For some, it’s the smell of freshly cut grass and the brush of leaves in the breeze, creating an escape from daily stressors.
For others, it’s a competitive arena where precision skills are honed. It’s where business is sealed with a handshake, lifelong friendships are forged, wagers are won—and drinking is not only permitted, but encouraged.
It’s been called “a good walk spoiled” (Mark Twain), “the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off” (Chi Chi Rodriguez), and “an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle” (many, many folks).
If the allure of golf has you in its grip, as it does for so many, perhaps you’ve entertained the fantasy of living near a golf course. Affordable real estate with great proximity to a course might sound too good to be true, like hitting a hole-in-one with your first swing of the day (or ever). But we’re here to correct that notion.
The data team at Realtor.com® found the places in the U.S. that have the best balance of great access to golf courses, relatively affordable real estate, and weather best suited for days on the greens. Some of these towns you’ve surely heard of and might assume come with a high price. Others are hidden gems you might not have thought of as great golf markets.
Whether you’re a near pro, a weekend duffer, or someone who just likes the idea of living near a course, you might just find your dream home on the green. Even if you’re not a golfer, these cities offer a lot to appreciate, from excellent weather to a high quality of life.
“In most residential golf communities, it’s only about a quarter of residents who are active golfers,” says Brad Klein, a golf course design consultant and golf journalist. “So what that tells you is that a lot of people are drawn to the golf community, even if they don’t play golf.”
Most golf communities draw a highly diverse group of homebuyers who nonetheless share certain bonds: They’re physically active and crave regular social interaction, says Klein.
“If you have golf, you probably also have pickle ball, swimming, platform tennis, a gym, and a social center at the local clubhouse,” he says. “Even if you don’t play, you have all kinds of options living near this sort of community.”
The cities on our list aren’t just golf havens. Many are also places with a high quality of life, where a cost of living below the national average makes them affordable not just in terms of real estate, but also in terms of everyday expenses.
We found these places by first rounding up all the real estate listings on Realtor.com from the past year within a 10-minute drive (in normal conditions) from one or more of the 6,445 public and private golf courses in the nation that we were able to map out. Then we aggregated home price data for those listings by city.
Then we factored in the number of golf courses clustered in those areas and weighed the climate and weather patterns—favoring places with more warm days to hit the links. Finally, we selected just one place per state, to ensure geographic diversity. (Otherwise, the list would be mostly Florida towns, along with some Mississippi locations and a couple of spots in Arizona.)
Let’s tee off into our top 10 locations for finding affordable homes near a golf course.
Get all the details on Realtor.com
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