Golf Course & Waterfront Living: Live, Play, Relax

With today’s planned lifestyle communities, golf and boating enthusiasts have an opportunity to purchase the home of their dreams just a chip shot away from the green or stone’s throw from the marina. In addition to an ideal home setting, golf and waterfront community residents enjoy an active and diversified lifestyle experience complete with first-class golf courses, marinas, beaches, spas, clubhouses, recreation areas, fine dining and countless other amenities.

Out of the 10,000 master planned communities across the United States, over 2,500 are built around golf courses and pristine waterfront property. Making sense of all the options can be mind boggling. If you are thinking about relocating to one of these golf and waterfront communities, it is imperative to be able to distinguish one community from the next and more importantly, know what to look for before you buy.

Community Types
In the past, golf and waterfront master planned communities catered to distinct segments of the housing market, namely middle to upper income empty nesters and retirees. Things have changed. Today, golf course and waterfront developments are designed to accommodate budgets of all levels and generally fall into one of two categories: multi-generational and age restricted.

The construction of multi-generational communities represents a recent trend in planned community home building. The underlying idea is to attract a diverse population of families including retirees and young professionals of varying income levels and backgrounds in order to establish a robust and vibrant community. After decades of building age restricted communities, builders and developers have recognized that the traditional elements of planned community living such as security, on-site amenities and low maintenance housing appeal to home buyers of all ages.

Most new communities are multi-generational developments. Vistancia situated in the beautiful Sonoran desert outside of Peoria, Arizona is a recently opened golf community attracting individuals and families of all ages. Since home sales began in March 2004, almost 500 families have moved into this scenic development with 1,700 total acres of open space and a 900-acre mountain preserve.

Conversely, age restricted planned communities are developed for the +55 home owner with amenities and facilities for today’s discerning empty nester and retiree. Typically, the age restriction requires one household resident to be at least 55 in order to qualify for home ownership. Over the last decade, an evolution has occurred with the age restricted community model of yesteryear making way for contemporary activity based developments complete with lavish amenities and world-class recreation areas, not to mention the conventional facilities required by the +55 demographic.

The undisputed leader in age restricted master planned community development is Del Webb. Since the 1960s, Del Webb has constructed numerous age restricted golf and waterfront communities across the United States. Del Webb’s Sun City developments are arguably the most recognizable line of age restricted communities stretching from coast to coast with Sun City Hilton Head in North Carolina and Sun City Lincoln Hill in California.

Location
The most important criterion in selecting a traditional home is location and the same is true when deciding on a golf and waterfront community. The old adage “location, location, location” aside, one has to consider whether the new property will serve as a primary residence, second home getaway or retirement abode. The final location decision is generally based on three primary factors: home use, surrounding area and local weather.

For most of us working folk, our primary residence is located within an hour or so of a major metropolitan center. Don’t fret, there are hundreds of golf and waterfront communities centrally located within driving distance from most major metropolitan areas. If by chance you live near Dallas, you have several options to choose from including Stonebridge Ranch in north Dallas and Black Horse Ranch which is only 25 minutes from downtown. Washington D.C. commuters are also in luck with conveniently located golf and waterfront communities in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Belmont Country Club, a Toll Brothers property, is a mere 40 minutes from Washington D.C. in Ashburn, Virginia. These examples represent only a fraction of the actual number of suburban golf and waterfront developments.

The location decision is a bit more complicated and not as clear cut when one considers purchasing a second home retreat or retirement residence. In this situation, other factors come in to play such as the activity and cultural richness of the immediate area and of course, local weather. If you are looking for a second home, would you like to be nestled in the woods away from the hustle and bustle of the city, located in a more suburban area or some in between?

Climate is also an integral factor to take into consideration when purchasing a home particularly if you are feeling abused by recent harsh winters. This may clearly point to a direction that takes you out of your home state or even to another part of the country. Conversely, the summer’s never ending heat may drive you to consider the cooler climates up north. Fortunately, there are 2,500 golf and waterfront communities spread out across the United States from Minnesota to Texas and California to Massachusetts.

What is clear in the case of retirement homes is that good local health care and transportation facilities are a must. For most retirees, living over 60 miles away from the closest hospital or airport is just not an option. In the end, it comes down to striking a balance between modern necessities and the beauty of the great outdoors.

