Real estate agents looking to develop a niche as a golf course community specialist may want to look at a two-year-old Web site that is steadily building a following among young, upscale consumers who are looking for investments that match their lifestyles.

The site is www.GolfCourseHome.net. It is run by golf entrepreneur and journalist David Lott of Newtown, Conn., who was affiliated with the golfer's bible "Golf Digest Magazine" before launching the real estate Web site.

The Web site "is an excellent way for brokers and agents to established their niche and their brand image" in dealing with golf course properties, Lott said. "It's a marketing vehicle for people who want to sell golf course housing."

Although catering to new golf course developments that want to advertise their listings, Lott says buyer agents who want to develop golf properties as a niche also are welcome. For $2,100 per year, a broker may put his own page on the GolfCourseHome site. The company will help build the site.

The site first went up in July 1999 and has been increasing traffic at a rate of 10 percent per month, Lott said.

He quickly concedes that overall traffic is no where near the mega sites, but suggests that those who do come to his real estate site are serious shoppers.

"People have to be looking for golf course real estate to find us," he said. "But the people who find us usually are people who are going to buy."

In additional to marketing the site on the Internet, GolfCourseHome is advertised in Context Magazine, a magazine focusing on corporate information technology managers with incomes in excess of $200,000 per year.

"The demographics are perfect for us," Lott said.

GolfCourseHome.net also recently entered into an agreement with Cybergolf.com, one of the largest Internet sites featuring local level information on golf courses.

Under the agreement, GolfCourseHome becomes the content provider for Cybergolf's real estate section.  Originated in 1995, Cybergolf receives more than 100 million hits per year.

"It makes perfect sense for us to partner with GolfCourseHome.net instead of trying to create a real estate area from the ground up," said Jeff Shelley, editorial director of the Cybergolf Network.

GolfCourseHome.net has a database of more than 500 master-planned communities, plus editorial features on more than 45 world-class golf communities in 20 states.

Published: November 21, 2000

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