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One of the events that Harbor Club members look forward to most each year is Christmas Dinner at The Clubhouse. Warm and festive gatherings such as these are what make our Southern Living-Inspired Community so distinctive. Friends and neighbors come together at the Clubhouse to celebrate the holiday with fine, chef-prepared food and drinks. And while the dress is formal (black-tie optional), the mood is one that is fun, relaxed, and cheerful. 

This year, our Harbor Club members get to indulge in a delicious, four-course dinner, specially prepared by our very own Chef Gregory Thigpen. Each dish comes with a recommended wine pairing that perfectly complements the cuisine. The menu includes a starter, a salad, a choice of two different entrees, and two different desserts. The 2019 menu (shown below) is one that has inspired a lot of enthusiasm amongst Harbor Club members.

Starter: 

Spanakopita, complemented with a Spiced Bechamel Sauce

Paired with: a Mumm Champagne

Salad:

Candied Georgia Pecan Micro Green Salad with an Apple Vinaigrette

Paired with: a Ruffino Il Ducale Pinot Grigio

Entree options:

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with a Bordelaise Sauce, Dauphinoise Potatoes and Asparagus 

Paired with: Freakshow Red Zinfandel

-Or-

Pecan Crusted Australian Seabass in a Maple Beurre Blanc Sauce with

Roasted Butternut Squash and Haricot Vert

Paired with: a Meiomi Chardonnay

Dessert options:

Classic Creme Brulee 

Paired with: a Late Harvest Riesling

-Or-

Chocolate Spoon Cake 

Paired with Josh Cabernet

This year, the Harbor Club Member Christmas Dinner will be held on Friday, December 6. The cocktail hour begins at 5:30 pm, and dinner commences at 6:30 pm. The cost is $65 per person, and it includes four courses and four wine pairings. Tables of four or eight were available, but as of this writing, we just discovered that this event is now completely sold out. If you are a Harbor Club member and were not able to RSVP in time, please don’t despair. It’s rare but sometimes cancelations do occur. Contact us at The Clubhouse Restaurant and ask Jody to see if any last-minute spots have become available. 

If you’re not a Harbor Club member yet, then how come? There’s so much more that comes with a Harbor Club membership beyond fantastic golf. With easy access to Lake Oconee, tennis, pickleball, a refreshing pool, all the amenities at The Grove, and fun social events (such as our annual Christmas Dinner), it can’t hurt to inquire about options. Learn about our memberships, and feel free to reach out to Mika Mills with any questions. She’s happy to help.

We wish everyone much goodwill, happiness, and a joyous holiday season.

 

With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching, we all know it’s a popular time to start counting your blessings. It’s the one day that many practice gratitude. Yet, why do it on just one day a year? In the hustle and bustle of life, we know it’s challenging to find the time. But there are compelling reasons to make the time to be grateful every day. Beyond recognizing all that is good in your life, here’s why the practice helps boost both your health and happiness. 

Get A Positivity Boost 

Get a blank notebook and turn it into a gratitude journal. Start by simply writing down a few things you are thankful for each day. According to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, those who jot down what they are thankful for (daily) are more positive and have a brighter outlook on life than those who don’t.

Gain Better Sleep

In your efforts to improve sleep, you may have tried to pills, blue light filters, or cutting down on screentime at night. But according to a study in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, those who wrote down the things they are thankful for fell asleep faster and slept longer than those who didn’t. Both are good reasons to keep your gratitude journal handy on your nightstand.

Strengthen Your Immune System

Those who are grateful typically also have a better outlook on life. According to WebMD, optimistic people usually have significantly stronger immune health than those who are pessimistic. Think of it as a booster for your flu shot.

Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

In addition to your morning oatmeal, being thankful can actually improve your vitals. Since cholesterol and blood pressure often rises as we age, it’s nice to be able to combat both with something other than drugs. Numerous studies have found that each can be diminished simply by practicing gratitude each day. 

Improve Heart Health

But wait, there’s more! In a study conducted on heart disease patients, those who wrote down what they were thankful for each day showed decreased blood inflammation levels and improved heart rhythms. Those are big payoffs for such a simple task.

There are a lot of benefits that result from the daily practice of gratitude. And here at Harbor Club, we have so much to be thankful for. In fact, we think residents and members would be hard-pressed to run out of things to write in their gratitude journals! We’re very fortunate to be a Southern Living-Inspired Community where we all get to enjoy heart-warming gatherings, healthy amenities, and fantastic neighbors and friends. We’re looking forward to our annual Turkey Shoot Scramble golf tournament, the proceeds of which help seniors at the Greene County Senior Center enjoy turkey at their holiday luncheon. With so many family members in town for Thanksgiving, our neighborhood is a (happily) busy place. We’re thankful for every one of you and wish you well this holiday season, and beyond.

What’s not to love about a great golf tournament? Everyone knows that when you combine friendly competition with the camaraderie of your fellow golfers, the result is a fantastic time for all. It’s no exception here at Harbor Club. Considering our gorgeous setting on Lake Oconee, our Weiskopf-Morrish-designed golf course, and our professional tournament services, all players are sure to have a great time. 

Want to get in on the tournament experience? Consider some of our upcoming events and call the Pro Shop at (800) 505-GOLF for details or to sign up.

Pink Ribbon Tournament

Date: Thursday, October 17, 2019

Time: 9:30 A.M. Shotgun

Sponsored by: Harbor Club Ladies Golf Association

Format: Four-person scramble

Cost: $60.00 for outside guests (includes lunch and a golf cart), $20.00 for lunch – Harbor Club members with golf carts. Players receive one raffle ticket for each $5.00 donated the day of the tournament. Cash bar.

Last day to sign up: October 4, 2019

Details: In its ninth year, the HCLGA sponsors this increasingly popular golf tournament with pride. Proceeds benefit The Lydia Project, which offers valuable services to women and girls who are coping with breast cancer. The event includes a raffle, luncheon, balloon release, and of course, golf on our award-winning course. Don’t forget to wear your pink — you can see everyone decked out in our photo album from last year’s event.

Oktoberfest

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2019 – Sunday, October 13, 2019

Time 9:00 A.M. Shotgun

Sponsored by: Harbor Club Men’s Golf Association

Format: See below

Cost: $15.00. Additional dinner guests are $20.00 each.

Last day to sign up: Friday, October 14, at 2:00 P.M.

Details: This is a two-day, members-only tournament that includes cocktails and a delicious dinner on Saturday evening at The Clubhouse. The cocktail hour begins at 5:00 P.M., and dinner begins at 6:00 P.M. The new format for this year is: 

• Saturday – Front 9 is Best Ball 
• Saturday – Back 9 is Modified Scramble 
• Sunday – Front 9 is Alternate Shot 
• Sunday – Back 9 is Scramble 

Grab a partner and sign up for this themed event soon.

Men’s Member-Guest Invitational

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019 – Saturday, October 26, 2019

Time: 9:15 A.M. Shotgun start (First round begins on Friday)

Sponsored by: Harbor Club Men’s Golf Association

Format: Contact the Pro-Shop for details on the new prize structure

Cost: $700 per team. Slots are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis. A non-refundable $100 deposit and valid email address for your guest is required. The guaranteed field for play will be 36 teams. 

Last day to sign up: October 6, 2019 (Hurry — as of this writing, only three spots remain.)

Details: Building upon the success of last year’s tournament, we’ve got a great weekend planned. There are a lot of fun-filled activities scheduled for this event, including Southern-style breakfasts, Italian-style dinner, demo tent, great music, drinks, specialty games, taco bar, barbeque lunch, hole-in-one contest, an awards banquet, and more. 

Other popular upcoming tournaments include our Turkey Shoot Scramble in November and our Santa Claus Open in December, both of which are heartwarming events. Proceeds from the Turkey Shoot Scramble tournament help provide turkeys to the Greene County Senior Center for Thanksgiving. The Santa Claus Open helps donate toys to the Greene County Stocking Fund for children whose families can’t afford gifts. Both are worthy causes during the holiday season.

For anyone interested in hosting their golf events at Harbor Club, give us a call. We’ve hosted many tournaments, including the Mickey Mantle Charity Golf Classic, PGA Tour Qualifier, and the Georgia State Mid-Amateur Championship. We’re able to host over 150 players, and our friendly staff of PGA professionals is available to assist with all your tournament needs. We look forward to the opportunity to plan your golf event and make it a memorable success. 

As we’ve now passed the midpoint of 2019 and are gathering up our year-to-date stats, we’d like to share some great news. Harbor Club real estate sales continue to be on the rise! In fact, as of August 7, 2019, the sales in our golf/lake community are already at $17.4M for the year. This impressive number shows that the demand for homes at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee continues to remain high.

It also helps prove that all of our efforts in meeting (and exceeding)the needs and desires of today’s buyers are working. Yet, we also need to mention another big reason why our sales keep growing — and that’s our incredible sales director, Kathy Phillips.

Ever since Kathy joined the Harbor Club team back in early 2016, she has worked tirelessly at creating and implementing new, innovative marketing plans for promoting our Southern Living-Inspired Community. We love that she’s been able to introduce so many wonderful people to the neighborhood — and that so many of them have discovered (or built) their dream home here. 

Kathy’s expertise in real estate is unparalleled. She is currently ranked the No. 1 realtor in sales volume at Harbor Club. To put that in perspective, her current sales volume is over five times higher than that of any other realtor in our community. On average, she is selling more than two properties a month in Harbor Club alone.

