Excitement for golf’s Ryder Cup is building, with Europe’s best players taking on the USA at Italy’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club this weekend. But the latest research from Quickmove Properties has revealed that if you want to purchase a property within close proximity to a top golf course, it’s going to cost you.
Golf is one of Britain’s favourite pastimes, with an estimated 1,790 golf courses to choose from – that’s 2.8 per 100,000 of the population. While 75% of these total courses are found across England, it’s Scotland that sits top for golf course availability, with 6.5 courses for every 100,000 Scots.
Yorkshire tops the table as England’s golf course hotspot, home to 139 courses. South Glamorgan boasts almost 20% of Welsh courses, while Lanarkshire sits top in Scotland, home to 16% of the country’s golf courses.
The research by Quickmove Properties also analysed house prices across postcodes boasting 30 of Britain’s best golf clubs and found that, on average, a bricks and mortar property will set you back £265,954 – 10% more when compared to the cost of buying across their wider respective local authorities.
The most prestigious of the lot is Fife’s KY16 postcode, home to the famous golf links at St Andrews and Kingsbarns. The average house price in the postcode is currently £313,787, a huge 79% higher than the wider average of £175,568 found across Fife.
The Sunningdale Golf Club postcode of SL5 ranks third in Britain and boasts the highest price premium in England, coming in 67% more expensive than the wider area where property prices are concerned. Pennard Golf Club in Swansea is home to the highest golf club house price premium in Wales and the second highest in Britain, with the average house price of £335,998 in the SA3 postcode sitting some 76% above the wider Swansea average.
Despite these price premiums, 10 of the best courses are also home to a greater degree of property price affordability when compared to the wider areas in which they are found, meaning you can realistically live within reach of the first tee – or the 19th.
Property prices surrounding world-famous Turnberry Golf Club in South Ayrshire are some 38% more affordable than the wider area, with Cruden Bay (-25%), Pyle and Kenfig (-22%), Ashburnham (-18%) and Ardfin (-16%) also home to considerably lower property prices.
Across the Vale of Glamorgan CF32 postcode, home to the Southerndown Golf Club, the average property costs just £140,104 – some 56% less than the wider average of £317,046.
Another Open Championship venue is Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club which boasts the biggest property price discount in England, coming in -5% more affordable than the wider area of Fylde, followed by Dover’s Royal Cinque Ports (-4.2%).
Royal Birkdale and Royal St David’s also boast marginal house price discounts versus the wider areas in which they are found.
Sales Director at Quickmove Properties, Mark O’Dwyer, commented:
“Golf is one of our favourite national pastimes, especially for people in or approaching retirement.
It can be a costly pursuit once you account for equipment, membership, green fees and a regular stop at the 19th hole. It’s also likely to cost a fair bit more if you actually want to reside close to a golf club, with house prices commanding a 10% premium across the nation’s top 30 clubs alone.
Of course, the key when house hunting is to do your research as you may well find a very affordable property within arm’s reach of a very well respected golf club.
One sure fire way to bypass the high cost of a golf club adjacent property is to consider a modern residential park home development. Today, many coastal, rural and semi-urban parks boast high-end properties just a 3-wood away from a local golf course!
This is largely due to the land requirements for golf courses and park home sites. They are both rural yet close to local amenities, a blend which appeals to silver downsizers and golfers alike. And with many coastal residential park home developments having previously held holiday park licenses, they are often in areas that boast an array of leisure attractions to suit such a lifestyle, whether it be golf, fishing, sailing, hiking and more.”
