If you’ve been led to believe that golf can only be enjoyed at some exclusive members-only country club with inheritance-busting dues, you’re in for a big surprise once you start searching for a home in Delaware. From north to south and east to west there are many beautifully maintained public courses with reasonable fees.
I noticed this years ago when I first moved to Sussex County and came across The Rookery https://www.rookerygolf.com/, Bethany Bay Golf Club https://bethanybaygolf.com/experience and the fabulous Baywood Greens https://www.baywoodgreens.com/golf, all of which offer spectacular courses at fees that tend to be much lower than clubs in larger metro areas. In the years since I’ve come to realize there are also abundant options in central Delaware’s Kent County and upstate in New Castle as well. Which means that regardless of where you call home, you can easily enjoy this wonderful pastime that you can play well into your 80s.
But what if it’s less of a “pastime” and more of an outright passion – something you’ve been dreaming about doing every day once you retired?
In that case the news is even better, because our Web site https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/ spotlights 11 vibrant lifestyle communities where golf is either included as an amenity or a wonderful option right outside your door. Here are a few highlights.
In New Castle County . . .
You can embrace a golf-centric lifestyle in a beautiful area at Legacy at Odessa National https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/legacy-at-odessa-national/. It was founded in 2006, so there are many homes with mature landscaping in a well-established neighborhood with lots of amenities, including a clubhouse and fitness center, a spa and tennis courts, and miles of walking trails. As a resident you’ll also have access to Odessa National Golf Club http://www.odessanationalgolfclub.com/index.htm, with its spectacular 18-hole course and wonderful restaurant. Homes for sale are currently priced in the mid $400s.
In Western Sussex County . . .
You can live well and hassle free by leasing at Coastal Run at Heritage Shores https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/coastal-run-at-heritage-shores/ or buying a home at Heritage Shores https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/heritage-shores/. The Arthur Hills golf course https://www.heritageshores.com/ is part of a popular event venue, and you’ll also have access to a clubhouse and aquatic center with indoor and outdoor pools and a whirlpool along with tennis, pickleball and bocce courts. And if you don’t feel like cooking the Sugar Beat restaurant and Passwaters 1730 Tavern are right next door https://www.heritageshores.com/dining-hours-and-menus. Homes for sale are currently priced between the mid $300s and $400s.
Close to Selbyville in Sussex County . . .
You can have that country club lifestyle with a nautical flair at Bayside Resort https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bayside-resort/ near the beaches of Fenwick Island and Ocean City. This is upscale living, with homes from the mid $300s to over $2 million. In addition to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course https://golfbayside.com/index.htm, you’ll have access to a beach and kayak launch on the Assawoman Bay along with the Health and Aquatic Club.
Down Near Bethany in Sussex County . . .
About 3 miles west of Bethany Beach you can play golf and tennis, work out at a top notch fitness center, enjoy a clubhouse with a restaurant and banquet facilities and attend outdoor performances at Bear Trap Dunes https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bear-trap-dunes/. The large homes in this scenic setting range from the mid $400s to around $800,000. And if you want to ride the waves but avoid the traffic there’s even a shuttle to the beach!
Close by, with more water access, is the lovely Bethany Bay community https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bethany-bay/. You’ll be close to the charming eateries and recreation offered in nearby Bethany Beach and the fabulous Bethany Bay Golf Club https://bethanybaygolf.com/experience. Homes here range from the mid $300s to around $700,000.
Around Millsboro in Sussex County . . .
You can find a wonderful home at Stonewater Creek https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/stonewater-creek/ located close to the famed Baywood Greens https://www.baywoodgreens.com/community with its spectacular golf course https://www.baywoodgreens.com/golf, restaurant, pool, tennis courts and marina. Homes in Stonewater Creek range from the mid $400s to $600s, and homes in Baywood Greens range from the mid $300s to low $500s, with new homes being built that are not yet priced.
Plantation Lakes https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/plantation-lakes/
is another community in the same area, with access to the Plantation Lakes Golf and Country Club https://www.plantationlakesclub.com/, with its renowned 18-hole course and restaurant. With prices in the mid $200s to around $700,000 you’ll get a golf-centric resort lifestyle within an easy drive of the Delaware and Maryland beaches.
One of our most renowned golf courses and communities is at Peninsula https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/peninsula/. It features the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, which is also a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, and encompasses almost 800 acres of beautiful land leading up to the Indian River Bay. If your spouse and friends are less interested in the links but love the outdoors, there are tennis and pickleball courts, a big aquatic center with a wave pool, and nature trails offering picturesque water views. There are lots of home options, from condos to townhouses to single family residences priced from the mid $300s to $2.4 million.
And if you want to settle near Rehoboth, you can’t go wrong at the RBYCC or King’s Creek.
Since its inception in 1981, the Rehoboth Beach Yacht & Country Club https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/rehoboth-beach-yacht-country-club/
has been a premier resort community with wooded homesites, ample access to the Rehoboth Bay, and a wonderful 18-hole golf course. Rehoboth Beach is an easy drive, and close to home you’ll enjoy a wonderful restaurant, pool and tennis courts. Prices currently range from $400,000 to $975,000.
Nearby Kings Creek https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/kings-creek/ also offers an 18-hole golf course, a pool and tennis courts and a gorgeous wooded setting minutes from the beaches, with prices currently ranging from $800,000 to $1.6 million.