Jack Nicklaus' The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Florida. LC Lambrecht

What members want is more than a good course; they want to maximize their investment. And often that is all about the value of a name. Having the right architect attached to your golf course has a major effect on property values. But is Fazio a homeowner's best friend? Not quite, but you certainly wouldn't want to kick him out of the neighborhood.

Colin Hegarty, president of Golf Research Group, studies the impact of golf-course architects on property values and says that the best value-added brand is Jack Nicklaus. Since 2000, Nicklaus has designed 75 residential courses with an average net value of the overall project (golf and real estate) of $245.9 million. Fazio comes in second at $214.4 million.

"Architect value numbers are relevant when you're thinking of buying a home at one community versus another," Hegarty says. "Homes at Nicklaus communities are like blue-chip stocks-their value grows dependably every year. Buying into one community can be a much better investment than another community."

Choosing a name architect is often more about marketing than the course. Just ask Ken Kavanaugh. He was two weeks from starting construction on a course in Sedona, Ariz., when the property was sold and the new owners bounced him in favor of Tom Weiskopf. "There's a niche out there which shops exclusively for designer labels, whether it's Gucci, Prada or a golf-course architect," Kavanaugh says. "A Timex and a Cartier both keep the same time, and I think there's room for both in the marketplace, but some folks aren't going to buy unless it's a Cartier."

Inside The Numbers: 3,600
The number of golf communities in the United States, totaling more than 1.45 million homes.

Money Men
According to Golf Research Group' U.S. Golf Real Estate Report, here are the Top 5 architects whose names add value as well as luster to your community:

1. Jack Nicklaus
2. Tom Fazio
3. Tom Weiskopf
4. Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
5. Gary Player