Even outside of Harbor Club, other stats speak to her success. She is currently ranked as the No. 3 realtor in the entire Lake Country territory as well as the No. 2 individual realtor. What’s more, she is now the No. 2 realtor in all of Greene County based on sales dollar volume. 

As you may have gathered, Kathy is an expert as selling properties at Harbor Club. Not only does she “talk the talk,” she “walks the walk.” She bought and renovated a beautiful, lakefront villa here back in 2017. Yep — she works, lives, and plays here. She’s very involved in our community events and activities and has thoroughly enjoyed living the Harbor Club lifestyle.

So, whether it be a brand new, resale, or a fantastic piece of land for a future dream home, it’s exciting to see that people continue to invest in our community. We invite you to come and meet Kathy and learn about all the great things Harbor Club has to offer. Contact us today.

We’re excited to celebrate the unofficial end of summer with friends and family here at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. With the Labor Day holiday upon us, and we’ve got a full slate of fun planned. Go ahead — take a break from work and celebrate the long weekend with some of these festivities: 

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Harbor Club Member Pool Party

Saturday, August 31 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

What’s Labor Day without a cookout? We’re going to fire up the grill for our big, annual, party at the pool. We’ll have live music by Jeff Johnson, and cool ways for the kids to burn off some energy. Relax with a yummy hot dog, hamburger, and drink — all will be available for purchase. Remember — all Harbor Club members are invited to join in the fun at this family-friendly event. It’s the last pool party of the season, so don’t miss out!

Live music at The Boathouse

Saturday, August 31 from 6:30 – 9:30 pm

Didn’t get your fill at the afternoon pool party? Well then come toThe Boathouse to enjoy even more excellent food and live music on Saturday night. Bring you dancing shoes — Tim Cadiere will be performing a toe-tapping combination of pop, country, rock, and other hits. This concert event is free and open to all Lake Country residents.

Brunch on Sunday

Sunday, September 1 from 10 am – 3 pm

Did you stay out a bit too late on Saturday night? That’s ok. Feel free to sleep in on Sunday morning then come to the Clubhouse Restaurant to indulge in a delicious Sunday brunch. Nosh on yummy items from our brunch menu like creme brulee french toast, chicken and waffles, eggs benedict, and other delectable dishes. If you plan to have a party of six or more, we kindly ask that you please make a reservation by emailing or calling us at 706-453-7111.

Last Boathouse concert of the season

Sunday, September 1 from 6:30 – 9:30 pm

Yes, it’s a Sunday but it’s not a school night, it’s “Labor Day Eve!” Don’t miss out on our last summer concert of the season. The Li’l Bit Country Band will be performing live at The Boathouse for the occasion. You bring chairs, blankets, and appetite. The restaurant will be serving a variety of great food, from pina colada shrimp to key lime pie. (Labor Day golf

Monday, September 2 from 8 am – 12 pm

Our award-winning golf course is typically closed on Mondays, but not on the Labor Day holiday. You’ve already got the day off, so why not play an exceptional game of golf? As of this writing, tee-times are available starting at 8 am, with open slots available until noon. Don’t delay in booking your tee time, as they often go quickly on holidays.

Experience “lake life”

Labor Day weekend is the perfect excuse for experiencing “lake life” during a long holiday weekend. Whether it be Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, it’s easy to schedule a fun time on Lake Oconee. Even if you don’t own your own boat, The Boathouse Marina has you covered. You can rent a boat, jet ski, kayak, or paddleboard. Plus, you can stock up on snacks and drinks at our convenience store and fueling is a snap with the help of our friendly boat valets.

No matter what you decide to do this upcoming Labor Day weekend, we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy life at Harbor Club. Curious as to what it’s like? Schedule your exclusive Discovery experience today.

Did you know that the rules of golf changed this year? There were over 20 official changes that went into effect on January 1, 2019. If you don’t feel well versed in them, you can refer to the USGA’s full text of the rules for the details. In the meantime, here are the top five you should know.

1 – Spike marks (Rule 13.1)

You may now repair damage on the putting green without penalty. As long as you are reasonable when restoring the putting green back to its original condition, you’ll be fine. In the past, players weren’t allowed to repair damages. It’s nice that you can fix it now, but it also means you can no longer use those damaged parts as an excuse for missing a putt.

2 – Flagstick (Rule 13.2)

You may now putt with the flagstick left in the hole and not worry about a penalty if your ball hits it. In the past, you would have received a two-shot penalty if your ball hit the flagstick. This one is an excellent timesaver since players will no longer have to tend to the flag before they attempt their putts. 

3 – Drop height (Rule 14.3)

When dropping a ball, it may no longer be from shoulder height. The new, proper way to drop it requires that the ball be dropped straight down from knee height. “Knee height” means the height of a players knee when in a standing position. Sure, the new process may look a little strange, but everyone will quickly grow accustomed to it. 

4 – Loose impediments (Rule 15.1)

The new rules state that you may remove a loose impediment without penalty anywhere on or off the course. Previously, you weren’t allowed to move those things (such as branches, stones, and leaves.) Now you are allowed to move them — but be careful to ensure the ball doesn’t move too. If it does, then it will count as a penalty. 

5 – Search time (Rule 18.2)

Today, a golf ball is considered “lost” if it isn’t found within three minutes after the player (or their caddie) begins to search for it. Before the rule change, players were given more time (five minutes) to find their ball. So for this one, be sure to check your watch before you start your search. Three minutes go by quickly. The disadvantage, of course, is that you may lose a few more golf balls. However, one nice advantage is that it may speed up the pace of play on the course.

All of the new rules intend to help players focus on the spirit of the game while promoting a faster, and more fun pace of play. Why not put them to the test here at Harbor Club? Our distinctive, Weiskopf-Morrish designed course was just awarded by Golfweek as one of the top five courses to play in Georgia. Indulge in amazing golf. Book your tee time today.

Looking for some fun in the sun with your children this summer? Of course, we’ve got plenty of cool things to do right here at Harbor Club. Kids love swimming in our refreshing pool, having fun at the dog park, fishing on Lake Oconee and at our stocked ponds, hiking the trails, practicing puts at the putting green, and playing tennis and pickleball, among other sports. 

In addition to those activities, here are a few other kid-friendly happenings to enjoy in and around Harbor Club this summer:

Miss Mag’s Storytime

Where: Greene County Library, 610 South Main Street, Greensboro, GA

When: Thursdays in June and July. 10:30 AM

Cost: Free

Miss Mag, “The Queen of all Storytime” will tell a magical story for children of all ages. This is an excellent way to get kids engaged and excited about reading this summer. Check out a few books while you’re there.

Details

Equestrian Open House

Where: Diamond K Stables, 217 N Wesley Chapel Rd, Eatonton, GA

When: June 8, 2019. 11 AM – 4 PM

Cost: See below

This open house includes free pony and horse rides for both kids and adults. There will be farm tours, hay wagon rides, games, and activities too. Concessions include hotdogs, snacks, and drinks. For only $5, attendees can have a 15-minute lesson with one of the instructors.

Details

Spelling Bee

Where: Greene County Library, 610 South Main Street Greensboro, GA

When: June 11, 2019. 11 AM – 2 PM

Cost: Free

Do your children love to spell out words? Sign them up for this kid-friendly spelling contest at the library. Winners get to move on to the next contest on June 28th.

Details

Lakeside Summer Concert Series

Where: Harbor Club Boathouse Marina and Restaurant, 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA

When: Saturday nights in June and July, 6:30 – 9:30 PM

Cost: Free

This popular, outdoor concert event is tons of fun for both kids and adults. Arrive via boat, car, jet ski, golf cart, kayak – whatever works best. Don’t forget to bring chairs and blankets to sit on. Kids (and adults) enjoy dancing to the live music, playing bocce ball, putting on the putting green, and playing other lawn games. The Boathouse Restaurant has delicious food and drinks available for purchase. (Note: No outside alcohol or coolers allowed please.)

Boathouse details

Junior Golf Camp

Where: Harbor Club

When: July 9-12, 2019. Ages 5-9 attend from 9-10:15 AM. Ages 10-18 attend from 10:30-11:45 AM.

Cost: $125/each

Daily clinics include lessons for swinging, chipping, pitching, and putting. Kids will then play holes on our prestigious course to show off their newly acquired skills. Lunch, drinks, and snacks are provided each day. The U.S. Kids Golf Company will be on-site on Tuesday, July 9th to provide free fittings and special pricing on clubs. Space is limited. Please call Harbor Club at 1 (800) 505-GOLF for details or to sign up.

Art Camp

Where: The Plaza Arts Center, 205 N. Madison Ave. Eatonton, GA

When: July 15-19, 2019. 9 AM – 12:30 PM

Cost: $100/each for kids ages 6-14

Have your kids enjoy a fun-filled week of craft activities, including painting, drawing, pottery, weaving, and more. Kids get to present their masterpieces during the last hour of camp week on July 19.

Details

Last but not least, rent a boat over at The Boathouse Marina for a memorable day on the lake. From food to fuel, we’ve got everything you need to make it enjoyable for the whole family.

There’s always something fun to do in and around our Southern Living-Inspired Community. Come visit this summer and see for yourself what life is like at Harbor Club.

