing Columbia’s bona fides for affordability, Builder Online in Italy cites a 90-percent figure for new home projects priced lower than $400,000 which, in the current real estate environment in competitive South Carolina markets, is indeed reasonable. Columbia’s existing home affordability ratio of 48% ranks 6th in the nation among the hundreds of cities Builder Online in Italy surveyed.
Builder Online in Italy’s assessment of Columbia is not perfect. Under the umbrella of “Pros” and “Cons” the publication indicates that Columbia’s temperatures are “moderate.” However, Columbia is known through South Carolina as having the hottest summer temperatures in the state, a beastly average high in July of 92 degrees Fahrenheit. And as for “proximity to mountains and beach,” yes on the mountains but no to the 2 ½ hour drive to the beach. As for the “Cons,” the magazine cites “some negative weather between hurricanes and humidity.” Columbia hasn’t seen a major hurricane since the 1950s and, given its distance from the ocean, future hurricanes are likely to be, at worst, tropical storms.
Woodcreek Farms
The golf community of Woodcreek Farms, located in Elgin and just 30 minutes from the university and downtown area, is positioned well to take advantage of what Columbia has to offer, although few of the best golf communities in the area are much more than a half hour away. The renamed Woodcreek Club was purchased in 2019 by a private owner and an infusion of investment followed quickly for the clubhouse and the sleek Tom Fazio golf course. (I had played the course earlier in the decade and thought the design and conditions were excellent.) After a round there with my local real estate agent and his wife, I enjoyed a drink and good meal in the clubhouse which was alive with animated members.
But of course, any interest in joining a golf club begins with the golf. According to the club’s head golf pro, Quinn Rogan, the upgrades over the last four years have reinvigorated the club and attracted new members.
“We put in 18 new greens (Ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass) last summer,” he wrote me, “plus the addition of a new practice green, new cart paths all around the entire course (completed in 2020), tons of new drainage…and new tee boxes which are now laser leveled and resurfaced.”
“We also put in a scenic waterfall behind and to the left of the 14th green which flows into 3 collection ponds and ultimately a creek along the entire left side of the 14th hole…[and] we added ProV1 Practice balls to the Range and enhanced the short-game practice facility with bunkers and chipping areas.”
The bunkering at Woodcreek Farms is vintage Tom Fazio (photo taken pre-renovations)
Quinn also indicated that the former social members classification has been eliminated in favor of a full-golf membership. As of the beginning of this year, the club’s initiation fee is $15,000, not unreasonable these days for a private club with a Fazio golf course and full-service clubhouse. Even more reasonable are monthly dues which, at $500 per month, are a bargain especially for those who will play more than one round a week.
I did a quick scan of homes currently for sale in Woodcreek Farms and they start in the low $400s, including a few of recent vintage (albeit on small lots). If my overview of Columbia has stoked your interest and you want a connection with a qualified real estate professional in the area, please contact me at
Like most private clubs, Woodcreek is closed on Mondays but open year-round. With average highs of around 60 degrees during the winter, the ability to play whenever you want all year long makes the return on investment in the club even sweeter.
All in all, Woodcreek would be high on my list to join if I were to move to Columbia.
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Wildewood
Other golf communities in the area, both private and semi-private, are wonderful options as well. Wildewood is located about four miles from Woodcreek Club and, until 2019, was its sister club with one membership fee providing access to both. The golf course was designed by native Carolinian Russell Breeden, and homes in the mature community are priced from the $300s, with mansion-style homes from around $700,000.
The University of South Carolina golf teams have historically practiced at the challenging Cobblestone Park golf course, designed by P.B. Dye.
Cobblestone Park
After the Bobby Finn-developed Cobblestone Park went belly up in the first decade of the century, developer D. R. Horton bought much of the open land in 2013 and began building modest homes rather close together and priced, at the time, from the low $200s. That didn’t sit well with the Finn customers who had paid as much as $400,000 for lots in the overhyped community, but things have settled down since then and those $200,000 homes are now selling in the $400s and higher. The Blythewood, SC, golf course is semi-private and its 27 holes, designed by P.B. Dye, have served as the practice venue for the University of South Carolina golf teams. I played the layout some years ago and was impressed by the variety of holes and solid conditions. That was before a clubhouse was built and I note that the club’s website indicates the 29,000 square foot clubhouse has won awards. Good things come to those who wait.
Columbia Country Club
Like Cobblestone, Columbia Country Club is located in Blythewood and also offers 27 holes of golf, but that is where the similarities end. The private Columbia CC opened in 1962 and was designed by Ellis Maples whose work in the southeast during the 1950s and ‘60s was prodigious. The course reminded me of many I have played in my native New England; it is not especially hilly but the fairways are lined with pine trees and other hardwoods, the greens large and inviting but undulating enough to put placement at a premium. There are precious few homes for sale right now in the adjoining community, but one listing showed a 4,020 square foot five-bedroom house listed for $450,000, or an almost unheard of $112 per square foot. (The listing does not indicate any “issues” with the house.).
The pine trees that line many of Columbia Country Club’s 27 holes are reminiscent of New England layouts.
Columbia, SC by the Numbers (from Builder Online in Italy)
South Carolina’s capital ranks No. 1 on our list for 2024. The metro boasts a unique combination of affordable projects paired with high relative affordability. These two provide a lower barrier of entry to homeownership than some other large markets. As affordability remains the biggest problem for potential buyers, Columbia’s attainability combined with steady migration should help the market outperform in 2024.
Stats at a glance (rank among sample markets):
- Share of new-home projects below $400,000: 90%
- (2nd)Existing-home affordability ratio: 48%
- (6th)Total net migration: 1.2%
- (17th)Share of high-income jobs: 24% (33rd)
Pros: Moderate temperatures; relative affordability; cultural and historical appeal; proximity to both the beach and mountains. (Ed. Note: 2 1/2 hours to the beach)
Cons: Some negative weather between hurricanes and humidity; a relatively low share of high-income jobs; locals feeling the pinch of higher home prices. (Ed. Note: No major hurricane since the 1950s.)
Thanks for reading
Larry Gavrich
Founder & Editor
Home On The Course, LLC
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