There will be an open house on September 7, 2007 at The Lodge at BridgeMill between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. The Lodge at BridgeMill is an Age 55+, no maintenance, apartment home project located at BridgeMill Country Club in Canton.

At the open house you’ll be able to see the twelve different floor plans

from the cozy one bedroom to the spacious and grand, 1700 square foot luxury unit, featuring two bedroom, two baths with den, all with patio or balcony.

Also, to be included in this project, are many amenities. Chesterfield’s at the Lodge will be the full service restaurant located onsite, while the pool and spa overlook the 16th hole of BridgeMill golf course.

The hotline phone number is 1-888-995-HOPE (4673)

* - These numbers are skewed due to their status as new construction

There aren’t too many golf course properties that feature townhomes that overlook a golf course. In fact, Overlook at Marietta Country Club is the only townhome opportunity on a golf course in Cobb County that I know about. Overlook at Marietta Country Club has 5 distinct communities within its borders. One of them is Winterfield Court Townhomes, which is situated on the 7th hole of the new 9 holes at the Marietta Country Club.

There are only 7 townhomes left that have a view of the golf course. Here’s a little information about each.

• Building 16/Unit 79 - The Bennett - End Unit - $503,400
• Building 16/Unit 84 - The Bennett - $488,900
• Building 16/Unit 86 - The Bennett - End Unit - $497,400
• Building 17/Unit 87 - The Edison - End Unit - $503,400
• Building 17/Unit 89 - The Edison $517,900
• Building 17/Unit 90 - The Bennett $493,400
• Building 17/Unit 92 - The Bennett $512,400

The Bennett is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom unit with optional space for a 4th bedroom/bathroom.

The Edison is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom unit.

If you would like to see the layouts, receive more information about the Overlook at Marietta Country Club or see these townhomes on the golf course in person, please contact Knox at anytime.

I can’t tell you how long I’ve been meaning to go there, but never been able to convince the wife, who is not a golfer, to trek all the way to the middle of nowhere, as she calls it. Do you think she would consider Pinehurst NC the middle of nowhere too?

Anyway, my wife’s parents were in town from Hilton Head for Thanksgiving and they are getting tired of the increased traffic and now hazard insurance post Katrina that is affecting not only Florida, but also coastal Georgia and North and South Carolina. My in-laws, apparently along with other residents of Hilton Head, are considering a move inland. Bonanza! I finally got the excuse I’ve always needed to visit Reynolds - and on a cloudless day to bout.

The only problem was that I didn’t get to take my golf clubs; that will have to wait for the next trip, but I certainly got the lay of the land - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Let me first tell you that Reynolds Plantation is a place I’ve been telling my wife that we are going to retire to and I’ve never even been there. With 81 holes of golf and everything I’ve seen in golf magazines, direct marketing and remember from the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf from 1997, Reynolds has always been the destination in the back of my mind. As time is ticking away in Alpharetta, I’ve worried that I was missing the boat, but let me assure you, there is still plenty of opportunity at Reynolds.

The Reynolds family owns about 10,000 acres on Lake Oconee; only about half of it is developed. The part that is developed is very well done. I was struck my how wooded the development is. I expected to see lake everywhere, but actually the lake is somewhat narrow and not in view all the time given the hills and trees.

I wouldn’t call the lake small though, with 360 miles of coast line. However, it is not the only water feature on the golf courses. There are lots of little lakes nestled in the nooks and crannies of the rolling hills. And of what I saw of the fifth course, The Creek Club, under construction, the design and bunkering is diabolical.

To sum it up: I need to go back and actually play some golf. The only way to do that is to stay at the Ritz Carlton Lodge, where you have playing privileges on all four courses. Any prospective clients want to be my “get out of jail free card” with my wife to go play golf? Prospective buyers at Reynolds Plantation can also arrange “prospecting stays” and be accommodated in the condos at the marina for about $100 / night with some golf thrown in.

While at the course, I learned that members get a discount to play at nearby Woodmont Golf Club. Members pay $25 during the week and $50 after 1PM on the weekends. This is because Affiniti Golf Partners is now managing both properties. Affiniti, based in Alpharetta, purchased ACC this summer and has spent $500k updating the facilities. It is not lavish, but it is a functional place where you can enjoy family golf and activities.

The course was originally a 9-hole course, which was later expanded to 18. The greens were rolling very nicely the day we played, spiffed up with their new rye grass for the winter.

Alpharetta Country Club is located near Freemanville Road and Dinsmore Road in the new City of Milton. Many builders in the area are also offering memberships to ACC as an amenity package for their homes that don’t have swim and tennis.

Kevin Warmath
www.LiveInAlpharetta.com

Riley has also collaborated with Curtis Strange on the latest Horton masterpiece, Governors Towne Club in Acworth.

Crooked Creek was Horton’s third golf course community in the Alpharetta area. He first built Country Club of the South in collaboration with Nicklaus, which is likely where he became acquainted with Riley. Horton went on to develop St. Ives County Club next. Both St. Ives and Country Club of the South represent some of the most desirable golf course living in the area.

Governors Towne Club is the latest project and is not only a collaboration between Riley and Strange for the golf course design, but the 500-home community is also a digitally wired community in partnership with BellSouth. Residents can choose options for various forms of home automation including security, HVAC, sprinkler and video systems and well as internet access.

Kevin Warmath
www.LiveInAlpharetta.com

The course is not as manicured as a private club, but it is still in reasonable shape. They’ve overseeded all the tee boxes, which are now starting to fill in. The greens were in decent enough shape. It is not a terribly long course, even from the back tees, but there are some narrow holes. You need to hit the ball where you are lined up!

The great thing is that it was a beautiful Fall day. From the 8th tee box, you look down the hill, across the lake and towards the back nine and you know why you live in Alpharetta.

Plus, there was no one there. Maybe it was because everyone was home watching the Falcons lose, but there tee sheet was wide open and I didn’t call until 3:30PM.

If you’re interested in real estate around this course, look into Champions View. The neighborhood has four or five different sections that are not contiguous and are adjacent to different areas on the course. My favorite section is the one accessed from Thompson Road on the back nine. The newest homes are accessed from Hopefull Road and follow the 10th hole.

In a market where you can’t turn around without bumping into an $800,000 home, real estate in The Manor is jumping off the curb.

The front nine of the Tom Watson golf course is now open for play and the new golf pro is David Wilding, formerly from Harbor Town in Hilton Head.

The Manor has turned out to be quite a success by real estate standards considering that it has such a rocky history and was so feverishly contested by the local community. At issue back then was the development of a private sewage treatment plant inside the development and that it would be a precident for other private sewage setups and ultimately higher density in North Fulton.

So far, that hasn’t happened. And I hear the Forsyth County is eyeing the treatment plant as a place they can send sewage. That would actually be good for The Manor because apparently the state of the art treatment plant really doesn’t run well unless it has a decent demand on it.

The mid term report card is in on The Manor and it is good so far. Predictions are for sales to remain strong. I’m still waiting for my invite to try the golf course; hopefully it is as good as the real estate.

Kevin is an expert on the golf course communities in North Fulton and Forsyth Counties and over the next few months you’ll see just how lucky we all are to have his voice here on Golf Homes of Atlanta.