When you’re getting ready to find a new home, the process can sometimes be a little overwhelming. It can also be a lot of fun if you’re properly prepared. There are several easy things you can do to make your home search experience better. Here are some helpful tips from our sales director, Kathy Phillips, to help you find the perfect home.

Look at location

Determining your ideal location is based on several personal factors that you feel are most important. When you identify locations you think you’d like to live in, take a deeper dive into whether it will work. How far is your commute? What is the traffic like? Are there good dining and shopping options nearby? Is good healthcare easily accessible? If you foresee doing a lot of travel, find out where the closest airport is located.

Identify communities

Once you’ve narrowed down your location, take a look at some of the popular communities located nearby. Check out their websites and social media pages. Are they active? Are there fun social activities? What kind of amenities do they have? Read the reviews and do a “birds-eye” or satellite map view of each community. Sometimes you’ll discover interesting things nearby. Ensure the communities on your list have the amenities most important to you and your family.

Decide on house type

When buying a new house, there are essentially three ways you can go. You can build a brand new custom home, purchase a new home on spec, or opt for a resale. Some people like to start from scratch, some like a newly constructed, quick move-in home where they can pick their finishes. Deciding which appeals to you most will help to narrow your list of choices.

Create a checklist

Write down your “must-haves” required for your new home. How many bedrooms and bathrooms should it have? If you plan on having family stay with you often enough, ensure there is enough space for them too. Also, think about the space required to accommodate other things, like your vehicles or even a golf cart. If you are a boater ask if there is easy access or storage nearby. Inquire about home warranties, internet access, cell coverage, and taxes. Even if you don’t have kids, ask about the schools. Why? Because good schools equal good resale value in the future.

Go on a tour

Make plans to visit the communities on your short list. Bring anything you need to take good notes and photos. Take a tour of the neighborhood and check out the amenities. Go on home tours of both resale and model homes that are of interest to you. Determine if there is enough room for things like your furniture (king bedroom set, for example) and your artwork. Take the time to visualize living in the home and if it has the right function and flow for your family. Don’t forget to make note of the fit, finish, and build quality of the homes. If a newly constructed home is high on your list, visit the Design Center if one is on-site.

Think ahead

It’s smart to think long-term. How will this home purchase help you be where you want to be in 5, 10, or 20 years from now? For example, can you envision aging-in-place in your new home? Will stairs be a problem? Are there family members with mobility issues? Or, perhaps the home is perfect for you now but you plan on selling it in ten years at a profit to upgrade to something else. Having vision into these things will help you make a smart choice.

Another smart choice? Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. Our award-winning, Southern Living-inspired, golf and lake community offers a wide variety of real estate options. We invite you to stop by and see for yourself why so many people have chosen Harbor Club as home.

If you are a regular on the Harbor Club golf course, then you probably know our Head Golf Professional, Keith Kelly. What you may not know is his journey to golf or what drew him here to Harbor Club. We chatted with Keith recently to learn his story, including several of his admirable accomplishments, compelling experiences, pro golf tips, and more. 

Q: Can you provide a brief biography?

A: I grew up in Abingdon. VA and went to Siena College in upstate New York. I majored in marketing and management and was an Academic All-American there. I worked at Wolferts Roost and Marco Island golf courses for a while, but after a few years, I grew tired of moving back and forth between the two. After graduation, I moved to North Carolina and worked at Emerald Golf Course in New Bern where I was the Head Golf Professional. After about two years, I moved on to Cypress Landing in Chocowinity, North Carolina where I was the Head Golf Pro and General Manager of the course. During my stint there I received my Class A as a PGA professional (that was in 2002.) After about five years at Cypress Landing, I went to work at Maccripine Country Club in Pinetops for a few years, then went on to Riverbend Country Club in New Bern. I joined the team at Harbor Club as Head Golf Pro back in June of 2012, and I love it.”

Q: When did you start golfing and who introduced you to the game?

A: My dad was a caddy back in the day, so he introduced me to the game at age five. I had a 5-iron, a 7-iron, and a putter at that young age. When I turned 10, I got my first full set of golf clubs. It helped that I grew up next to a golf course back when we lived in Virginia. By the time I turned 13, I was playing in the men’s events at that course.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job as Head Golf Pro, and why?

A: Teaching! I love being able to help people understand the game better so that they can play it better. Beyond teaching, I also enjoy the marketing side of the position, as well as the buying and selling of great products and inventory for our pro shop here at Harbor Club.

Q: Can you share some of your proudest golf accomplishments?

A: Yes — I was thrilled that I got into the semi-finals in the Northeastern New York PGA Match Play back when I was still living in upstate New York. But right after moving to North Carolina I ended up qualifying for the North Carolina Open. It was my first major tournament. I’m proud to say that I was only three strokes behind in the last nine holes and I ended up finishing in the top 10. I was very proud of that accomplishment.

Q: What is your favorite club in your bag and why?

A: My putter. A putter is a club that is useful in that it can change the scoring of the game very quickly. But only if you are good at putting.

Q: Is there a course on your bucket list that you’ve not played yet? …and if so why do you want to play there?

A: Augusta National, of course. I love the amazing history of the place. When I was much younger and worked at Marco Island, I was lucky enough to get to know Gene Sarazen. I got to hear his stories about Augusta National — how beautiful it was and how it was manicured to perfection. To me, it’s the epitome of a perfect golf course. I think every golfer, myself included, would want to experience that at least once in their lives.

Q: In your opinion, what are some of the best advantages of being a Harbor Club member specifically when it comes to golf?

A: What’s fantastic about our course is that you can play every day and never get bored. Players find they have to use a different club on every hole. What’s more, they can play holes in many different, strategic ways. It keeps the game interesting even if played on a regular basis. Even better, our course is always in great shape, and it’s playable year round. There’s consistently a good pace of play, and you can never have a bad roll on our greens.

Q: What tips can you share about playing golf at Harbor Club during Masters Week?

A: The nice thing about playing here compared to other courses in the area is the price. Harbor Club offers an incredible value during Masters Week. You’re playing a world class course for a very reasonable price. Plus we do demo days during that week with companies like Calloway and Cobra. There’s a lot of fun stuff to do during that notable week.

Q: If you could change one aspect, rule, or thing about golf, what would it be and why?

A: I would like to change the way we pace through the game. In fact, the USGA just changed the rules to try to increase the pace of play, so players aren’t on the course for five hours at a time.

Q: If you could play a round of golf with any golfer, past or present, who would it be?

A: There are several. Jack Nicklaus because I grew up watching him play. Gene Sarazen because I got to know him but never got a chance to play with him. I regret that. Tiger Woods too. I met him and would love to play a round with him. Last but not least, Arnold Palmer. I would like to have played with him just because of his character and the fact that he’s a tremendous ambassador of the game.

Q: Can you share one of your most exciting golf memory?

A: As an employee at Marco Island, I ended up being the first to play in one of Gene Sarazen’s birthday tournaments. There are always a lot of popular TV and golf celebrities playing in it, so I was nervous. At one point in the match, everyone in my group ended up hitting their shots in the water, but when I took my shot, I got the ball six feet from the hole! It was both an exhilarating and highly memorable moment for me.

Q: What is your best pro tip that you like to share with fellow golfers?

A: Use your lower body to turn when hitting the ball. Most people don’t do this. To make up for it, they use too much upper body. As a result, they aren’t using all their power. Wrists move a lot of different ways. Hips, not so much.

Q: What is your favorite hole at Harbor Club and why?

A: I would have to say #7 because of the excellent view and more importantly, the risk-reward factor. If you don’t hit a great shot, you could end up in the water. If you hit a good shot, then you can actually get a two on the hole. If you hit a bad shot, you can get a five or six.

Q: Is there anything you want to add before we conclude?

A: Yes. I’d like to say that the one thing that makes Harbor Club awesome is the people. It’s a wonderful community where everyone is very interactive. Residents, employees, members — everyone here is fantastic. As employees, we take a lot of pride in our community and in what we do. We love making everyone happy when they visit, and it shows.

Curious to meet Keith and experience Harbor Club for yourself? Book your tee time today. 

 

Ready to give your taste buds a new, delicious experience? We’re happy to announce that our Clubhouse Restaurant has both a fantastic new chef and a new, delectable, Southern Living-inspired menu. Whether you’ve been one of the lucky ones to enjoy a meal at The Clubhouse Restaurant recently or not, we wanted to give you the scoop on the new offerings and introduce you to the culinary artist behind them, chef Gregory Thigpen. We sat down with Greg recently to learn more about him and his cooking inspirations.

Q: We are thrilled to have you on board at Harbor Club! Tell us a little about yourself and your culinary background.

A: I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Milledgeville in the ’80s. I apprenticed under many acclaimed chefs, including David Mykel at Brewer’s Cafe, Scott Hagle at the Ritz Carlton, and Tony Flannagan at Hugs Northern Italian Restaurant, among others. I’m proud to have over 20-years of culinary experience under my belt and am now very happy to be heading up the culinary team at The Clubhouse Restaurant.

Q: When did you realize you wanted to become a chef, and why?

My culinary background actually started at a very young age. I loved being experimental in the kitchen and playing with different recipes. In fact, I still do. I enjoy expressing my love for cooking through satisfying hungry palates of all kinds. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m passionate about supporting local farmers and sustainable farming practices too. When you look at my menus, you’ll typically see some ingredients that are locally raised or grown.

Q: What do you consider your culinary specialization?

