Their busy schedules may not have allowed them to wait for a custom home to be built in the golf community of their choice, but that didn't stop Denis and Catharine Chevaleau from buying the home of their dreams. After narrowing down their location choices, and crossing states like Hawaii and Florida off their list because of the transient nature of their residents, the recently married couple visited several golf communities in North and South Carolina in search of a home where they could start their new life together.

"We wanted a place where we could enjoy the four seasons, and excluded places like Arizona, which essentially force you to have two homes," says 57-year-old Denis. "We also didn't want to live full-time somewhere where the majority of the residents only stay for three months out of the year. We wanted to be able to make friends whom we could see and spend time with year round."

At the time, both were in Chicago, and the Chevaleaus spent six months searching for their golf-course home, checking out places like Kiawah and Hilton Head. "Many of those places were overbuilt, overcrowded and too touristy," says Denis. "So we turned our sights to the mountain environment."

The Chevaleaus looked at homesites, but found everything they wanted with an existing charmer at The Cliffs Valley in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, where primary residents abound and the golf is plentiful. Their five-year-old three-bedroom, six-bath home encompasses 6,200 square feet of open floor plan that includes several bonus rooms, high ceilings and a great room with three 15-foot-high windows and a killer view of the mountains and golf course.

"I saw the home before Denis did, and that view alone just took my breath away," says Catharine, who also enjoys having two guest suites that accommodate visiting family and friends comfortably. "When people come here for the weekend, they don't want to leave."

Avid golfers who tee off five or six times a week, the newlyweds, who work in the medical-device industry, say they like being able to chose from four courses, rather than being relegated to one option. "It's not like the typical country club, where you live on the course and golf on that course," she says. "That makes it very challenging, and interesting, especially when you're golfing as much as I am."

As empty nesters with grown children, and one in college, the Chevaleaus are also enjoying the relationships they've built with other professionals who reside at The Cliffs Valley. "We're in a diverse community of people who share our interests, but who hail from different backgrounds, areas and countries," says Catharine. "That's by far the biggest benefit we're reaping from our decision to buy an existing home here."