More than a decade after buying a development in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains out of foreclosure, the owner is moving forward with a plan to restore a long-dormant golf course through more housing.
The Turner family, which owns Gold Creek Development, signed a deal with Fischer Homes to build 32 attached villas priced up to $380,000, the first step in what they hope will bring about 200 homes to the Gold Creek community in Dawsonville, Georgia, about 60 miles north of Atlanta.
Adding more houses to a project that now has fewer than 200 homes would give Mike and Grady Turner, managers of Gold Creek Development, the necessary capital to make the course operational again, Mike Turner said in an interview. He said a functional golf course could boost individual homeowner property values by $50,000 to $100,000.
"People who buy homes are going to get a great deal out there," Turner said. "They may look like the smartest people in the world."
Before the pandemic, golf clubs across the country struggled to turn a profit as more residents gave up their memberships, often citing the expense and lack of time to play. Developers bought some of the land on closed courses for homes, apartments and commercial projects.
More recently, though, the decline in recreational golf appears to have bottomed out, with the total number of operating golf courses nationwide virtually unchanged, according to a recent report by the National Golf Foundation.
Dawson is the nation's fastest-growing county
Dawson County, including Dawsonville, was the nation's fastest-growing county from 2023 to 2024 among those with 20,000 or more residents, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. Dawson’s population grew 6.4% to 33,800 residents from about 31,700 during that period, according to the Census Bureau.
The Dawsonville area offers small-town appeal with natural beauty, cultural and historic attractions and recreational opportunities, according to Madelyn Bearn, associate director of market analytics at CoStar Group, the parent company of Homes.com. Despite the growth, the area has successfully preserved its rural feel while still providing conveniences such as a premium outlet mall and other retail, Bearn said in an interview.
"With more developable land, it is more affordable than closer-in northern suburbs like Alpharetta but is still close to job centers in North Fulton and Gwinnett County," Bearn said.
The previous Gold Creek owner had turned the 18-hole golf course into 27, but it fell into disrepair and operations were stopped around 2008 during the Great Recession, according to Mike Turner.
After acquiring the 370-acre Gold Creek site in 2012 for $1.02 million to redevelop it, the Turners spent the first few years assessing the best uses for the property. But the death of family patriarch Kenneth Turner put the plans on an extended hold, Mike Turner said.
The Turners now say they want to work with the city on approvals to sell development pods on nine holes at the course and to restore its original 18-hole layout. The family said they hope to reach a deal with Fischer for additional homes and negotiate with other homebuilders as well.
The golf course's reopening is important to Dawsonville, with golfers there now having to drive more than 10 miles to play, Mike Turner said.
Dawsonville Mayor John Walden declined to comment on Gold Creek, saying the Turners have yet to submit a development plan that goes beyond the Fischer deal.
This is Fischer's first project in the Atlanta area. The Erlander, Kentucky-based company, the nation's 14th-largest private homebuilder, said the Villas at Gold Creek will feature two units to a building, with separate entrances and two-car garages. Two floor plans range from 1,657 to 2,195 square feet.
Add-on features would take some villas into the mid-$400,000 range, but that still would be among the lowest prices for new construction in Dawsonville, Fischer spokesperson Carrie Iddings said in an interview.
"We already have five customers who want to move forward," she said. "We think the project will do really well."