A: I consider my cooking style as American Nuevo. I essentially embrace Italian, French Cajun, and traditional Southern cuisine as my culinary mainstays but I specialize in preparing traditional Southern cuisine with flair.

Q: What was your inspiration for the new, Southern Living-inspired menu?

A: We wanted to bring our members a delicious, new experience, so I put together a menu that fuses all of my cooking styles together. You’ll find a few of the classic mainstays that everyone loves, like the 14-oz Ribeye, Catch of the Day, and Cheesecake. However, I’ve added some other, more unique dishes to the menu too, like Filet Medallions, a Chef’s Choice Vegan Platter, and a Strawberry Belgian Waffle with candied, local pecans. All the dishes are as distinctive as they are delicious. We’ve received excellent feedback from our patrons so far.

Q: What is one of the new dishes you’d like to highlight for us?

A: That’s easy — the Chicken Francaise. It’s a herb and egg-battered farm- raised chicken breast topped with a white butter sauce. It comes with a wild mushroom risotto and fresh green beans on the side. This dish was one of the first specials I offered when I first started at Harbor Club this past October, and our members absolutely loved it.

By now your mouth is probably watering, so make plans to enjoy a scrumptious, Southern Living-inspired meal at The Clubhouse Restaurant today. Give us a call to make reservations (requested, but not required unless there are special events) at (800)-505-GOLF (4653).

With April right around the corner, the renowned Masters golf tournament is fast approaching. Whether you’re one of the lucky ones that get to experience this epic event in person, or if you’re going to watch it on TV from the comfort of your home, it’s an inspiring tournament that puts all avid golfers in the mood to play — especially here at Harbor Club.

Our golf course is conveniently located halfway between Augusta and Atlanta, just a few miles off of Interstate 20. Augusta is swamped with people during Masters Week, as are the golf courses located there. Not only that, many of the courses take advantage of the situation and carry a premium price tag. Not so at Harbor Club. Here you can escape the majority of the crowds and enjoy beautiful Lake Oconee, Georgia’s second largest lake.

Every year our patrons tell us that our course is one of the best places to play during Masters Week. It’s no surprise, considering it was designed by the admirable duo, Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish. In fact, Weiskopf himself finished second at The Masters on four different occasions. Both he and Jay Moorish created a fun, yet challenging course design that offers players some of the best playing conditions on the lake. These include six holes set beautifully along the shore of Lake Oconee, a 7,048-yard layout that skirts four creeks, and an appealing pair of short, driveable risk-reward par fours.

In keeping with The Masters theme, our 17th hole is designed to emulate the infamous 12th hole at Augusta National. It has very similar bunker placements, water hazard, and bean-shaped green. In fact, it was recently highlighted in Golf Georgia magazine, saying that it “plays like a bigger, juiced up version of Augusta National’s par three 12th.” Yes, this one does require a fantastic tee shot over the lake.

Hole 17 isn’t the only thing that bears a resemblance to Augusta National. When you visit our Southern Living-inspired community, you might see a special, privately owned lake home that was designed by architect Calvin Cline. It’s widely known as the “Augusta National House” because it looks almost exactly like the clubhouse at its namesake.

Over the years, many people have made it a tradition to play our course during Masters Week. It’s no surprise considering the impressive accolades our course has accumulated, including:

• Top 3 Places to Play in the State of Georgia (Golfweek)
• #4 Best Course You Can Play in Georgia (Golf Magazine)
• One of the Top Golf Course Communities Around the World (Links Magazine)

For those who wish to experience our award-winning course during Masters Week, we are offering the following special rates from April 5-14, 2019:

$189 + tax – 7:30am-2:58pm

$169 + tax – 3:00pm-Close

$80 replay special

$149 + tax – Hotels & Trade Times (Golfnow & Play 18)

$169 + tax – Groups of 8

$149 + tax – Groups of 12 or more

$70 + tax – Rental set of clubs

Pricing for Harbor Club member’s guests:

$80 + tax – Accompanied guest

$129 + tax – Unaccompanied guest

Ready to secure your spots? Simply book your tee time online, or call us at (706) 453-4414. Tee times will be in high demand during Masters Week, so please don’t wait until the last minute to make a reservation. Plan your Masters Week golf experience at Harbor Club today!

The holidays are coming, and so is the time to give special gifts to cherished family and friends. As you gather your list and check it twice, consider gifting some experiences this year rather than tangible goods. Why? Scientific studies have shown that the happiness we get from material goods diminishes over time — but that’s not the case with experiences.

Experiences become a part of our overall being and create memories that last a lifetime. If you need some ideas to get started, consider some of these local options:

Give an Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS) Membership

For anyone that has an appreciation of the performing arts, this is an excellent gift. OPAS offers a variety of high-quality events throughout the year. The minimum membership level is only $100, and it provides your gift recipient recognition in the OPAS playbill and on the OPAS website. It also gives access to pre-sale tickets one week before they go on sale to the public — a nice perk for high-demand performances.

Go on a group tour of Oconee Brewing Company

Know some beer enthusiasts? Get them together and go on a group tour at the Oconee Brewing Company. It gives an exclusive, inside look at how their specialty craft beer is made. You’ll also see the completely re-done 6,000 square foot former mill warehouse that the brewery is housed in …and enjoy some tastings too.

Give a spa gift card

There are many spas in our area that offer gift certificates. Pamper a special someone with the gift of a massage, manicure, pedicure, facial, or another indulgent spa service. Amy’s Downtown even offers “Massage In a Bottle” which is not only a cute play on words, but it’s a unique and creative way to give a spa gift certificate.

Play amazing golf

Great for both men and women, young and not so young, the gift of golf is a great experience for almost anyone. It’s an excellent way for good friends and family to gather and “play” together. Consider gifting a golf membership or enjoying our Masters Golf Week specials. At Harbor Club, anytime of year is a good time to play. Whenever you decide to play, include a delicious meal at the Clubhouse Restaurant to make your experience extra special.

Learn a new cooking skill

Nearby Farmview Market in Madison offers an array of educational classes on cooking, nutrition, wellness, gardening, canning, preserving, and more. Two of their upcoming courses include, “Kombucha: A How-to and Make & Take” as well as “A Taste of the Tea Room: Scone-Making.” There’s always something new and exciting to learn, and the food and shopping are fantastic there too.

Have a day on the lake

A day on the lake is a fantastic experience that anyone will remember for years to come. Arrange to go out on the water in the spring or summer when the weather is ideal. Our Boathouse Marina team can provide you with everything you need, from boat rental, to fuel, to snacks and drinks. Better yet, you can enjoy a yummy lunch or dinner at The Boathouse Restaurant. Open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the summer; it’s one of Lake Oconee’s only “boat-up” restaurants located right on the water. The view and the food are excellent.

Whatever experiences you gift this year, even if it’s last minute, it’s one that is relatively easy to arrange, thoughtful, and rewarding to both the giver and the receiver. Even if you’ve already purchased some tangible gifts this year, consider adding some experiences too. As a Southern Living-Inspired Community, we know that the time and memories with family, friends, and neighbors are worth it. Stop by someday and we’ll show you what we mean.

Sometimes you’ve been planning it for a while. Sometimes it’s a matter of luck — such as a new job, an opportunity to work from home, or better yet, retirement. Whatever the catalyst may be for moving to a new place, how do you find your ideal community? It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We’ve put together a helpful planning guide with six simple steps on how to discover the perfect one for you.

1) Select your sector

First, you should decide what part of the country you’d like to live in. Divide it up by the Northeast, South, Midwest, and the West. Narrow down to your favorite one by thinking about where your friends and family live, your past travels, topography, and other factors that you deem most important. Chose the one that has features you admire the most.

<Image source: U.S. Census Bureau>

2) Contemplate the climate

Once you’ve pinpointed which part of the country you like best, now decide on your optimal climate. If you love the South, for example, but want to avoid the icy, cold winter of Virginia and the blistering, summer heat of Florida, then look at the states in between the two.

<Image source: National Climatic Data Center>

3) Consider the cost of living

Now that you’ve identified a few states, now think about where you can maximize the value of your new home investment. You want to get the most bang for your hard-earned buck, so cost of living is the most important factor here. The states shown in green offer the lowest cost of living.

<Image source: MERIC>

4) Spot your cities

At this point, you’ve narrowed your list of states to a few. Now think about the larger cities in those states. Which ones have the most to offer? Granted, if you’re not a “city person,” that’s ok. However, you’ll want to be close enough to one that is thriving and offers the best in things like healthcare, air travel, dining, cultural experiences, recreation, and education, just to name a few. That way, you can take advantage of those excellent features whenever you wish.

5) Consider your community

Now look for communities that match your lifestyle. If you enjoy living on or near water, look for ocean or lake communities. If there are friends or relatives that you want close by, look at locales that are near them. If you love golf, look for a community that has a great course. If you foresee travel in your future, ensure that you have easy access to a good airport. Once you’ve pinpointed some communities that fit your needs, find out how financially sound it is as well as how many people live there full-time.

6) Take it for a “test drive”

The only way to truly know if a community is right for you is to plan a visit. Gather your short list of contenders and visit each one. Go on a tour of the property, check out the amenities, and take a close look at the homes available. If possible, mingle with some of the residents and chat about what life is like there. You’ll get a more accurate feel for the neighborhood that way.

