Gchn Milestones Issue 1000 Apri 3 2015

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GCH Network Newsletter

Communities On the Water & the Golf Course
Vol. 16, No. 1,000 April 3, 2015 Circ. 16,000

Today’s Real Estate Deals & News

* Major Milestones – A Golf Course Home Timeline
* New Last Week: Piper’s Landing, FL

* Best Discovery Deal Shorts – Golden Ocala, FL
* Summer Rentals – West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard
* Coming Soon to GolfCourseHome – NC & TN Communities
* Watch for our Next Issue – Tuesday, April 7th!

Welcome to a special edition of the GCH Newsletter–our 1,000th issue! It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 15 years since we wrote our first issue in 2000. Remember Y2K? To celebrate this major milestone, please see below a timeline that notes important years in our growth and other key happenings along the way.

Print cover of GCH section in INC. Magazine

We especially want to celebrate the savvy communities that were with us way back in 1995 during our print period and those who quickly realized the potential of our first website which was launched in 1999. Look at the dates and try to remember where you were during these years and what kind of golf or waterview community you were dreaming about purchasing in. And, of course, thank you for being a loyal subscriber!–David Lott, Founder/Publisher

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COMMUNITY NEWS AND UPDATES

GCHN Milestones

Carolina Trace, NC: One of the first communities to join GCH.

1995

GolfCourseHome begins life as a preprinted insert in regional editions of INC. Magazine. First participating communities include Reynolds Plantation, GA, Carolina Trace, NC, Cypress Landing, NC (official relaunch on GCH is next week), and Ford’s Colony, VA. Buyers search for golf and waterview real estate almost exclusively via print media—magazines, newspapers and direct mail. America Online (AOL.com) is 10 years old.

1996

Tiger Woods leaves Stanford University and turns professional. Within eight months he would capture his first major championship, the 1997 Masters, with a record-low score of 18-under-par 270, and by a record margin of 12 strokes over the runner-up finisher.

1997

The first full set of ultra-dwarf bermudagrass putting greens were planted in Florida. These special warm-region hybrids, branded as Champion TifEagle and MiniVerde, proved superior to previous bermuda strains and are now the standard for speed and smoothness on high-end Sunbelt courses.

1998

Amelia Island Plantation, FL: First in print and online.

The GolfCourseHome insert in INC. Magazine is published three times and features Champion Hills, NC and Glenmore, VA among others.

1999

GolfCourseHome.net is launched along with the last INC. insert, signaling the official transition of GolfCourseHome from traditional magazine format to Internet entity. GolfCourseHome is ranked No. 1 on Google for ‘golf course communities’ and ‘golf course living’—rankings which it still claims in 2015.

2000

Colleton River Plantation, SC: Bagger Vance plays here.

“The Legend of Bagger Vance,” directed by Robert Redford, premiers. The film contains Lowcountry golf scenes shot at Colleton River Plantation, which later joins the GCH Network in 2005, and other golf communities along the South Carolina coast. WaterViewHome.net is launched. AOL.com swallows up iconic publishing giant Time Inc. in a stunning merger.

2001

Tragedy strikes New York City on Sept. 11. GCH joins the Internet community in posting website addresses that raise donations for 9/11 families and first responders.

Alan Pearce, veteran magazine sales executive, joins GCH as Vice President, Sales, and focuses on the vital U.S. Southeast. The Southeastern region becomes the engine for growth as Florida communities, especially, go online.

2000-02

Harbour Ridge Yacht & CC, FL: Early internet adopter.

Golf and waterview communities that become early adopters of internet marketing and Featured Communities on GolfCourseHome include these communities, below, still featured on the GCH Network. Timeline continues after the list.

2003

Hilton Head Plantation, SC: Helps put Hilton Head on the map.

Golf Course Home® expands to 10+ golf and waterview community websites, including FloridaGolfCommunities.net, and becomes officially known as the GolfCourseHome Network.

