Living the Golf Lifestyle: Owners’ experiences

Grant and Julie decided to move form the busy city suburbs to spectacular Nelson Bay in Port Stephens. Buying close to a championship golf course, was the icing on the cake.

Grant and Julie decided to collocate in Nelson Bay after both living in Sydney. The choice turned out to be an improvement in lifestyle that far exceeded their expectations.

"We are a professional couple in our late fifties with both of us having lived on Sydney's Northern Beaches previously for some time, said Grant. We have children from a prior marriage, who come to stay from time to time, but don't live with us."

"I run an IT consultancy with clients throughout Australia and so to some extent, I can be based almost anywhere, as long as the time zones coincide", Grant mused. "We are still both working and moving up here has given us a change in lifestyle that has added some benefits and enable us to enjoy our lives to a much greater degree than when we were in Sydney."

Julie has family in and around Nelson Bay, so moving to Nelson Bay has also been attractive for the couple to move closer to her family.

"Although we left the kids behind in Sydney, they develop their own lives and social life as they get older. Plus moving up here gives them a great reason to come here and kick back for a few days over a long weekend or other public holidays", says Julie.

Grant and Julie had been considering a move for some time, so it really just depended on finding the right home. When they found it, they jumped on the chance to secure the home and make the move north.

"I'm an occasional golfer, so living so close to Nelson Bay Golf Course is an added bonus and will let me play more often - plus hopefully get Julie along, too", said Grant.

"In fact I was amazed how many golf courses are located such a short distance away from us", Grant continues. We have Nelson Bay Golf Course literally two minutes from our house and Horizons Golf Resort 10 minutes-drive away at Salamander Bay. Horizons is an Australian Top 100 Course, from memory, as is Pacific Dunes in Medowie, which is a little further away. All these are Championship Courses, but if I want to really challenge myself, I can go to Newcastle Golf Club, which is a Top 20 Course in Australia", Grant enthusiastically adds.

When asked why they bought so close to a golf course, their answer was immediate.

"It was a simple decision, especially up here in Nelson Bay", said Julie. "Living close to a golf course is just so peaceful and quiet compared to most suburbs in Sydney. Traffic is significantly less and we are so close to the shops, the Marina and other amenities. We even see kangaroos on the fairways, some mornings", Julie added.

"Yes, our place is located on a hill, of which there are a few in this area", said Grant. "While we can literally walk to the golf course, we also have a great view of the Bay and out through the Heads. Plus, we can be down on the beach with our toes in the sand on any of the beaches within minutes.

We can see dolphins in the Bay almost any day of the week and twice a year this is a fantastic spot to see the whales migrate north or south. People travel here from hours away to see it. It's an idyllic spot", says Grant.

"We also met a lot of people through the golf club when we first moved up here", Julie is quick to add. Sometimes it's hard to establish friendships when you first move and the golf club provided the opportunity to meet a number of people, some of whom have become great friends. There is a wonderful sense of community up here", Julie says with a smile.

Some images published courtesy of visitnsw.com