The best communities usually have “discovery” type programs that help you with this last step. In fact, our Discovery Package here at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee offers comfortable lodging, one round of award-winning golf, an exclusive real estate tour of our Southern Living-Inspired Community, a $50 Clubhouse voucher, and more. Sound interesting? We invite you to visit. After all, what do you have to lose? You may just find the perfect community for you.

Family traditions during the holidays are a wonderful way to enjoy festive celebrations. Usually passed down from generation to generation, these carry nostalgia and are a sign that the holidays have truly arrived. As great as those cherished traditions can be, it’s fun to try some new ones now and then, especially at Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be grateful for (especially here at Harbor Club.) Try out some of these unique traditions this Thanksgiving to better express gratitude with your family and friends this holiday.

Write thanks on a tablecloth

Using a plain white tablecloth and some permanent markers, have each member of the family write down what they are thankful for. (Note: Be sure that your table is protected underneath.) Afterward, go around the table and give each person an opportunity to read what they wrote. After the holiday is over, wash the tablecloth on gentle cycle and put it away for next year. Over time everyone will enjoy reading what was written in the past while continuing to add to the tablecloth on future Thanksgivings. These remembrances are a great reminder as to what the holiday is about.

Add an extra place setting at the table

Whether there is a chance you’ll have an additional guest or not, add one extra place setting at the table. This could be a spot for a close relative who wasn’t able to make it to the celebration this year, or it could be for someone near and dear that has recently passed. Whatever the circumstances, this is a unique way to show gratitude and respect for those that couldn’t physically be present for the holiday.

Share your thanks as a host If you are hosting

Thanksgiving this year, write down why you’re thankful for each person at your table. Just a sentence or two will do. Then, tuck each small note under each person’s plate. They (and everyone else) will be pleasantly surprised and grateful when they discover your handwritten, thoughtful gesture.

Have everyone propose a toast

During the course of the meal, have everyone go around the table and toast to what they were most thankful for this past year. Be sure to include the kids (with their non-alcoholic beverages, of course) as you’ll get some funny, often heartwarming toasts from them too.

Make charity a theme

If you are having guests over for Thanksgiving, ask them to bring canned goods or gently used clothing that they no longer want or need. Now you know what to say when people ask “What can I bring?” Then, after the holiday is over, gather up and donate those items to charity. Alternatively, have everyone pick a day in the future to get back together and volunteer their time as a group. These are excellent and rewarding ways to remember the reason for the season but to also give back to the community.

Whether you are celebrating this Thanksgiving holiday near or far, we wish you a memorable one with traditions that everyone will cherish for years to come. From our family to yours, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

With a jam-packed calendar of social of events, there is always something fun to do at Harbor Club. Our activities, events, and clubs offer an excellent way for our residents to actively engage with both the world around them and with each other. Why are social opportunities at Harbor Club so significant? Because they’re not only fun, they are an excellent way for our residents to boost their mental and physical well-being while making new friends.

After all, studies have shown that those who have greater social support are found to live healthier, longer lives. Lucky for our residents and members, Harbor Club provides multiple ways to cultivate and grow rich social connections throughout the community.

With over 80% full-time residents at our Southern Living-Inspired Community, we like to ensure that everyone that lives, learns, works, and plays here has ample opportunities to socialize together. Of course, we have lots of fun outdoor activities where socialization is key, like award-winning golf, our summer concert series at The Boathouse, or merely hanging out with friends at the Dog Park (just to name a few.) We also have exciting trivia nights, holiday parties, happy hours, live entertainment events, themed dinners, seminars, luncheons, and more. In addition, for those with any niche-based hobbies and interests, there is likely a club for it at Harbor Club. Here are a few examples:

Ladies League

This lively group of women meets at least monthly. They have educational luncheons, go on trips, support charities, have parties, and engage in several other fantastic social gatherings. Their most recent trip was to the Atlanta High Museum of Art, and their most recent luncheon included a Wellness Advocate who discussed aging gracefully and how essential oils can keep us healthy and well. The Ladies League is an excellent way for the women of Harbor Club to socialize and expand their circle of friends.

Bunco

As an offshoot of the Ladies League, the Southern Living-Inspired bunco group is held at a different home each month. Usually with a host and co-host, it often features at least one delicious Southern Living recipe for everyone to indulge in. Essentially a fun, “girls night out” the game has been a fantastic way for the ladies to create and maintain meaningful, close relationships outside of work and home.

Book club

Meeting on the fourth Friday of every month is our book club. Here, attendees have the opportunity to not only gain new friends but to also expand their minds with new perspectives on particular book genres and styles. It’s an excellent way for people to get to know one another through thoughtful discussions and self-expression.

Game Group

Game Group meets every other month (beginning in February) on a rotating host basis within Harbor Club. A neighbor hosts a group of eight, and everyone brings an appetizer and beverage. The main game is a card game called Texas Tango. At the end of each gathering, a tally of final scores is updated for all participants. A potluck party is held at year-end to celebrate and award the overall winners. This group has always been popular, and it’s an ideal way for Harbor Club men, women, young, and ‘not-so-young’ to have a grand time together.

Bridge

We have bridge clubs (including a Marathon one) that meet on both the first and fourth Wednesday of the month. This game is one that is both strategic and intellectually demanding (like chess) but it is also quite social. It’s that combination that makes it such an engaging activity for all players.

Garden club

From expert gardeners to those who want to gain a greener thumb, our garden club caters to all levels. Located in The Grove, our Victory Garden features several professionally designed, raised beds that helps gardeners of all ages grow vegetables and other healthy plants with ease. Both Harbor Club residents and members are encouraged to join.

Curious to learn more about living the Harbor Club life? Whether you’re interested in becoming a resident or a member, we’re happy to share. Contact us for a community tour today.

You may have already heard the news that Harbor Club on Lake Oconee won the Bliss Award for Best Georgia Community of the Year. There were tons of factors that went into that important decision by the team at Real Estate Scorecard. Several of those factors stem from the many positive aspects of our community itself. However, there’s more to it than that. We are fortunate to be located directly on Georgia’s second largest lake, beautiful Lake Oconee. This 19,000-acre body of water represents one of the best places to live in Georgia.

Here’s why:

Stable lake levels

The Army Corp of Engineers manages many of the lakes in the state of Georgia. Due to planned releases and varying degrees of rainfall, many of those lakes experience rapid changes in lake levels. Not so at Lake Oconee. It is renown for having very minimal lake level variations. This is a big factor if you plan to own a lakefront home with a dock or boathouse. You’ll save both time and money since you won’t need to call in a special company to professionally move your dock in or out whenever the lake levels change.

Charming, well-appointed towns

Our hometown of Greensboro is Lake Oconee’s closest town. Eatonton is the next nearest city. Both offer a plethora of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. Greensboro has several big-box stores, like Home Depot and Publix. It also boasts several antique stores, artisan shops, and boutiques in its historic downtown area, making it a favorite stop on the 200-mile Antiques Trail of Georgia. Top-notch healthcare and schools are readily available too, such as the award-winning St. Mary’s Hospital and the famous Lake Oconee Academy charter school.

Excellent climate

You can’t experience great “lake life” without great weather. Lake Oconee is located in Central Georgia where the weather is typically moderate to hot. Under normal circumstances, the months of May through September experience average temperatures from the high 70’s to low 80’s. December through February, the average temperatures are from the mid 40’s to low 50’s. The hot, dry weather during the summers and the cooler winters are excellent for growing fruit trees, perennials, and several tropical plants. While snowfall does occur, it is a rarity at Lake Oconee.

Sports abound

Lake Oconee has eight marinas, four of which are full-service. Our Boathouse Marina is one of the best. Those who love to go fishing, boating, jet-skiing, and tubing will find everything they need — gear, gas, and guides included. Also, there are multiple golf courses around the lake, including our own highly acclaimed Weiskopf-Morrish course. The 18-holes here at Harbor Club offer a fun yet challenging game for players at any skill level. The course takes advantage of the rolling terrain and highlights the natural beauty that the lake provides. On the northern part of Lake Oconee is the protected, 800,000-acre Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. There, hikers and mountain bikers can enjoy at least 50 miles of picturesque, wooded trails.

Reasonable taxes and home prices

Georgia is widely known for providing a lot of value for its low-cost standard of living. Here, the Greene County estimated real estate tax millage rate is only $32.40 per 25% of $1000. Homes that are for sale in the Lake Oconee area typically average in the mid $300’s. At Harbor Club, single-family homes start in the high $200k’s and can exceed $1 million, especially for those that are located directly on Lake Oconee’s scenic shoreline.

No matter the price, every home at Harbor Club has access to Lake Oconee via our Boathouse Marina. If you would like to see and learn more about living at Harbor Club, stop by for a tour. You’ll see that the resort-lifestyle in our Southern Living-Inspired Community is exceptional. Start planning your visit today.

We all know that the kitchen is the heart of the home — especially if it’s Southern Living-Inspired. Our aim, as a Southern Living-Inspired Community, is to always ‘create environments that foster gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.’ Our in-house builder (Patriot Builders) and design team take that notion very seriously. Together, they’ve created beautiful, yet functional kitchens that incorporate the latest Southern Living-Inspired design trends.

Learn more about some of our favorites:

Full height backsplashes

A full backsplash has a clean, cohesive look. It is a design element that creates a uniform transition from the countertop to the cabinet. It also better protects the wall from food preparation while adding eye-catching visual interest to the entire kitchen.