Amenities
Once you have settled on a geographic location, the next area to focus on is amenities. These can vary greatly from one golf and waterfront development to the next. Typically, these expanded ‘goodies’ fall into two categories: conveniences and lifestyle enhancements. Conveniences include such things as security services, home maintenance, gardening services, concierge service, on-site retail and office space, cable television and high-speed internet.

Lifestyle enhancements relate to recreation activities and rest and relaxation befitting an enhanced life of leisure. One can find a mix of facilities at planned communities which support numerous activities like tennis, hunting, boating, skiing, and hiking. To balance the rigors of recreation, planned communities provide residents with rest and relaxation amenities such as spas, clubhouses, wilderness preserves, pools, beaches and fine dining.

With real estate opportunities for every budget, isn’t it about time you looked into moving to a golf and waterfront community that offers unbelievable vistas, year round activities, low maintenance living and first-class amenities?

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Choosing the Right Golf Clubs

Planning on becoming the next Tiger Woods? If so, the first thing you might consider is getting some new golf clubs. Choosing the right golf clubs can make the difference between spending your time on the fairways and greens and spending your time in the rough. Although famed golfer Ben Hogan once said, "The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight", for my money, having the right set of golf clubs runs this a close second.


First, I'll assume you aren't a pro. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be here; you'd be out perfecting that already outstanding golf swing. For the amateur golfer, choosing the right golf clubs hinges on two factors - distance and accuracy - and, of these, accuracy is the more important. The ability to hit the ball half-way across town may sound great, but if you can't keep it on the fairway, out of the bunkers, and heading for the flag, then all the distance in the world isn't going to help your game. So, the starting point for all of us needs to be accuracy. Once the ball starts going just where we want it to go with reasonable consistency we can start working on building distance.


Of course, cost can be a big issue when choosing a new set of clubs, but since that's a personal conversation between you your wallet – and maybe your spouse – we won't cover it here. Don't forget though that you don't need to buy tailor-made golf clubs and that a good starting point may well be one of the many outlets for discount golf equipment. Another good starting point is to look at pre-owned golf clubs.


Begin by analyzing what's going to best fit your needs. The primary set of clubs in every golfer's bag is the irons, so that's what I'm going to concentrate on here. Irons have several characteristics to consider when you're choosing golf clubs.


The first thing to look at is the method of manufacture. Irons are normally made either by casting or forging. For the novice golfer cast irons are generally better because they have a bigger sweet spot on the club face. The sweet spot is the area on the club face that you want to contact the ball and, as a general rule, the larger the sweet spot the greater the room for error in your swing. In other words, with a large sweet spot you can miss hitting the ball directly on the center of the club face and still end up with a decent shot. Forged irons are better for more advanced golfers because they allow for better control of trajectory, allowing you to hit the ball at a desired angle to get the height necessary for the result you want.


The next thing to consider is the size of the head. As a novice golfer, you'll find a definite trade-off here. A bigger head equals a bigger sweet spot and more tolerance of miss-hits. However, at the same time, a bigger head is also a little harder to control. You'll probably want to start with a set of irons with medium-sized heads. They're easier to control than the oversized-heads, but they still have a bigger sweet spot than the traditional, smaller heads.


Bet you didn't know there were this many factors to choosing the right set of golf clubs! Well, I'm not quite done yet.


Another factor to think about when choosing golf clubs is what the head is made of - cast iron, stainless steel, or titanium. Titanium heads are best for novice golfers as this light material allows for a bigger head, without making the club too heavy. Bigger head equals bigger sweet spot! If the cost of titanium heads is beyond your wallet's reach, then consider cast iron rather than steel. They're durable and the harder material can help improve both accuracy and consistency.


Swing speed is also important in deciding upon the right golf clubs. Golfers with lower swing speeds can benefit from more flexible graphite shafts that are a bit longer and lighter. With a higher swing speed, it's more likely you want to focus on accuracy, so stiffer and heavier steel shafts can help you develop that accurate ball placement that gets your name on the leader board.


Obviously, there are many factors to consider when choosing the right golf clubs. But consider what the comedian Henny Youngman once said, "The other day I broke 70. That's a lot of clubs." Choosing the right golf clubs for your game and level of play can reduce both your handicap and the number of clubs you get the urge to break!


