Tee up an idyllic lifestyle: holiday homes on golf resorts

This year, St Andrews golf course, the so-called ‘home of golf’, prepares to host the 150^th Open Championship, the oldest and one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world.

As the top international golfers tee off on the illustrious Old Course, the game looks in good shape with more and more people taking up the sport.

For all golf players, new and old, what better way to indulge in the sport than with a holiday home overlooking a tree-lined fairway?

“The key to choosing a home abroad where you can play golf is to look at other amenities and the lifestyle on offer, not just golf,” says Alistair Brown of Abire.co.uk in Florida.

“Go and play the courses, meet some of the members, consider the level of golfer you are. If you plan to rent your home out, choose a club that welcomes non-members too,” he adds.

Living the dream on the green

There are many benefits of buying a home on a golf resort, starting with the guarantee of an unchanging, evergreen backdrop to your home.

Golf demands open space and fresh air, but it’s the additional facilities that many golf resorts offer that are key. Extensive sporting and leisure facilities often include bars and restaurants, pools and wellness centres, kids clubs, tennis courts and gyms. All of this provides multi-generational interest for owners’ holidays and are more likely to appeal to renters, improving potential rental yields.

Additional benefits can include tight security, providing peace of mind for owners and a vibrant social life on tap at the 19^th hole – the Clubhouse.

The best resorts offer a wide choice of property styles – and price points – from magnificent detached villas overlooking the green fairway, through to cosy apartments in the resort centre, which are ideal lock-up-and-leave homes for regular short visits.

Ready to start house-hunting for somewhere to perfect your putts?

In Europe, the Algarve on the southern coast of Portugal is a year-round favourite with close to 40 courses along the 150-mile coastline. On the other side of the Atlantic, Florida is the US state with the most courses. There are 1,250 in total spread between the two coastlines.

Meanwhile, long haul island favourites include Mauritius on the Indian Ocean and Barbados in the Caribbean.

Florida

The Sunshine State of Florida has been a favourite golfing destination since the 1950s and today, as well as hosting major PGA and LPGA tour events, some 50 million rounds are played each year. Central Florida including Orlando has 60 courses, southwest Florida, around Naples, has over 90 courses while there are 160 just in Palm Beach County.

“Golf properties start from $200,000 but prices obviously vary with location,” says Alistair Brown of Abire.co.uk. “In central Florida a four or five-bedroom villa in a Manatee resort is priced from $600,000 to $1,500,000. Further south in Palm Beach and Naples, the starting point would be a little higher, around $750,000.”

Nineteen miles southwest of Orlando airport, Brown is selling a fully furnished six-bedroom villa and pool in Providence golf resort with communal tennis courts for $650,000. Also in central Florida, a three-bedroom apartment beside the lake at Bella Collina golf community is $412,999 through Remax.

“We talk with people every week who have golf as their main priority but they don’t always end up buying on a golf course,” says Alistair Brown. “Given the number of courses in the state of Florida, many prefer to buy knowing they will have access to many different courses. Also consider though that homes on a golf course, particularly those situated on one of the greens, will typically increase in value a little faster than other homes.”

Portugal

Portugal is a golfing paradise, from the links courses of the Algarve up to those close to Lisbon. The Algarve on Portugal’s southern coast, famous for its annual 300 days of sunshine, water parks, glorious red cliffs and wide Atlantic beaches, has some of the most celebrated golf courses in Europe.

Mauritius

It might seem a long way to go for a round of golf – 12 hours from London – but Mauritius has become a premier golfing destination for affluent holidaymakers. The Indian Ocean island has ten championship courses to add to its sophisticated hotels, beautiful beaches and outstanding natural landscapes.

In the supremely natural and biodiverse Bel Ombre region in the south of the island, Heritage Villas Valriche has 288 private villas overlooking the sea on an elevated plot. Owners have access to two golf courses, two five-star hotels with a total of 12 restaurants and a beach club. Plots start from US$367,500 with completed two to six-bedroom villas from US$1,000,000.

“We are one of only a very few golf estates where you can buy a home overlooking the course and the facilities available to owners here are exceptional,” says Anton de Waal, CEO of Villas Valriche. “In addition, we focus strongly on sustainability. Our first golf course has achieved certified status from the independent Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) and our second course, the brand new La Reserve Golf Links, is the first in the Indian Ocean to be built in accordance with GEO standards for sustainability.”

The header image for this article was provided courtesy of Alistair Brown International Real Estate, Glasgow.

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