White cabinets and countertops

A white kitchen offers a lot of versatility and timeless simplicity to the space. While darker shades of color may be in vogue now, they can get dated very quickly. This is not true with white, which always outlasts popular trends. Plus, white works well for any style kitchen, from modern to vintage. No matter the design, white’s reflectivity brightens up the room and makes it feel clean, open, and welcoming.

Farmhouse sink

A large, farmhouse sink is a statement piece. Not only does it offer a beautiful focal point, but it also provides more space for washing larger pots and pans. Even better, farm sinks are typically installed under the counter, so wiping crumbs and spills into the sink is a cinch.

Quartz countertops

Quartz counters come in a wide variety of gorgeous colors and styles. It’s also non-porous, which means that it resists stains better than granite and marble. What’s more, it doesn’t need to be sealed like natural stone countertops. It’s not only gorgeous to look at, but it’s also highly durable and easy to clean.

Full height cabinetry

There are several advantages to full height cabinets. They offer a clean finished look to the kitchen space, enhance the lighting, and provide additional storage for appliances and seasonal cookware that are used less often. They also create excellent display space for cabinets that have glass inserts.

Glass front cabinets

Glass front cabinet doors look more modern than typical wood or solid styles. Also, cabinet doors with glass inserts boosts a kitchen’s appeal by creating a light, airy openness. If you have favorite dinnerware or artwork, the glass cabinets provide an excellent place to showcase them in a unique and appealing way.

Counter-depth refrigerator

A counter-depth refrigerator offers a more streamlined, uniform look in the kitchen. While a standard-depth refrigerator often protrudes into main traffic areas, a counter-depth one creates less congestion in the work triangle. Because of it’s taller size, it also typically provides more storage and better access to the contents.

When it comes to kitchen design ideas, some are classic and others come and go. In keeping with Southern Living ideals, you can easily see that we like to stick to timeless, clean styles that will stand the test of time. Curious to learn more? Make plans to come visit us today. You’re going to love what you see.

 

When you live in a Southern Living-Inspired Community like ours, you know that fall is a perfect season for planting. The days are shorter, the sun is lower in the sky, and the weather is turning cooler. With the summer heat diminishing, it’s an excellent time to not only prepare for autumn and winter color but to strategize around spring blooms too.

Curious about what to plant? We’ve put together a handy fall plant guide to help you get started. 

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Annuals

Fall is the ideal time to switch out tired spring annuals for colorful autumn varieties. Planting cold-hardy pansies in autumn is perfect because the soil has enough warmth for plants to establish strong roots. Healthy roots give these colorful flowers the ability to survive frigid temperatures and keep blooming from winter into spring. ‘Plentifall’ is a good pansy variety to try.

Another favorite flower is chrysanthemums (also widely known simply as “mums.”) These potted plants typically make their debut in stores and garden centers during September. They are perfect for livening up your front entry with warm colors of yellow, orange, red, burgundy, pink, and purple. Keep them watered to increase their longevity. Fun fact: Pots of blooming mums purchased in the fall won’t survive the winter if you plant them in the ground. They do best when planted in the spring — a good thing to keep in mind when winter begins to wind down.

Perennials

Pretty perennials, such as hostas or peonies are happiest when planted in the fall. Autumn is also the ideal time to divide and replant them. To ensure they continue to bloom well, it’s best to avoid planting them deep in the ground. They only need about two inches of soil above the root bud. Keep the roots strong by watering them with about one inch of water per week until the first freeze.

Spring bulbs

November is the best time of year to plant your spring bulbs. Why? They need a couple of months of cold dormancy for them to bloom. Be sure the tops of the bulbs have about two inches of soil above them. Bright colored options that work well in the south are tulips, daffodils, iris, grape hyacinths, alliums, and gladiolus.

Trees and shrubs

Fall is the perfect time to get new trees and shrubs in the ground. Planting in fall means they will have enough time to acclimate and get their roots established before the soil temperatures get too cold. Increase their chances of survival by digging holes no deeper than the root ball and make it three times as wide. The red maple does very well in Georgia and has stunning fall foliage. Look for the ‘October Glory’ variety, as it has beautiful leaves in autumn.

The Fireball Burning Bush is an excellent shrub to try. Plant it in full sun among your spring and summer flowering shrubs so you can admire its striking red foliage during the fall season.

Need more advice? Our active gardeners in the Garden Club can offer more helpful tips. You can usually find them joyfully working in the Victory Garden at The Grove. We invite you to see our Victory Garden and the rest of our Southern Living-Inspired community for yourself. Plan your visit today. Who knows, you may just find yourself happily “planted” at Harbor Club soon.

At Harbor Club, one of our top priorities is providing amenities that help our residents and members be fit, healthy, and happy. The Grove campus is an excellent example of this, especially since it includes our new fitness studio. We offer several fun exercise classes, including barre and toning, co-ed core, and Zumba, among others. Maureen “Mo” Brower teaches these three classes. She is an instructor renown for her high energy and friendly enthusiasm.

We wanted to introduce you to Maureen so we sat down to learn more about the classes she teaches, and get her wise advice on fitness regimens, apps, and more.

You teach three popular fitness classes at Harbor Club. Can you tell us a little about each one?

Sure! I teach barre and toning, which is a modern twist on classical ballet. It’s barre training designed to shape and tone postural muscles and build core strength. The first 30 minutes of the class are done on the barre, and last 30 minutes are dedicated to toning arms and core muscles.

I also teach co-ed core, which is a 45-minute class designed to strengthen and tone core muscle groups–including upper and lower abdominals, obliques, and the back. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to improve their golf, tennis, or pickleball swing.

Lastly, I teach Zumba, which is great fun. It’s like a dance fitness party using a contagious blend of pop, country, Latin, and even a little hip-hop music.

Fantastic! So what makes your classes so fun and exciting?

I make every effort to get to know all the Harbor Club members who take my classes. I learn what songs and routines they enjoy most and strive to incorporate those in my classes. Believe it or not, it’s not unusual for members who are working out in other areas of the fitness center to hear my class singing to the music. I also take great care in knowing each member’s limitations, injuries, surgeries, and more. That way I can make the modifications necessary for them to avoid injuries and to make the classes more enjoyable and fun for all.

You are very knowledgeable when it comes to fitness. What would you say is your fitness philosophy?

Maintaining a fitness routine is a must! It should be part of everyone’s daily routine, just like eating and sleeping. Why would we not make time in our day to do something that will increase our quality of life? Fortunately, Harbor Club members have access to a lot of excellent fitness options, so it’s easy for them to get exercise every day.

There are tons of fitness apps available today. Which ones do you recommend?

The first one that comes to mind is Fitbit. It’s one of my favorite exercise tracking apps. It works on a wristband and it monitors steps, calories burned, distance traveled, and heart rate. It also gives you a wrist vibration to remind you to get up and walk if you’ve been sedentary for an hour.

I like Couch to 5k too. It’s an excellent app that introduces users to the sport of running. I love that it provides baby steps that, over time, establish a real running routine.

Lastly, I like Fitness Buddy. With this app, it’s like having your own personal trainer. It helps you create an effective workout routine and meal plan.

What new fitness trends do you find interesting?

Group fitness is getting very popular again. I think it is due to programs such as Les Mills or Pure Barre which use modern music for classic fitness moves. What’s more, people are finding that working in a group setting helps to keep them motivated and better able to maintain their routine.

Another trend I’m seeing is strength training using resistance bands and tubes. While these tools have been around for a while, their uses have changed. We’re finding better, more effective ways to use these tools, and the benefits have been gratifying to our clients.

What suggestions would you give to Harbor Club residents for creating a weekly fitness routine?

If an exercise class is offered two times a week, I would suggest taking it both times. Once a week is good but to see real results, twice is better. I would also recommend varying the types of classes taken, as one class may hit a muscle group that another doesn’t, or stretch a muscle that the other class doesn’t stretch.

If classes are not for you, I would say walking is the next best thing. A 45-minute walk a day is ideal, but 30 minutes will do. If you’re watching TV, get up and walk around during commercials. Better yet, if you have stairs in your house take a walk up and down them during commercial breaks.

Why do you think it is essential to stay active?

The physical and mental benefits of staying active are endless. As we age it’s easy to lose muscle strength and bone density — even our mental acuity can suffer. It has been proven that exercise increases the quality of life and decreases the risk of dementia. It also improves bone density, heart health, cholesterol, and mental acuity. So you must make time to work out and consider it part of your daily routine. People who maintain a regular fitness routine have experienced shortened recovery periods after surgery. They often require less surgery and have fewer complications too. Best of all, it’s been proven that those who workout are happier and more self-confident overall.

What suggestions do you have for getting and staying motivated to be active?

For me personally, my motivation for staying fit is my family. Being able to enjoy physical activities with my nieces and nephews makes my heart happy. I hope to do the same with my grandchildren one day.

Quality of life should be a motivation for everyone. Staying fit can be as easy as taking one step at a time. I would encourage people to take a group fitness class. If it’s their first or second class, I would recommend they try at least half the routine then add five minutes to each session. Before you know it, the hour is over!

Also, if you want to walk, start by walking 15 minutes a day. After the first week, add five minutes each week to your walk. Pretty soon you’ll be walking your way into a healthy lifestyle.

If you’re interested in meeting Mo and taking advantage of her fun fitness classes, consider a Harbor Club membership. You’ll have access to many quality fitness amenities, including our highly acclaimed golf course, a junior Olympic-sized pool, The Grove facility, multiple tennis and pickleball courts, and more. Learn more about a Harbor Club membership today.

