Fairways to heaven: Golf course communities increasingly popular

A growing number of people are getting into the swing by buying a home at a golf course community.

According to the National Golf Foundation, about 3.7 million, or 15 percent of all golfers, are permanent residents of a golf course community. This number is increasing each year.

But not all residents of a golf community play golf.

Jackie Clark-Otto, real estate manager at Dalhousie Golf Club and Estates, said 60 percent of people who live in golf communities don't play golf.

"The reason they buy houses there is usually the property values increase better," said Clark-Otto. "Also, the scenery is important."

Clark-Otto is managing the sales of the 1,000 acres of land on and near Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau. Three neighborhoods are planned. Lots have been sold and construction is under way on many of them.

Developer Cord Dombroski hired Dr. Charles Wiles as the marketing consultant for the marketing campaign. There has already been marketing outside the tri-state area. Wiles said an ad has been placed in several golf magazines in the Midwest and specifically in St. Louis. And since Dalhousie Golf Club is already marketed nationally, Clark-Otto gets inquiries about property from all over the country.

"I have people call me and e-mail me all the time from California, Georgia and everywhere," she said. "They know the golf club is ranked No. 2 in the state by 'Golf Digest' magazine."

Wiles and his wife, Dr. Judy Wiles, both marketing professors at Southeast Missouri State University, along with the Wright Group of Perryville, have developed several marketing pieces, including a hard-cover brochure that is given to potential residents. They have also developed all the newspaper and special publications advertising.

Clark-Otto has appeared on "Business Break," a morning KFVS-TV television program, four or five times to talk about the golf course community called The Neighborhoods of Dalhousie. Cord Dombroski, co-developer Mark McDowell and golf course manager Andy Diero have also appeared on Business Break.

In addition to the golf course, many golf communities offer a host of other amenities, such as tennis courts, swimming, hiking and biking trails. Some also feature a community recreation center, clubhouse, restaurant and reception areas.

"We'll have all that," said Clark-Otto. "If people don't play golf, they can buy a social membership and use the clubhouse."

At Bent Creek Golf Course and Estates in Jackson, general manager and co-owner Mike Litz said the golf community is entering its fifth phase of development.

"We'll have 31 home sites," said Litz, "We've already sold some of the sites, and then we'll start a pretty aggressive marketing strategy. The home sites will be a little more affordable than before."

He said the prices will range from the upper $20,000 area to the high $70,000 area.

Litz said marketing the golf community is done in-house. Local media -- print, radio and television -- are used.

"We use their people to help us plan strategy," he said.

The golf course opened in 1990 and 24 condominium units were built on four acres in the early to mid 1990s. Litz said they sold quickly.

Bent Creek Golf Course and Estates is a family-owned business. Besides Litz, co-owners are his brother, Rob, and their father, Jack Sr. The golf community is built on land where Jack Litz Sr. was born and raised.

"The entire development was close to 500 acres when we began," said Litz. "We took 170 acres for the golf course and used the balance of land for development."

There are about 300 houses in the golf community. Litz said they usually don't lay out more than 25 to 35 home sites at a time. He said his family takes a pretty conservative approach, and the result is that demand for home sites has remained high.

Litz said 30 to 40 percent of the houses offer a view of the golf course, but all of the condominiums do. He said not all residents of the community play golf -- about 25 percent are golfers.

People buy homes at the golf community for a variety of reasons -- the biggest being for investment.

"The stability of their investment is huge," said Litz. "The value of the property increases. Also, people like the controlled environment. They know that something won't be built next to them they wouldn't like."

A golf community does well when the golf course does well, and beauty is another factor why people want to live there, Litz said.

"It's a gorgeous backyard to have. That's what people here say," said Litz. "And all our streets and utilities are within the city limits, and that is a huge selling point because Jackson is a great place to live."