With the pandemic easing off, we have something to look forward to is the upcoming golf season. Due to the pandemic, many unexpected sports and activities have been popularized and lucky for us golfers, our sport is booming! 

For those who absolutely love golf, there’s nothing better than having your home located right on the course where you can step out and enjoy your favourite sport. If you’re not much of a golf player, the view of the beautiful greenery outside your windows may be the reason you choose to live in a golfing community. There are many pros and cons to real estate in a country club, we’ve put together a list to help you decide whether living on a golf course is for you.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Living on a Golf Course

1. Property Value

Pro: Living by a golf course adds prestige, respect, and value to the neighbourhood. Real estate located on golf courses increases property value and demand. The view of the course comes with a price and that is reflected in the value of the home. 

Con: Golf courses can always undergo construction and redevelopment, that being said, it could be possible that a golf course could be converted into a residential community in the future. While this does not imply that residential housing is going to significantly drop the value of your property, it is something to consider for a long term investment. 

2. View and Landscaping

Pro: Having your property on a large golf course means you will never have to worry about accidentally looking into your neighbours backyard. Instead, you’ll be able to enjoy the view every time you look outside. In addition, golf courses are always really well maintained, this is definitely another bonus. 

Con: While maintenance can cause some interruption as courses are usually mowed early in the morning, if you’re a morning person this might not be a big issue for you. Moreover, maintenance requires the use of pesticides and fertilizer which could be harmful to pets. Make sure you’re aware of what is being used on your lawn in order to keep any pets safe from toxic materials. 

 3. Noise

Pro: Golf is most commonly played during the daytime, nonetheless, it’s a pretty quiet sport compared to many. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy quiet and peaceful nights. 

Con: When investing in real estate on the course, make sure you consider where the house is located exactly. Too close to specific locations on the course, such as a cart path, it can get quite noisy at times as this is where people tend to group. It’s important that before you buy and commit, you consider any popular points where people may gather and cause disturbance. 

4. Amenities 

Pros: Waking up on a golf course would be a dream for many. After your morning coffee, you can just as easily hop into your own golf cart and get your day started with a quick game of golf. Not only are you able to easily access a golf court, but golf communities tend to come with pools, tennis courts, restaurants, and trails. These amenities will allow you to live your best life everyday. 

Cons: Since a golf course is developed, there might be restrictions on where you’re allowed to walk, bike, or even walk your dog. Leisure can be limited and restricted on a golf course to ensure its maintenance. While a golf course does come with many amenities of its own, make sure you consider what is important prior to buying a house. 

5. HOA Restrictions

Pros: Maintenance can be regulated by a Homeowners Association (HOA) in the golf community. This helps to ensure that the neighbourhood is looking the best to keep the value up. 

Cons: A Homeowner Association can also come with rules and regulations that must be followed. These can restrict what changes you can do to your property and limit your home improvement projects. 

What if there are damages to my property due to living on a golf course?

Of course, living on a golf course comes with positives and negatives. One thing to consider is the possibility of damages occurring to your windows, yard, and car. This is a very real possibility and a major concern for many individuals thinking about investing in a golf course home. Depending on where you live on the golf course and where your home is located in relation to any flying golf balls, golf balls flying into your yard and windows can be common. For this reason, it’s important to understand the possible risk that comes with golf course living. 

Moreover, if damages do occur to your property or car, there is a limited legal protection for homeowners. While this is unfortunate, it does not mean that it is impossible to receive compensation for damaged property. 

Below is a list of golf courses located in Calgary.

Below is a list of golf courses located near Calgary.

Moving is a big deal for many people. Not only is it a big decision, both personally and financially, but there can be lots of stressors that come along with the decision. One of those decisions is “which neighbourhood should I choose to live in?”. There are many factors in deciding which part of town to call your home, such as school districts, distance to stores/activities, and most of all safety. That’s what we are going to discuss today; which neighbourhood in Calgary is the safest?  

This list will feature all the neighbourhoods in the Calgary area sorted by crime rate. All the data was acquired from the City of Calgary Website, and is from the year 2020. Using the year 2020 means that this is the most recent data, however this also means we have to take into account the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic. We have no idea when life will return to normal, so until then, let’s call the year of 2020 our “new normal”.  

Along with the full list of neighbourhoods and crime rates, we will be ranking the safest inner city towns, since that’s our specialty of course! In this special inner city list we will be featuring the top five safest inner city communities as well as talking about what else makes these towns special! Let’s get into it!

1. Point McKay Point McKay is ranked as the safest inner city neighbourhood of 2020 with a crime rate of 0.89%! With a walking score of 17, and around 3 restaurants, bars and coffee shops, and access to trails and green spaces there is something for everyone in Point McKay! This number one ranked community also has a transit score of 51, but overall is a car-dependent neighbourhood. With spring around the corner, it’s a good time to get your bike out of winter storage and put it to use! Point McKay’s biking score is 63 with access to plenty of bike trails through the community’s green spaces.
2. Bel-Aire Bel-Aire comes in at 2nd place with a crime rate of 1.79%. This community has a walking score of 24, with not too many stores or restaurants near by, but with plenty of close green spaces. This community’s transit score of 52 is again about the same as the above two communities, and with such a low walk score a car is highly recommended for most outings. Bel-Aire’s bike score is an astounding 82. There are plenty of bike trails and green spaces to explore, and the community is “as flat as a pancake”, making riding easy for almost everyone. Errands can also be run on bike, with the multiple trails the community has access to.
3. Rosemont Rosemont is ranked 3rd on our list with a crime rate of 1.91%. With a walking score of 53, and around 9 restaurants, bars and coffee shops, 18 green spaces, and 33 recreational facilities there is always something to do in Rosedale! During this time of lockdowns and activities closing down, it is wonderful to have access to green spaces, and the ability to support local restaurants through pick up or delivery! Rosemont also has a transit score of 53 and has access to three bus lines. With spring around the corner it’s time to get your bike out of winter storage and put it to use! Rosemont’s biking score is 57 with access to plenty of bike trails through the community’s green spaces.
4. Spruce Cliff In 4th is Spruce Cliff with a crime rate of 2.05%. This community has a higher walking score than Rosemont at 55, and has around 36 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in the area. If you are living in Spruce Cliff, you can walk to an average of 3 restaurants, bars and/or coffee shops in about 5 minutes. Spruce Cliff’s transit score is also higher than Rosemont’s at 61, with an average of 4 bus lines running through the town. The shining star is the community’s biking score. With a high score of 72, Spruce Cliff has many access points to bike trails throughout the city and green spaces. What a great opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors!
5. Glenbrook Last but not least is Glenbrook coming in at with a crime rate of 2.15%. Glenbrook has a walking score of 57, features 36 restaurants, bars and coffee shops, and it takes an average of 5 minutes to walk to one of these spots. This community’s transit score of 51 is lower than both Rosedale and Spruce Cliff’s score with only 2 bus lines passing through, so a car is recommended for most outings. Having a car in this neighbourhood is also recommended since Glenbrook’s bike score is only 46. There are a few nearby access points to bike trails, but not as many as the other 2 communities.

Inner City Community Ranking:

General Community Ranking:

If you want to learn more about community Crime statistics, visit the Data Calgary website.

If you want to learn more about walking/transport/biking scores, or check out the towns individual corresponding maps, visit Walk Score.