Everyone knows that socializing is fun, but what many people don’t realize is that spending time around other people can give your health a positive boost. Social engagement has helped people live longer, promotes better physical and mental well-being, fights off depression, and can even improve your sleep. Fostering those essential friendships doesn’t have to be challenging though — especially when you live at Harbor Club.

In true Southern Living-Inspired fashion, our dynamic Ladies League has a bunco group that is growing in popularity. It’s just one of the many wonderful social opportunities available to residents and members of our community.

The Southern Living-Inspired bunco group is held at a different home each month, usually with a host and co-host and it often features at least one delicious Southern Living recipe. This past August’s gathering was held at Kathy Phillips’ home in the Lake Villas, which are right on the shoreline of Lake Oconee. Kathy is Harbor Club’s real estate director and she is your go to Harbor Club real estate expert. While playing the infamous dice game, this fun-loving group indulged in some fantastic food. It included smoked pork tenderloin sandwiches, homemade salsa and chips, parmesan-bacon wrapped breadsticks, Asian salad, and, of course, wine. Dessert featured a delicious chocolate trifle. It’s a Southern Living treat that will impress your guests but is a cinch to make.

Southern Living Chocolate Trifle

Ingredients

1 (19.8-ounce) package fudge brownie mix

1/2 cup Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur (can be substituted with coffee and sugar; see recipe)

3 (3.9-ounce) packages chocolate instant pudding mix

1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

6 (1.4-ounce) English toffee-flavored candy bars, crushed

Step 1

Prepare brownie mix, and bake according to package directions in a 13- x 9- x 2-inch pan. Prick top of warm brownies at 1-inch intervals using a fork; drizzle with Kahlua. If preferred, 4 tablespoons strong brewed coffee and 1 teaspoon sugar may be substituted for Kahlua. Let cool, and crumble.

Step 2

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions, omitting chilling. Place one-third of crumbled brownies in bottom of a 3-quart trifle dish. Top with one-third each of pudding, whipped topping, and crushed candy bars. Repeat layers twice with remaining ingredients, ending with crushed candy bars. Chill 8 hours.

Chef’s Notes

4 tablespoons strong brewed coffee and 1 teaspoon sugar may be substituted for Kahlua.

You can watch a helpful video of the trifle assembly here: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/chocolate-trifle-recipe

At Harbor Club, we fully embrace the philosophy behind being a Southern Living-Inspired Community, especially when it comes to creating environments that foster gatherings, interactions, and celebrations. Whether it be a fun game of bunco, a round of golf, indulging in a holiday feast, doing Zumba, or merely hanging out at the dog park with Fido and friends, we take pride in our warm neighborhood feel. It’s what sets us apart from other resort-style golf and lake communities. Visit us and see for yourself why Southern Living hand-picked Harbor Club on Lake Oconee as one of its prestigious Southern Living-Inspired Communities.

As you may already know, Harbor Club on Lake Oconee recently won the Real Estate Scorecard Bliss Award for Best Georgia Community of the Year. We are incredibly proud of this achievement. Margie Casey, founder of Real Estate Scorecard, presented the prestigious award to our general manager, Brandon Matney at the award ceremony this past July. You can tell from the photos that it was a proud occasion. 

While Margie was in town for the big event, she and our sales director, Kathy Phillips, sat down for a friendly, fireside chat. In the comfort of the outdoor living room of our Southern Living Inspired model home, they discussed several of the compelling things that contribute to Harbor Club’s success. You can watch the video in its entirety, but we wanted to point out some of the more interesting things you’ll learn about.

The advantages of Harbor Club’s location

Conveniently located midway between Atlanta and Augusta, and just 40 minutes south of Athens, Harbor Club’s location puts you within arms-reach of all the best that Georgia has to offer. It offers excellent educational, healthcare, retail and other helpful facilities. For example, Lake Oconee Academy is right down the road and is one of the top 25 K-12 Charter schools in the country. Also, St Mary’s Hospital and several nearby doctor’s offices offer a plethora of healthcare services. Also, with a craft brewery, great restaurants, and boutique shops, Greensboro is an appealing small town with big city appeal.

The benefits of living in a golf and lake community

Harbor Club is a community that has the unique advantage of having nine miles of shoreline right on Lake Oconee. It’s highly award-winning golf course touches that shoreline at six different holes. It’s also a golf cart-friendly neighborhood. For those who have golf carts that match the club’s carts, they’ll never have to load or unload their clubs since they can conveniently drive right onto the course.

There are several types of golf memberships available–from casual “sip-n-putters,” to more serious golfers, to those that merely want to enjoy Harbor Club’s social events and recreational amenities. The Boathouse also gives every member and resident of Harbor Club direct access to Lake Oconee. It makes boating on the lake a breeze. There’s a marina, a convenience store, a fantastic restaurant, and it’s also the place where our free summer concerts take place.

The multitude of health and fitness facilities

There are so many fun activities available to Harbor Club residents and members. Residents have access to pickleball and tennis courts–with plans for adding more soon. The Grove facility includes a 2000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art fitness building that houses new weight and cardio machines, an exercise studio, and a broad variety fitness classes. There is also a popular hiking trail, dog park, a community Victory Garden, and more.

A wide variety of beautiful, designer-ready homes

Harbor Club homes cater to several types of smart homebuyers. Whether you want a new home or a resale, have a young family or are looking to “rightsize” and conveniently age in place, there’s a home for you. Patriot Builders (Harbor Club’s in-house builder) is busy with several new construction projects. Some of these include gorgeous Southern Living-Inspired floor plans that are built to the “designer-ready” phase. At that point, buyers can simply pick out their favorite finishing details at the design studio. It makes the process of buying and customizing a newly-built home a lot of fun.

Harbor Club is a debt-free community

Likely one of the most compelling reasons to admire Harbor Club is that it is entirely debt-free…and the Matney family intends to keep it that way. As they remain very involved in the community, the Matneys (and their team) work hard to continuously add more value to every resident and member. Great things are always on the horizon in our warm, friendly neighborhood.

Curious to see it for yourself? Schedule your visit to Harbor Club today. Kathy will be happy to give you a personalized tour. You’ll quickly learn why Harbor Club was voted Best Georgia Community of the Year.

At Harbor Club on Lake Oconee, you’ll never be at a loss to find something to do, especially if you want to head outside. If you want to get a great workout, have fun with friends and family, or just relax, our highly acclaimed, Southern Living Inspired Community has something for everyone.

Here’s a big list of activities you can take advantage of:

Dine “al fresco”

There are so many great spots for a picnic at Harbor Club. A few good options include the Lighthouse Pavilion, the Pergola and Fire Pit at Osprey Circle, the Big Timber Lodge Playground, the Sanctuary Pond, or enjoy the view of Lake Oconee from the grand lawn in

front of The Boathouse. Come to The Boathouse Restaurant and have a delicious meal on the deck overlooking the lake and marina.

Hit some balls

Our award-winning, Weiskopf-Morrish designed course is one of the best in the state of Georgia. Book a tee time or grab a bucket of balls to hit on the driving range. If golf isn’t your thing, play a round or two of tennis or pickleball, or take a mallet to some croquet balls on the lawn in front of The Clubhouse. If throwing is more your jam, give bocce ball a try at The Boathouse or play a game of catch, frisbee, or tag football on our sports field at The Grove.

Go for a swim

When it comes to a refreshing dip, you’ve got options at Harbor Club. Of course, there is access to Lake Oconee, Georgia’s second largest lake, via The Boathouse. But if you are more of a pool person, we’ve got a crystal clear, junior Olympic-sized option for you to enjoy.

Attend an outdoor concert

Our free, outdoor summer concert series is in full swing. We’ve had plenty of excellent entertainment so far, with more to come. Find all the details on the events section of our Facebook page. Be sure to “Like” our page on Facebook too so that you don’t miss out on upcoming shows and other activities.

Enjoy motorsports on the lake

Whether you like to go fast or slow, you’ve got options for motoring around the lake. Rent a motorboat, pontoon boat, or jet ski. Of course, there is also water skiing, wake surfing, wakeboarding, tubing, cruising, or just hanging out at the sandbar and swimming.

Enjoy NON-motorized water sports on the lake

Prefer to use your own power for your watercraft? Enjoy the quiet solitude of the lake with stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, row-boating, or a tranquil ride in a canoe.

Go for a hike, run, or walk

Whether you’re into hiking, running, or a gentle stroll, there are plenty of places to get your steps at Harbor Club. Head to The Grove to hit the hiking trails. The Fit-Trail® is an excellent option since it has ten fitness stations for stretching, bending and strength training. For something more structured, use the 1/4-mile track. For a simple walk, we have several miles of well-maintained roads in our gated, secure community on which to amble. The roads are perfect for biking too.

Green up your thumb

Our Victory Garden is an ideal spot to augment your outdoor exercise regiment. Planting, tending, weeding, and (best of all) harvesting are all very rewarding activities. Even better, these are all easily accessible with the raised beds of our community garden.

Take Fido to the dog park

Our dog park is made up of two fenced-in sections—one designated for large breeds and the other for smaller pups. It’s a fantastic place for both the dogs and their owners to socialize and get some exercise together. It’s a safe, comfortable, outdoor environment for all.