Copyright 2006 Aldwin Pet


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Popular Destinations for Golfers

Every year, a lots of people go on summer trips. Whether it's a trip with the family, a romantic getaway with your partner, or an adventure with friends, picking the right destination is difficult. It can be hard to find something that offers activities everyone will like. If you're big on golfing, consider a golf resort for your next vacation.

Golf resorts are spread all around the world. If you're searching in the United States, you'll come up with plenty of them. Golf resorts in many states only stay open during the spring and summer. A great deal of resorts are found in states such as Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and North and South Carolina.

While golf resorts mainly focus on, well, golf, there are plenty of other things you can do when you arrive. These other activities might be a big help if you're traveling with your family, especially if they aren't as crazy about golf as you are. In this case, you should probably look for amusement parks, beaches, or other diversions in the area.

If you want beaches, take a look at the resorts in Myrtle Beach. Try Myrtlewood Golf Resort and Villas, right near South Carolina's Myrtle Beach. This golf resort, a short drive away from the beach, is a perfect choice for golfers bringing their families along. You can also find more resorts in the area close to the beach by checking out places by the coast.

Besides looking for other activities for the family, you can also check in to one of the especially family-friendly golf resorts. The Marriott Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, in California is only one out of many resorts that are made for the whole family. The Marriot Rancho Las Palmas boasts swimming pools and water slides, tennis courts, camp for kids and even on-site spas.

Remember to consider the cost of these resorts. Cost should be as big a factor as the close-by activities you want and the actual location of the golf resort. If traveling with family members or someone who doesn't golf, why not look for courses that give discounts to non-players?

For most people, a golf resort is a place to relax and play golf. The cost includes your use of on-site courses. You're paying for a number of things: the play itself, lessons, and use of golf carts. Non-golfers shouldn't have to pay for these golf services. Many U.S. golf courses don't ask full price from non-golfers.

If you're on a budget, you can save money in a number of ways. Look for coupons or packages on-line. You can find them on a bunch of discount travel sites. Your local travel agency might also be able to help you..

If you're dying to spend long hours—or even days—golfing, then you should definitely consider a golf resort. Whether vacationing alone or with family or friends, there are many exciting activities at the numerous golf resorts across America.

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How To Play a Really Short Golf Game

If you stand within about 120 yards of a hole, you're probably getting a respectable number of your shots. But did you know you can work on making your game better, while at the same time making it shorter? Here's one easy way to make your game shorter: play backwards! It might be frustrating to keeping missing balls only three feet from the hole, over and over, but have faith. Practice!

Once you get to the course, you've got to pick out the proper golf club. When you're on course, make sure to begin with the right one. For making those higher shots, grab a club that can keep the ball soaring. But don't forget, when you’re putting, soaring balls aren’t what you need to hit that hole. Choosing the best club is very important, so make certain it's the proper one for the distance you're playing..

If shooting low, you should stand mostly on the balls of your feet, in a parallel position to the ball. But remember, the word is “mostly.” It doesn't mean all of your weight! When you're looking to shoot higher, you should stand farther back and a tad behind the ball, putting only a small amount of your weight onto the front part of your foot.

Smashing the ball hard won't necessarily make it go where you have planned. In this case, accuracy is crucial. You must manage to hit the “sweet spot” of the ball using the square part of the club face. Doing so regularly will help improve your game to a great extent. Something else to have in the back of your mind when getting ready for that shot: ensure that the club handle is always coming before the face.

To prevent yourself from hanging back and blasting the ball sky-high, stand on your front foot with the toe of your other foot. This is known as the "flamingo drill", and it's purpose is to shift the weight to your front leg.

Here's a good way to remember proper technique: wherever your head is, your weight should be. To eliminate those awful chip shots, put weight on the front. The more time the ball stays on the ground, the more accurate.

Using a seven iron, grip the club down a bit, farther than you usually do. Make sure your stance is slightly open, your shoulders flush with your target line. Pull the club back about a foot and half or so. Get a good putting stroke, swing and make the follow-through the same distance after your hit.

For a good chip, you're going to have to place your hands slightly in front of the ball, lean a little towards the target, flex your knees and bring in your stance. If you hit that sweet spot, you're not going to need a big whack. You're not trying to hit the clouds, so fix your aim on the bottom of the ball, and give it a nice, smooth swing. Just don't let your wrists take a break too early on your downswing.

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