Charles Fraser, the founder of Sea Pines Resort and developer of modern-day Hilton Head Island, passes away. Hilton Head communities, through local realtors such as Darle Booher, join the Network and feature a number of properties, including as Hilton Head Plantation, Palmetto Bluff, Oldfield, Hampton Hall and Moss Creek. Hampton Lake joins soon after.

2005

GCH Staff grows–Former Golf Digest colleague and Editor of Links Magazine David Gould joins GCH Network Contributing Editor staff. Elise Ryan joins as Easter Sales Manager, Sarah Whitman joins as Associate Editor.

2005-06

The GCH Network expands to 22 Member Websites, then adds seven more in 2007. Sixty percent of consumer real estate research is now done on the Internet. Print media struggles to survive.

2007

Daniel Island, SC: Adds waterfront area and activities.

Daniel Island, the Charleston-area “island town,” receives approval for a two-mile-long public waterfront and marina project. The project is a joint venture with the City of Charleston and calls for construction of a waterfront park, a 500-slip marina, a public-access boat ramp, a fishing pier and walking trails. GCH Blog launched on the Typepad blogging site. Number of Featured Communities rises to more than 200.

2008

Great Recession begins, impacting golf communities almost immediately. Ninety percent of real estate research begins on the Internet.

2010

FlightScope introduces the first-ever wireless 3D Doppler tracking device for golf shots, continuing the rapid expansion of launch monitors through professional golf instruction and making golf lessons more reliable and fact-based for improvement-minded players. Issue No. 500 of New Communities newsletter is published in March.

2012

The Reserve at Lake Keowee, SC: Golf & water lifestyles.

The new core site for the GCH Network, GolfCourseHome.com, debuts with video, increased site search capability, dynamic location mapping, photo galleries, consolidation of its blog and many other features.

2013

The Field Club, MA: HG-TV discovers it on GCH.com.

GCH Network Publisher launches Vineyard Open House Real Estate on Martha’s Vineyard, giving community sales teams the opportunity to refer real estate buyers to the GCH Network’s new main office on the island of Martha’s Vineyard which features several championship golf courses favored by U.S. presidents, including Farm Neck Golf Club. Coastal communities such as Kiawah Island, SC, begin to gain traction in recovering from the vacation real estate slowdown.

2014

Long Cove, a private community on near Dallas, debuts The Proving Grounds, a 17-acre golf amenity that operates as a practice facility in the morning and converts to short-course play in the afternoon and evening. It is seen as a new advance in “time-compressed” and “space-compressed” high-end golf.

2015

Vineyard Open House Real Estate: Official opening.

Issue No. 1,000 published. Official Invitation issued to GCH Network visitors to visit our new offices on Union Street in Vineyard Haven and have a cup of coffee or a coffee frappe!

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NEW LAST WEEK

FLORIDA

Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club, FL: Private FL community.

> Piper’s Landing Yacht and Country Club, Palm City

New to GolfCourseHome just last week Piper’s Landing is a private, gated golf and yachting community set on 600-plus low-density acres. Top amenities include championship golf by Gene Bates, superior boating facilities, unique wellness amenity, wide array of condos, cottages and homes starting at $100,000. Send me more information about Piper’s Landing!

SUMMER RENTAL

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Martha’s Vineyard, MA: 4-BR rental near Look’s Pond.

> West Tisbury, MA It’s not too late to book a week or more summers’ rental on the lovely island of Martha’s Vineyard. Take a look at this 4-bedroom home on two private acres that’s an easy walk to Look’s Pond (great for kayaking) and the iconic Alley’s General Store.

Featuring a generous front deck and screened-in porch, this island retreat is perfect for families that want to reconnect, yet be near classic Vineyard experiences such as the Field Gallery, the new West Tisbury Library, the old Grange and its weekly Farmers’ and Artists’ Markets, the Yoga Barn and more. Rates range from $2,500/week in early June. Remaining July/August rates now just $2,950/week. Send me more information about this Summer Rental!