THE CLUBS AT ST. JAMES

81 Holes of Golf and So Much More

by JG Walker

“Fifteen years ago, we were best-known as a ‘premier golf community,’” says Dan Kingsbury, broker-in-charge of St. James Properties. “After all, we’d just opened our fourth on-site golf course—more than any other private club in the Carolinas. Since then, our golf membership has steadily grown, but even our most avid golfers want more in their lifestyles today.

“The challenge now for The Clubs at St. James and others like us,” Kingsbury says, “is to grow and change with the times, offering the new amenities and activities that our members want. For example, back in the early 2000s, I’m not sure I’d ever even seen a pickleball. Today we have 10 courts here and hundreds of pickleball players.”

The St. James Plantation retirement and residential community on the southeastern coast of North Carolina officially opened in 1991. Its first major amenity debuted that same year, the Founders Club golf course designed by architect P.B. Dye. As the game’s popularity grew, St. James added the 27-hole Members Club course by Hale Irwin in 1996 and the Tim Cate-designed Players Club layout the following year.

The golf masterplan for St. James was completed in 2006 with the opening of the Reserve Club course by Nicklaus Design, giving members an unrivaled 81 holes of top-caliber play. All have been professionally maintained and upgraded over the years, earning honors for their quality of play and Audubon International certification for their environmental stewardship. Each location also features a full-service clubhouse with fine-dining restaurants and casual lounges.

Industry leader Troon Golf had managed the four St. James courses until three years ago when it purchased the club assets from the original developer, the first time the company had ever made such an investment. Rebranded as The Clubs at St. James, there are currently about

“The key to our memberships is flexibility. Gone are the old days of the take-it-or-leave-it country club. We make it easy for our members to change their plans as their interests evolve and to add new ones as our amenities grow.”

3,500 memberships with more than 6,800 active members, including spouses.

The Clubs at St. James offers a variety of golf, sports, and social membership plans. Golf members can enjoy unlimited play on all four courses and reciprocal privileges at 270+ Troon-managed clubs worldwide. Sports memberships offer discounted golf, plus full access to tennis/pickleball courts at four locations and three complete fitness centers with indoor/outdoor pools. Social members have limited access to the courses and full access to the workout facilities, clubhouse dining discounts, and a lively calendar of special events and seasonal activities.

“The key to our memberships is flexibility,” says Kingsbury. “Gone are the old days of the take-itor-leave-it country club. We make it easy for our members to change their plans as their interests evolve and to add new ones as our amenities grow.”

The SeaSide Fitness and Wellness Center, which opened in 2016, is the club’s newest recreational facility. In keeping with contemporary trends, the SeaSide Center features state-of-the-art cardio and strength-training equipment, group and personal exercise programs, and convenient physical-therapy services for members on the mend. There’s also a sauna, a grill that features a heart-healthy menu, a pool complex with water-aerobics classes, and a big splash pad for the kids.

Among the most popular amenities available to all is St. James By The Sea, a private beach club located just five miles away on the Oak Island oceanfront. And the St. James Marina & Harborside Marketplace on the Intracoastal Waterway offers complete boating services and casual dining. With a lakeside amphitheater, kayak launches, more than 35 miles of hiking/ biking trails, two dog parks, a pair of community gardens, and nearly 100 special-interest clubs, St. James residents have an endless list of activelifestyle choices.

“Garden clubs used to grow flowers for decoration,” Kingsbury says. “But we’ve expanded both of our community gardens in recent years because so many people want to grow their organic vegetables and herbs.”

Since 1995, St. James has been the best-selling residential community in the Coastal Carolina region and now has about 4,500 total property owners. Homesites with golf, water, and naturepreserve views are still available for the customdesigned residences that make each St. James neighborhood unique. But as the marketplace has changed, popular offerings now include maintenance-free condominiums that overlook the marina and energy-efficient cottages and townhomes for retirees who want to downsize their footprints with style.

“I think it’s fair to call St. James a ‘mature community’ because we’ve been here now for 30 years and counting,” says assistant general manager David Flinchbaugh. “But what our residents really appreciate is that we’re a fully developed community with the infrastructure and $100 million of amenities in place, not just promises for the future. That would be a major asset anywhere, but when you add in our coastal location—mild winters, perfect shoulder seasons, and ocean breezes to cool us down in the summer—you’ve got a very special place to call home.”

And it’s also a hometown: Like many other established developments, the St. James Property Owners Association oversees security for the gated community, as well as maintenance of the roads and other common areas. But in 1999, residents took it a step further, incorporating the Town of St. James with its own mayor, council, fire department, and emergency medical services.

“At St. James, you can be a neighbor, a property owner, a club member, and a citizen of the town,” Kingsbury concludes. “Our residents control their destiny here, and we’re all enthusiastic about what the future may hold.”