As you ease through the front entrance to Oldfield, it's readily apparent this is not your typical gated
golf community. White wooden fences separate the main highway from grassy
fields, and Arabian horses graze alongside a red barn. The small-town motif
continues with a stop at the post office and general store, where
honest-to-goodness moonpies and hand-dipped ice cream are for sale at the front
counter. Residents pick up their mail here, and are encouraged to sit down and
visit for a spell, too."We'll take prospective buyers to the store first, and
occasionally one will say, 'You mean I won't get mail at my house?'" says sales
executive John Strother. "I know right then, we may as well not take the rest of
the tour."
In other words, Oldfield isn't for everyone. But for those who
enjoy a slower pace and an outdoor-oriented lifestyle, this 860-acre community
in the South Carolina Lowcountry feels like home.
Golf is prevalent at Oldfield-a Greg Norman-designed course winds
throughout much of the property-but there's much more: a renovated historic
house, situated on a bluff overlooking the Okatie River, that serves as the
community's social hub; a just-opened activity center with indoor and outdoor
pools; and an outfitter's center, where residents gather for fishing, kayaking
and other water-related pursuits.
"While we have a great golf course, it's not a golf-centric
community," says project manager and senior vice president Chuck Mitchell. "The
outfitter's center makes us significantly different, and the architecture here
is a throwback to the good old days."
Old-fashioned porches are mandatory on Oldfield homes, which mimic
historic residences in nearby Beaufort, Charleston and Savannah. Metal roofs,
working shutters and brick chimneys add to the breezy Lowcountry look.
Like the rest of this Crescent Resources-developed community, the
year-old golf course is subtle, revealing a few of its secrets with each visit.
Rather than push around tons of dirt, Norman left much of the flat Lowcountry
terrain as he found it, resulting in a course that plays firm and fast.
Mossy live oaks and stacked sod-wall bunkers require thoughtful
maneuvering of the golf ball. Deceptively large greens call for careful club
selection and present tricky contours that often go unnoticed until putts are on
their way.
The course meanders through wooded terrain over the first 10 holes
before opening up at the 11th, a 504-yard par-5 that plays alongside two fishing
ponds-one saltwater and one freshwater. No. 12, a short par-4 with a
go-for-broke tee shot over water, begins a six-hole stretch through a windswept
field dotted with pecan trees and live oaks. A double-dogleg par-5 completes the
7,134-yard routing.
"You don't stand on the tee and see this as a thinker's golf
course," says head pro Charlie Bohmert. "It looks wide-open and easy, but once
you get out there, you find out it's not. It's one of those courses that can
sneak up on you.
"The course can also play very fast," Bohmert adds. "When those
greens get firm, they won't hold anything but a well-struck shot."
At the end of the oak-lined main road that bisects Oldfield lies
the River House. This gracious Southern mansion was built in the early 1970s,
when the property was known as Indigo Plantation. After a $12 million
renovation, it now serves as a dining area for residents and a comfy B & B
for potential buyers.
Next door is the outfitter's center, a lowslung, metal-roofed
structure with outdoor decks overlooking the river on one side and freshwater
lagoons on the other. Here, residents can learn to tie a fly line from David
Murray, the resident "river pro," or embark on a nature hike with staff
naturalist Dusty Durden. Or, they can just relax in the screened pavilion and
wait for the next oyster roast or Lowcountry boil to get underway.
Outside the gates, Beaufort and Hilton Head Island are each less
than 25 minutes away, and Savannah is within 30 miles. All three locations offer
their own charms and diversions, although Oldfield residents clearly have plenty
to keep them occupied at home.
"There's definitely a unique ambiance here," says Mitchell. "We
feel like we've created a nice little niche."
For information, call (866) 653-3435 or visit
oldfield1732.com.
