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November 2002

Georgia, Carolinas, and Mid-Atlantic options

By BRIAN McCALLEN
Senior Editor, GOLF MAGAZINE

Coastal regions in Georgia -- specifically the Jekyll Island area near Brunswick, which is enjoying a golf renaissance -- offer a superb three-season climate for golf (summers can be hot and humid). The Greensboro area midway between Atlanta and Augusta, notably the Lake Oconee region, has come alive with several top-notch resort and residential developments, particularly Reynolds Plantation. The mountains of northeast Georgia near Clayton and Tallulah Gorge ("Grand Canyon of the South") offer exceptional beauty and as yet undiscovered second-home living opportunites. So does the rugged terrain in northwest Georgia, where Barnsley Inn and Golf Resort is the current beacon of excellence.

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From Hilton Head Island to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina offers many fine living choices along the coast. The kingpin, of course, is Myrtle Beach, the dream choice of golf-minded snowbirds based on its reputation as the world capital of public golf. There are, after all, more than 100 courses and .counting. They range in quality from decent to superlative. As in Georgia, South Carolina has a little-known mountain region in the northwest portion of the state with a mild year-round climate that's perfect for golf. Greenville, a straight run on I-395 from the state capital of Columbia, is the gateway to the "other" Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.

>North Carolina may offer the most .interesting array of environments for golf and second-home living of any state east (or west) of the Mississippi. From Cape Fear outside Wilmington to the Outer Banks, .residents can enjoy a temperate climate and an excellent array of solid, well-priced daily-fee courses. The fishing is good, too. Moving inland to the sandhills is Pinehurst, which needs no introduction as a golf mecca. North of Pinehurst is the Research Triangle of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, where rolling, wooded hills and a pleasant year-round climate provide a perfect canvas for the game. In addition to a good selection of courses, the job opportunities, medical facilities, and university access here are excellent. The mountains of western North Carolina have been drawing golfers since Atlantan Bobby Jones beat the heat by .visiting Linville one summer. Serene and .relatively isolated -- Asheville is the region's hub -- the area offers exceptional beauty, a four-season climate, and possibly the finest mountain golf in the nation, with housing opportunities to match.

Nearly as diverse as North Carolina is Virginia, where the sleepy Eastern Shore north of Virginia Beach, flanked by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic, is beginning to come alive as a prime second-home golf destination. The quality of life in Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia and Jefferson's Monticello, has always offered a high quality of life along with a handful of fine daily-fee courses. Along the Potomac River west of Washington, D.C., is Virginia's rolling horse country. Real estate prices are generally higher here because of easy access to the nation's capital and Dulles International Airport, but the golf at Lansdowne, Raspeberry Falls, and other area courses is well above average.

Very quietly, Maryland has become one .of the hottest golf states in the mid-Atlantic region over the past five years. On the Eastern Shore, there's Ocean City, which offers a dozen public-access layouts, notably Lighthouse Sound, plus a casual beach resort atmosphere. Golf is played year-round. In the outlying areas of Baltimore and Frederick, several high-quality daily fee courses have been built that rank among the state's best.