Living on the Links
in Pinehurst: Home
of American Golf
Can be Your Home too

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

PINEHURST, N.C. (Sept. 27, 2002) - Re/Max agent John Williams says he sees it all the time. A group of guys come to Pinehurst to play golf every year until one of them decides he'd like to make his home in the bucolic Sandhills region rather than visit it each season. Almost invariably, said fellow returns the next time with his spouse or significant other. As sure as the sun will rise, she proceeds to fall in love with the Village and all its turn of the century charm.

Game, set, match. Time to welcome a new couple to Moore County. According to Williams, there are enough couples moving to the Sandhills each year to make it one of the fastest growing regions in a state full of burgeoning metro areas. In 1990, the county was home to 59,013 residents and that number has swollen to over 70,000 today.

The question for these people becomes, "where to live?"

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The answer, more times than not, is on a golf course. Simply put, you don't decide to relocate to the Sandhills unless you live and breathe the game of golf. There is no beach. There are no mountains. Heck, you have to search far and wide for a movie theater or nightclub. But there are over 40 golf courses in the area, many of which are considered some of the best in the state and a few of which are considered the best in the country.

"This isn't Myrtle Beach, and no one ever wants it to be," Williams says. "People move here because it maintains is quaintness and quietness. Planning for growth is one of the biggest issues around here."

Unlike beach communities in the Carolinas, the Sandhills attract full time residents searching for a new "first" home. The majority of these transplants are in their 50's and are retiring from one job up north and looking to stay active by working at a golf course or in the service industry. And unlike some of the cost prohibitive retirement hot spots for the rich and famous, the Sandhills offer a wide variety of golf course properties.

"There's everything from gated, totally exclusive private developments to lower end homes on daily fee courses," says Williams.

The region's most lavish offerings are at Forest Creek and Mid-South (formerly Plantation) where lots range from $200,000 to $300,000 and custom homes run between $600,000 and $1 million. Pine Wild is also considered high end for the area, with homes located on the development's two 18-hole courses going for $400,000.

From the realm of the reasonable, Beacon Ridge at Seven Lakes West has home and lots available from $250,000 to $350,000. Many locals consider Beacon Ridge to be one of the best values in the area. Amenities include a Gene Hamm-designed golf course, Beacon Ridge Country Club, swimming pool, Har-Tru tennis courts, boat launch, 50-slip marina and shore-side park. And Lake Auman, a 1,000-acre, spring-fed lake is available for fishing, boating and various water sports.

"Only Beacon Ridge offers every property owner access to a private lake, country club and golf course at a comfortable mid-range price point," says GS Communities president and CEO Rick Sumerel.

For families on a fixed income, or just looking to save a buck or two, Foxfire has tasteful homes in the $180,000 to $250,000 range and a couple of refurbished golf layouts to go with them. In Aberdeen, Village Acres offers affordable homes in the low $100,000 range in the shadow of downtown Pinehurst. Williams says that potential buyers can even find affordable housing in and around the Village of Pinehurst, but most of the historic homes fall on the high-end of the real estate spectrum.

"The historic homes in the Village will run between $450,000 to well over a million dollars," he says.

One caveat, however, is that a number of homes in the Village come with vested memberships at the world famous Pinehurst Resort. If any previous owner of the property purchased a membership at the resort, that membership is made available to the new owner for a $10,500 transfer fee. Otherwise, memberships at the Resort are $30,000, and all members are subject to annual dues.

Another option for those wishing to live in or around the resort is Pinehurst No.6, one of the resort's "off campus" courses. The course was designed by George Fazio and nephew Tom back in 1979 and has long been considered one of the most difficult courses in the area. The property is blessed with six lakes and some hilly terrain that lends itself to a mountain community feel.

Just What are the Sandhills?

The Sandhills are located in central, North Carolina and are pervaded by sandy soil and predominated by long leaf pine trees. During the 1700 and 1800's, the region was inhabited and farmed by Scots, and was widely referred to as the "Pine Barrens." The county was named for Alfred Moore of Brunswick, a Revolutionary War hero then serving as attorney general of North Carolina. He later became a state judge and then an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The railroad made it to the area in the 1800's, and the Sandhills became an epicenter of the tar, turpentine and timber industries. Capitalizing on the favorable climate and economic times, John Patrick founded the town of Southern Pines as a "health resort" in 1887. New England soda mogul James Walker Tufts would follow shortly, founding the Village of Pinehurst in 1895. Shortly thereafter, Tufts hired a young Scotsman named Donald Ross to design a series of golf courses at the resort. Ross, who went on to design over 400 courses around the world, made his home on the famed No. 2 Course for 48 years.

Today, the Sandhills are home to three primary incorporated muncipalities: Southern Pines, the Village of Pinehurst and Aberdeen. Other smaller settlements such as West End, Robbins, Vass and Whispering Pines also add to the area's population. Summer is the "offseason" for golf, fall and spring are the peak season and residents and visitors even tee it up in the winter months when high temperatures still hover around the 50's and 60's.

Shane Sharp is a Contributing Writer with TravelGolf.com. Reach him at sharp@travelgolf.com.