Pros/Cons of living on a golf course? (how much, house)

[Breakaway_Girl]

Many of the homes we're looking at seem to be "on the golf course." We have two boys ages 7 and 8 and I'm wondering if having a home backing up to the 7th green is a good or bad thing? Any privacy concerns (especially on weekends when we'd be using our patio)? What about the boys? Is having a huge open space right in front of them going to be too much temptation? Is having a dog going to be a problem? Thanks!

[howellbk]

I can't offer any advice, but as an avid golfer I implore you that you must understand what you're getting yourself into if you do live along side a golf course. You will have golf balls in your yard. Your house will be hit by golf balls. You will have people walking through your backyard looking for lost balls. If this bothers you, please don't live on a golf course because no amount of signage will help deter golfers.

[bs13690]

Pros:

Nice, well cared for scenery
Easy access to a golf course

Cons:

People constantly walking near your house who can probably see into all your windows.
Broken windows from golf balls
Broken foreheads from golf balls
Broken glass patio table from golf balls
People coming onto your property to retrieve golf balls
Dog getting hit by golf balls
Dog gets onto the golf course and gets hit by golf balls

[rdub1968]

Not only golf balls:

[palmetto75]

For the newer courses (built since the early 90s) I'd only live behind a tee box. In theory you could get hit by some trick shot gone wrong but other than that you should be good to go. On the older courses built in the 60s and 70s there are several fairway lots where the fairways and out of bounds areas are very large and thus you still have a good bit of privacy/safety.

Also, a HUGE issue is whether the course is private or not. Private clubs generally have much less traffic AND typically better golfers.

[CharlotteGal]

I babysat for a family who lived on a golf course. It was hard with small children, because there were times the kids really needed to not yell if they were outside, and they were too young to understand that. So despite living somewhere where they had a great back yard, we'd walk to the park frequently. I don't think it's a kid-friendly environment.

I remember the Dad felt a lot of pressure, too, to keep the housing looking *perfect* at all times, because of the number of people seeing it - no junky piles on the back porch! Which, ultimately, I guess is a good thing, but if you go through a time where other things take a priority, that could cause stress. He said once that the house owned them, they didn't own the house.

[bs13690]

Originally Posted by palmetto75

For the newer courses (built since the early 90s) I'd only live behind a tee box. In theory you could get hit by some trick shot gone wrong but other than that you should be good to go. On the older courses built in the 60s and 70s there are several fairway lots where the fairways and out of bounds areas are very large and thus you still have a good bit of privacy/safety.

Also, a HUGE issue is whether the course is private or not. Private clubs generally have much less traffic AND typically better golfers.

My friend used to hook it across a 4 lane road into the yards of people who lived on the other side of a fence so I won't consider living anywhere near a golf course.

[Supachai]

Originally Posted by bs13690

Pros:

Nice, well cared for scenery
Easy access to a golf course

Cons:

People constantly walking near your house who can probably see into all your windows.
Broken windows from golf balls
Broken foreheads from golf balls
Broken glass patio table from golf balls
People coming onto your property to retrieve golf balls
Dog getting hit by golf balls
Dog gets onto the golf course and gets hit by golf balls

Most homes that are on golf courses are especially expensive as well. I just don't see the benefit of living on a golf course when you have all those cons to deal with. I've always thought about how much nicer it would be to live in a neighborhood with a private park and greenway between the homes. I figure if all that money is going to be spent on maintaining that area, then it would be better if everyone could enjoy it, not just the golfers. I have seen some neighborhoods like this, but they seem to be much less popular than golf course neighborhoods.

[Charlotteborn]

Originally Posted by bs13690

My friend used to hook it across a 4 lane road into the yards of people who lived on the other side of a fence so I won't consider living anywhere near a golf course.

You weren't supposed to tell anyone you played with me!

One other negative that I haven't heard anyone discuss is the chemical run-off. I have heard a number of complaints about the golf course chemicals used.

[BobosCurse]

We used to go swimming at a neighbor's house, they lived on the golf course.
It was weird. You sit on your patio while strangers stand just on the other side of your property line. You hear their conversations, smell their cigar smoke. It's definitely a strange way to live.