If you ask an avid golfer for a definition of heaven, it might be something like this: an instant membership in a world-class club, a golf cart in the garage, and access to the links from the front door. Truly, what could be more blissful than living where you play?
The Island community is justifiably proud of its four golf courses – one in Oak Bluffs, one in Vineyard Haven, and two in Edgartown. And the real estate market currently offers a number of homes for sale right next to the links at all of them.
A renovated post-and-beam at 37 Edgartown Meadows Road in Edgartown is not exactly on the thirteenth hole of Vineyard Golf Club, but the one-acre property – listed by Edgartown’s Wallace & Company Sotheby’s International Realty – has a decent view through the resident oak trees. For sale at $895,000, it’s just a chip shot to the fairway of this eighteen-hole, par-72, eco-friendly club.
A four-bedroom, four-bath single-family home (plus guest house) at 61 Curtis Lane enjoys panoramic views of the sixth and seventh holes at the eighteen-hole Edgartown Golf Club. Again, while not truly on the course, the 5,000-square-foot house, listed by Edgartown’s Harborside Realty at $2,495,000, makes up for it with upstairs water views of Trapp’s Pond and Nantucket Sound.
Several properties are available along the small but challenging (par 35 for nine holes) Mink Meadows Golf Club in Vineyard Haven, with prices ranging from $995,000 to $2,950,000. Some of the houses come with preferential spots on the club’s membership list.
For sure entry into the Island’s private golf-club world, however, the listing at 15 Overview Lane in Oak Bluffs includes a coveted stockholder’s membership in the Farm Neck Golf Club. The four-bedroom (plus one in the guest house) home, nestled on 3.5 acres between the second fairway and the sixth hole, is listed at $2,659,000 by Island Real Estate of Vineyard Haven and Kelleher Real Estate of West Tisbury.
“Right now, the only way to get a Farm Neck membership,” explains Lisa Reagan, who with her builder husband, Jack, is the current owner, “is to put your name on a list. Buying the house gets you an immediate full membership, so you don’t have to wait.
“The thing about the stockholder’s membership,” Lisa continues, “is it’s a lifetime family membership, so your children are automatically members for as long as you own the house.” Although the membership transfers with the property, the seller is also entitled to purchase a membership without being wait-listed.
Farm Neck Golf Club enjoys the prestige of being the favorite of two US presidents and many celebs. It was designed by Geoffrey S. Cornish, a prominent New England golf course architect. It features a variety of challenges – the foremost of which is not being distracted from the game by the amazing views. The topography includes woodlands, open meadows, salt marshes, and close encounters of the watery kind. And it’s all accessible by golf cart – one of which is included in the price of the home (though you don’t even need it if you just want to get in a few practice holes). “You can walk out and golf around the house on holes two through six,” says Lisa.
For active family members who aren’t quite as enthusiastic about golf, the home’s basketball court is just outside the front door. It’s not Celtics-worthy but just the right size for a game of Horse. A built-in combination hot tub and lap pool invite exercise and relaxation. Four outdoor tennis courts, walking/jogging/hiking/biking trails, and a private beach are within easy reach by golf cart, as are Farm Neck’s pro shop and café, and Hooked Restaurant.
The main house, two years old, includes 3,000-plus square feet of rustic architecture and modern convenience under a double-peaked roof. The eat-in kitchen, with its high-end appliances and custom cabinets, boasts wainscoting and soapstone countertops for a distinct farmhouse feel. A spacious formal dining room allows for off-season entertaining, but the screened-in dining area alongside the deck is the favorite of the current residents. “We practically live out there in the summer,” Lisa says.
The upstairs views of Sengekontacket Pond and the Farm Neck course give the best sense of place – and you can easily spy on your competition on the links.
