South Florida Earns Its Reputation as a Golfer’s Haven
Many high-end homes stand alongside courses
No state is on par with Florida when it comes to golf.
It’s hard to even think of Florida without conjuring up images of manicured greens and golf communities with views of the fairway.
The sheer number of courses and the ability to play year round makes the state a golfer’s paradise. That might be why so many professional golfers hang their visors in the Sunshine State.
“Twenty of the top 30 golfers in the country live right here,” said Brian Coffey, an agent at ONE Sotheby's International Realty in Jupiter, Florida. “Tiger Woods lives here, Ricky Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka—all the top golfers live here in Jupiter because of the golf courses and the weather and the water.”
In addition, the PGA Tour, LPGA, and PGA of America are all headquartered in Florida, so it’s safe to say that golfers are drawn to the state.
Dedicated players can spend every day on a different course, or get to know the same sand traps at their home club. There are myriad communities built around golf, as well as clubs and public courses.
And the range is just as extensive, with offerings from the exclusive the Bear's Club in Jupiter, founded in 1999 by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, to Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne, a championship public golf course on Biscayne Bay.
“Wherever you want to be in South Florida, there is golf close by,” according to Richard Masterson, also of ONE Sotheby’s.
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Siemens Group
Photo: Siemens Group
Florida Favorites
With so many courses, there’s something for everyone. And although public courses allow golfers to pay a daily rate, private clubs usually require annual membership fees.
“A lot of it has to do with budget, of course, but also lifestyle and location,” Mr. Masterson said.
Initiation dues can range from $10,000 to $300,000, Mr. Coffey explained, and high-end golf clubs often have a waiting list, and interested members need to be sponsored by existing members to join.
“Most of the clubs are pretty full right now,” Mr. Coffey noted. “The Bear’s Club probably has the longest waitlist to get in. And you have to know people. They all have their process, but you have to have somewhere between two and five sponsors.”
The Bear’s Club is a golf community, although members do not have to live there to golf there and buying a home doesn’t guarantee membership. ONE Sotheby’s is currently marketing a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home there for just under $11 million. It boasts more than 14,500 square feet of interior living space, with a detached guest house and is situated on the club’s Par 3 course. It has views of several greens, plus the lake.
Seminole Golf Club in North Palm Beach is another Florida favorite. The course was designed by Donald Ross, a native of Scotland who designed 413 courses in the U.S. in the first part of the 20th century, according to the Donald Ross Society.
Seminole is one of the country’s great courses, and is ranked the No. 1 course in the state by Golf Digest. It will host the 2021 Walker Cup, an amateur golf competition with one team from the U.S. and the other from Great Britain and Ireland.
Seminole Landing offers luxury living adjacent to the club, although the development does not have a relationship with the golf course. Homes there offer oceanfront living, 24-hour security and easy access to shopping, restaurants, airport and beaches. Homes range from a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $2.2 million to $44.5 million for a 25,878-square-foot residence with 11 bedrooms, a 1.4-acre property and 200 feet of water frontage.
The Fort Lauderdale Country Club is one of the area’s “worst-kept secrets,” according to Mr. Masterson, who is a member. It’s the oldest golf club in Broward County.
“They’ve got two golf courses and one is practically brand new—it just opened in November,” he said, adding that the latter course was redesigned and updated to the tune of $3.5 million.
Photo: Siemens Group
Photo: Turnberry Ocean Club
Photo: Turnberry Ocean Club
Photo: Turnberry Ocean Club
Photo: Turnberry Ocean Club
New Additions
Despite the abundance of options, there are fewer golf courses in South Florida today than there were 10 years ago, Mr. Masterson noted.
“The number of rounds being played per year has decreased. There’s less golf being played today than there was, say, five or 10 years ago,” he said. “The value of the real estate in a lot of the key areas, like especially down here in South Florida, has become so valuable that a lot of golf courses have disappeared and they've been developed.”
Still, high-net-worth individuals are always interested in activities such as golfing and boating, he added. And they look to golf communities in South Florida where they can live and play with like-minded people at any time in the year.
“Even in the winter season, you can always come down here and play golf,” Mr. Masterson explained. “People who are in that luxury market want to play at a nice place and there are still many, many really nice country club communities here that they can join and enjoy that lifestyle.”
One new addition is the Turnberry Ocean Club, which is set to open this spring, he noted. Residents of the development will receive a complimentary one-year social membership to the elite Turnberry Isle Country Club, which includes unlimited summer play at two championship golf courses that have been redesigned by retired golfer Raymond Floyd.
Owners will also have access to Turnberry Marina, which can accommodate vessels up to 180 feet, and VIP services at Fontainebleau Aviation located in the Opa-Locka Executive Airport. Residences range from the upper $3 millions to $35 million.
Photo: El-Ad National Properties
Photo: El-Ad National Properties
Another new project is Akoya Boca West, developed by the Siemens Group, which recently opened at the Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton. It has 113 homes, ranging from $1.3 million to more than $4 million. Residents have access to four 18-hole championship golf courses, plus a tennis center with 29 courts, a wellness center, six restaurants and year-round activities at a private club.
Akoya sits on the 17th and 18th holes of a Arnold Palmer-designed course, and owners can walk right on to the green. But they don’t have to be members of the golf club, according to Rob Siemens, a partner at Akoya Boca West.
“Memberships are flexible, and residents can switch their level every year if they want,” he said.
Golf is just one of the social aspects of the community, he added. There are also social clubs, trips to sporting events, cruises and other events.
Some new developments have come up with ways to offer close proximity to the greens without the obligation. These projects also offer an array of other amenities—from deluxe spas to tennis courts to clubhouse access—so residents have all the social benefits, even if they don’t tee up every day.
For example, the ALINA Residences Boca Raton is being developed adjacent to the Boca Resort & Club. The residences are not connected with the course, but homes there have views of the greens and the gym is equipped with golf training equipment.
“When you open your window, you have the 18 holes in front of you, which is beautiful,” said Noam Ziv, the executive director of development at El-Ad National Properties, which is behind the project. “But at the same time you have no obligation.”
Mr. Ziv also noted that downtown Boca Raton is also nearby, and residents will be able to walk to its shops and restaurants. Move-ins are set to begin in late 2020, and the 121-unit project has a range of residences, including villas with a golf-course view that start at $2.6 million.
Photo: Siemens Group
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