The Golf Club Lifestyle Is Now the Ultimate Real Estate Status Symbol

Golf has been popular since the turn of the 19th century, but increasingly, the affluent are seeking out fairways that can be lived on in luxurious style, serving as the nexus of their social network.

In 2024, there were approximately 3,200 golf facilities in the country with a real estate component, whether as part of a residential community or a resort real estate complex, according to the National Golf Foundation.

But experts say that the COVID-19 pandemic was really when the “golf lifestyle” exploded. Suddenly, being outside and engaging in an activity where you could easily “social distance” from the other players had immense appeal.

Exclusive golf communities that offered not just multiple courses but also other activities such as tennis, pickleball, hiking, and swimming, plus dining and social options, including classes and lectures, became all the rage.

Furthermore, belonging to the golf club was not enough—members wanted to live in it as well. And they are willing to pay a double-digit premium, a new analysis finds.

Inside the world’s most exclusive golf club communities

Michael Merrill of Douglas Elliman not only sells real estate in one of the most well-known and exclusive golf clubs in the nation—the 1,650-acre John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, FL—he is also a longtime member.

He says that those who buy within the club pay about a 25% to 30% premium above similar homes in the market. That jibes with the figures crunched by Douglas Elliman’s Megan Sullivan, who sells in the golf communities of Greenwich, CT, and Westchester, NY.

Adjacency to champion–level golf courses comes with an even higher premium: up to 35%, according to the analysis of multiple listing service data.

Nationwide, the baseline premium for golf course-adjacent homes is still an extra 7.6%, but not nearly as high as adjacency to a private club.

The cost doesn’t stop there. To be a member of an elite golf club means shelling out hundreds of thousands for an initiation fee, and then tens of thousands for annual dues. (And don’t forget the annual HOA fees for your home. In exclusive golf communities, they can be steep.)

Plus, a new member has to be sponsored by a current member, and there is a vetting process that sometimes goes on for months.

But as the old American Express commercial said, “Membership has its privileges.”

The golf club lifestyle

“To me, it’s like a sophisticated college campus,” Merrill tells Realtor.com of John’s Island. “You can look back on your life and the strongest, deepest social connections you had were probably in college.

“Families are playing golf together, but they’re also having dinner together, and then you hear they’re traveling to Europe together.”

John’s Island, founded in 1969, has an initiation fee (per family) of $375,000, plus $35,000 in annual dues. In exchange, you get not only three golf courses, but also three miles of ocean to the east and three miles of Indian River access to the west.

Then there’s the plethora of amenities: 17 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, 2 croquet lawns, indoor squash courts, a beach and pool with multiple activities, several dining options, and a variety of cultural and entertainment options.

Merrill says buyers are usually snapping up second homes inside the community, and therefore, haven’t necessarily had the time to develop local social circles. John’s Island provides a ready-made one.

There are 1,300 “door handles” in the community, including grand compounds on multiple acres, sizable single-family homes, townhouses, condos, and cottages. In April, a seven-bedroom riverfront estate on 1.67 acres was sold for $21,175,000.

The least expensive listing, according to a real estate company that deals exclusively with John’s Island properties, is a $590,000 oceanside 590-square-foot one-bedroom unit.

The median listing in the greater Vero Beach metro area is $429,900, according to Realtor.com data.

Merrill says a buyer doesn’t need to belong to John’s Island to own property within it, but one must own property to belong to the club. And, really, why would you pay this markup with no intention of belonging?

“When you buy in John’s Island, you’re not just purchasing a house; you’re purchasing the whole way of life,” he says. “You’re buying real estate and a lifestyle.”

He says the typical buyer/member is a retired Fortune 500 executive, someone who belongs to exclusive clubs all over the world.

“John’s Island is about as far away from a ‘Caddyshack’ environment as you can get,” he says. “There’s a standard. There are dress codes and expected conduct. The membership process is taken very seriously.”

And in case you’re concerned about a broken window from a flying golf ball, Merrill says in the 15 years he’s been a member of John’s Island, he’s never heard of such an event.

“It’s all very specific to the layout,” he says.

Another elite golf club in the Vero Beach area—Windsor—is on a smaller 472-acre parcel. It comes with similar amenities to John’s Island, but its key difference is that it also has equestrian facilities.

Currently, the priciest listing in this golf community is a $12,500,000 five-bedroom oceanfront estate.

As a former golf pro, Johnny DelPrete of Douglas Elliman is uniquely qualified to service the golf-loving clientele slightly north of Palm Beach.

Pro Greg Norman lives in Palm Beach Gardens, having purchased a mansion for $12.2 million in 2021, one day after selling his longtime mansion in Jupiter for $55.1 million.

A host of bold-faced names, including Tiger Woods, have homes in Jupiter. Here, there are multiple world-class golf communities, including Old Palm, Admirals Cove, Old Marsh, and Bear’s Club. Homes range from $3 million to a staggering $50 million.

DelPrete agrees that the appeal of these clubs isn’t necessarily the golf, but the lifestyle. However, that lifestyle is unique to each club. Some are more active than others.

“I had a client who purchased [in Bear’s Club] and had zero interest in golf, but joined for the privacy of a small community with no social scene and the 24/7 security,” he says.

On the other hand, some clients prefer a livelier club, such as Old Palm, with its dinner gatherings and monthly “pub nights.”

Even in Connecticut and Westchester, NY, with their months of cold weather, golf communities are increasingly luring deep-pocketed buyers.

In upscale Greenwich, the “golf ecosystem” hosts a plethora of private golf communities, including Greenwich Country Club, Round Hill Club, Stanwich, Tamarack, Fairview, Burning Tree, and Innis Arden.

Douglas Elliman’s Sullivan explains that the snow doesn’t really matter, as these seasonal residents tend to be north for only the warmer months.

“Many golf community buyers are able to play comfortably year-round because they split time between places like South Florida and Greenwich or Westchester,” she tells Realtor.com.

And even beyond the golf courses, amenities, and instant social network, Sullivan says there is an often overlooked appeal: the aesthetic.

“These communities can offer a more serene feel than many standard suburban neighborhoods,” she says. “There are manicured grounds and private security in a place where the neighborhood itself feels curated and insulated.

“The appeal is not just golf—it’s club life.”