MAY/JUNE 08
Resorts with real estate
By Becky LaPlante

There are a number of golf course properties in the state that tout themselves as resorts – places where you can both play and stay. Some of them are large, upscale retreats with luxury accommodations and award-winning restaurants; others are mom-and-pop spots with rustic cabins and guest lodges.   

Either way, Wisconsin’s resort golf courses promise fun for the whole family. But if you’re looking for more than just a weeklong summer vacation spot, the real estate available at the following resorts just might catch your eye.

At the gateway to Door County, Cherry Hills Lodge and Golf Course in Sturgeon Bay is just a short drive to Door County’s villages and parks. Resort amenities include an 18-hole championship golf course, full practice facilities, an award-winning restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool, a 31-room lodge and vacation condo rentals.

In addition, Cherry Hills currently is in its second phase of residential development. With buildable lots, residential-hotel condo units and duplex condos available for purchase, there are many paths to Door County vacation property ownership.

Starting at $39,900, the four vacant lots zoned for single-family residential homes in the Orchard Meadows subdivision at Cherry Hills overlook the golf course and are made up of open, level meadow land. They are lined up along holes 8 and 9, and all are between 1.3 and 1.5 acres.

Whether you’re shopping for a vacation or permanent home, one of the 38 new construction condo units at Cherry Hills may be just what you’re looking for.

Two-bedroom, two-bath duplex condo units range from $274,900 to $288,900 and include over 1,500 square feet of finished living space, which can be customized by the buyer. Some units have egress basements, and others include a full walkout; all could be finished in the future to provide additional living space, The option to extend the 18-by-13 living room adds $6,000 to the purchase price. All condo units include a porch, two-car garage and a gas fireplace, and they run on septic systems and well water.

If you don’t plan to use your condo year-round, Cherry Hills has a rental program for its three-bedroom, three-bathroom units, which are priced at $329,900. Use the 2,000-square-foot condo as a vacation home for part of the year, and use it to produce income when you’re not there. Like the two-bedroom units, these condos include a deck, two-car garage and a fireplace, and there still is time to customize. The condos have partial basements, and an optional furniture package can be purchased separately.

But perhaps the best part about owning property at Cherry Hills is that a free one-year golf membership is included with every purchase. For more information about the available real estate at Cherry Hills, contact Susan May of ERA Starr Realty at (800) 661-8555.

Located on the eastern edge of Castle Rock Lake just 25 minutes north of Wisconsin Dells, Northern Bay Golf Resort & Marina is a one-of-a-kind vacation experience. Championship golf, water sports and 300 acres of wilderness are just a sampling of the activities Northern Bay has to offer.

But with full ownership of a condominium at Northern Bay, the largest real estate development ever in Adams County, you’ll be able to enjoy unlimited use of the resort and its perks. Starting at $259,000, the choice is yours whether your new home overlooks the picturesque lake or the golf course, a track that features replicas of some of golf’s most famous holes. Most lake-view condos are sold out, but plenty are available on the golf course.

Quality construction is evident in Northern Bay’s cedar and stone condos designed around a lodge theme. Eight spacious, practical floor plans are available to choose from, ranging in size from 1,689 to 2,515 square feet.

All condos at Northern Bay feature at least three bedrooms, and all have decks or patios. The largest unit, at 2,515 square feet, includes a second-story master suite with a Whirlpool tub and wet bar. Luxury amenities like granite countertops and gas fireplaces also are included.

If full-time ownership isn’t in your plan, take advantage of Northern Bay’s professional management company, which will rent out your condo for you.

The 47 homesites at Northern Bay already have been sold, and deed restrictions require single-family home construction to begin within two years of purchase.

The marina at Northern Bay offers boat slips for rent, as well as pontoon, fishing boat and personal watercraft rentals. The resort takes up 2,100 feet of lake frontage and has a 600-foot long sand beach. Castle Rock Lake, a Wisconsin River impoundment, is known for its walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, lake sturgeon, northern pike and muskie fishing. Other summertime activities at Northern Bay include an outdoor pool, kiddie pool, whirlpool, tennis courts, volleyball, basketball courts, a picnic area and grills and bicycle rentals.

If you’re unsure whether condo ownership at Northern Bay is for you and would like to get a taste, the resort offers stay and play golf packages starting at $100 per person. Northern Bay is located 90 minutes from Madison and just over two hours from Milwaukee. For more information visit www.northernbayresort.com or call the sales office at (608) 339-9160.    

White Lake CC, the golf course at Scharenberg’s White Lake Golf Resort, is carved out of more than 200 acres of ancient glacier land and is nestled among hills, woods and ponds. And since the lots available at the resort are lined up along the golf course, that means your new home could look out at some of the same views.

Thirty parcels – some wooded, some open, some hilly and some level – are available at White Lake, ranging in size from three-quarters of an acre to three acres. But the best part about these lots are the prices, which start at just $19,900 and go up to $48,700. Lots will be sold at 2006 prices until June 1.

One of the perks of buying land on the golf course is that owners are not required by covenants to build their home within a certain time frame. In addition, buyers have the option to negotiate the price of the lot based on whether they plan to buy a membership at the golf course. The White Lake CC residential development is being completed in four phases, and the lots currently for sale are in phases three and four.

For four generations, the Scharenberg family has given vacationing families a place to relax and play. And though the resort and golf course now are independently owned by different members of the Scharenberg family, the service is still the same.

The golf course is a par-72 layout with one nine heading north from the clubhouse and the other heading south. With three sets of tees, the course accommodates players of all abilities. The course, which is open to the public, features significant elevation changes, many doglegs and plenty of bunkers and water hazards. Accommodations at the resort come in the form of two- and three-bedroom lakeside cabins or vacation homes, a modern guest house or chalet apartments.

Inquire with listing agent Patricia Bond about existing homes for sale at White Lake CC. For more information about the lots for sale at White Lake, contact Bond at (608) 297-7866 or visit www.wisconsinpropertyinfo.com.