Throw a line in the water

Fishing on Lake Oconee is very popular. The lake is renown for its Bass and Crappie, but did you know that our community has several large ponds that are stocked with fish too? Whether you opt for the lake or a pond, you’re bound to go home with a prize fish, or at least some great tales to tell.

Relax

You don’t necessarily have to be active to enjoy the outdoors. Watch the birds from your deck, meditate while listening to the sounds of nature, read a book on your porch, or take a quick nap in the warmth of the sun.

No matter what you end up doing (or not doing) you’ll have a great time in the beautiful outdoors of Harbor Club. Come experience all the fun things we mentioned above and more. Plan your visit today.

It’s hard to believe it, but Labor Day is just around the corner. Always the first Monday in September, it unofficially marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. However, there is no need to be sad that summer is coming to a close, Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to take a break from work and enjoy special times with family and friends.

If you are looking for fun things to do, here are some festivities at Harbor Club to help celebrate the occasion.

Harbor Club Member Pool Party

Saturday, September 1 from 11:00 am-2:30 pm

What’s Labor Day without a cookout? We’re going to fire up the grill for our big, annual, party at the pool. Kyle Smith, the talented singer-songwriter from Augusta, will be back to perform some mixes of favorite covers and original tunes. Bring the kids so they can burn off energy with the bounce house and water slide. Relax with a yummy hot dog, hamburger, and drink — all will be available for purchase. All Harbor Club members are invited to join in the fun at this family-friendly event. It’s the last pool party of the season, so don’t miss it!

Live music at The Boathouse

Sunday, September 2 from 6:30-9:30 pm

Remember — it’s not a school night, so come to The Boathouse to enjoy excellent music and food on Labor Day Eve. We’ve got some fantastic talent lined up for our last summer concert event. Scott Deering and The Boat Rockerz are renown for playing favorite classic rock, soul, and R&B hits. Find the event details here on our Facebook Events page. While you’re there, Like us on Facebook to be among the first to see future events too.

Labor Day golf

Our award-winning golf course is typically closed on Mondays, but not on Labor Day. You’ve already got the day off, so why not play an exceptional game of golf? As of this writing, tee-times are available starting at 8 am, with open slots available until 12:00 pm. Don’t delay in booking your tee time, as they often go quickly on holidays.

Experience “lake life”

Labor Day weekend is the perfect excuse for “Lake hair, don’t care.” Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, you can always schedule a fun time on Lake Oconee. Whether you own your own watercraft or prefer to hire, The Boathouse marina has you covered. You can rent a boat, jet ski, kayak, or paddleboard. Easily stock up your vessel with snacks and drinks at our convenience store. Make fueling up a snap with the help of our boat valets. Better yet, consider fueling up your body with a delicious meal at The Boathouse Restaurant too. (See The Boathouse menu here.) PS – Before you head out on the water, ask for directions to the renown jumping rock and the sand bar. You’ll have a blast at both. Who needs “salt life” when you can have epic “lake life” right here on Lake Oconee?

No matter what you decide to do this upcoming Labor Day weekend, we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy life at Harbor Club. Curious as to what it’s like? Schedule your exclusive Discovery experience today.

Did you happen to see Harbor Club highlighted on Golf America TV recently? It’s wonderful to see our community on television, and this show was no exception. If you missed out, don’t worry. Below is a quick breakdown of each part of the program, along with a short video for each.

First, we want to show you our stunning Southern Living model home. In this video, you’ll get an online tour of the designer home and you’ll meet our friendly Sales Director, Kathy Phillips. She discusses some great aspects of this house as well as advantages of living in our Southern Living Inspired Community. Watch video

Next up is a highlight piece showing our award-winning, Weiskopf-Morrish-designed golf course. You’ll learn how Harbor Club got its start and why it is considered a “shot-makers” course. You’ll see it has several fun, yet challenging risk/reward holes. Our head golf pro, Doug Price, offers a few smart tips throughout this segment. Watch video

And speaking of Doug here’s a helpful video tutorial where he shows you the best way to hit a sand bunker shot. In this instance, he’s hitting the ball from a bunker at hole 17 on our course. Note that this particular hole was designed to emulate the infamous 12th hole at Augusta National. Watch video

The next three videos give the inside scoop on how to tackle other holes on our golf course, much thanks to Doug’s knowledge and advice.

Hole 8 – AKA “Arrowhead”

This is a heavily bunkered par five that turns right to left. Lay up shots should be placed right of the long bunker that guards the left side of the fairway short of the green. The green complex is severe so stay below the hole. Watch video

Hole 13 – AKA “The Well”

Bombs away with a driver on this hole. This mammoth par four with an uphill tee shot requires as much distance as possible to get to the plateau of the fairway. Long irons and fairway woods will be the preferred weapons when approaching this large green with a bunker short right. Watch video

Hole 18 – AKA “Double Cross”

A deceiving creek meanders down the right side of this long par four that contains two sets of tee boxes. The right tee box should be played at the middle fairway bunker with a driver or fairway wood. The peninsula tee has the creek running parallel with the fairway providing for a more aggressive play from the tee. The green is large and severe with some great hole locations. Watch video

Of course, if you’d like to watch the show in its entirety, you can see it on our Facebook page. Watch video

Granted, these videos are a good way to get acquainted with Harbor Club but stopping by for a visit is a much better experience. Make plans to visit us soon. We look forward to giving you an exclusive tour of our homes, show you our golf and lake facilities, The Clubhouse, The Grove, and everything else that makes our Harbor Club community so special.

The Lake Oconee Challenge is an annual golf tournament where the ladies golf associations from Harbor Club, Cuscowilla, and Reynolds compete for cheerful bragging rights. Also known as the “3-Club Challenge,” it’s an excellent way for women from all three communities to mix and mingle for a fun day of golf and camaraderie.

You may recall that Harbor Club hosted the Lake Oconee Challenge last year in 2017. Despite a rainout on the first attempt at play, the second attempt resulted in a satisfying win for the Harbor Club team. An enjoyable time was had by all, as you can see in our 2017 Lake Oconee Challenge photo album on Facebook.

The 2018 Lake Oconee Challenge was kindly hosted by Reynolds on Lake Oconee. The tournament was played on June 20 at The Preserve golf course. As you can see from the scoreboard, it was a close match — but we’re proud to announce that the Harbor Club ladies were triumphant once again!

This makes it two years in a row that our team has won the tournament. Participating this year for Harbor Club were Kathy Kurelic, Janel McCullers, Terri Ligon, Millicent Zamirowski, Sherrie Southern, Betsy Yancey, Viki Shadoan, Terri Shaul, Patricia Balduff, Shirley Wheeler, Penny Davis, Dale Fahey Ellie Davis, Linda Chesbro, and Dottie Suggs.

 

When chatting about the victory with Harbor Club General Manager, Brandon Matney, Patricia Balduff stated, “We are happy that you want to use this victory to promote [Harbor Club]. We’re a great community.”

Will the Harbor Club LGA ladies continue their winning streak in 2019? If history repeats itself, it certainly seems likely, but we’ll have to wait until next summer to find out. Cuscowilla will be the host course for the 2019 match.

In the meantime, why not come play at Harbor Club? We offer golf memberships to both residents and non-residents alike. All Lake Oconee area residents can enjoy our championship golf course, plus have access to many exclusive club benefits. It’s is a great way to meet new people, enjoy a relaxing sport, and have fun! Learn more about Harbor Club memberships today.

The summer season is in full swing, and that means there are lots of fantastic events to take advantage of both in and around Harbor Club. Of course, we have our free summer concert series at The Boathouse, but there are several more fun things to take advantage of nearby.

Be sure to mark some of these happenings in your calendar, so you don’t miss out:

2018 Bliss Award “Best Community of the Year” Award Ceremony – Harbor Club

Where: The Boathouse – 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, July 14, 2018, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Cost: Free

Join us as we proudly receive our most recent accolade, the “Best Community of the Year” Bliss Award. Everyone is invited. Planning to join the fun? Please RSVP by sending an email to RSVP@harborclub.com to ensure your spot.

Kids End of Summer Program- Greene County Library

Where: 610 South Main Street Greensboro, GA, 30642

When: Friday, July 20, 2018, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Cost: Free

Grab the kids and bring all your DIY Instruments to celebrate the End of Summer Program Party with a parade, pizza, and more. More information.

25th Anniversary Celebration – Southern Cross Guest Ranch

Where: 1670 Bethany Church Rd, Madison, GA 30650

When: Saturday, July 21, 2018, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Cost: Admittance $5 (4 & Under FREE.) Call 706-342-8027 for tickets.

The Southern Cross Guest Ranch has been in business for 25 years. In celebration of their 25 years in business, they are hosting a special event that includes live music, arena demonstrations, pony rides, hayrides, children’s activities, arts and crafts vendors, food, beverages, and snacks. More information.

Oconee Rhythm Section – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, July 21, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

The Oconee Rhythm Section will perform a variety of oldies but goodies. Enjoy blues, soul, classic rock, swing, and dance music played live at The Boathouse. Don’t forget to bring chairs and blankets to sit on. More information.

Firefly Kids’ Night – Main Street Madison Georgia

Where: Madison Town Park – GA-83, Madison, GA 30650

When: Friday, July 27, 2018, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Cost: Kids pay $5 each, parents are free. Ticket includes all activities within the park.

Join Main Street Madison Friday night for the Family Frolic – it’s “kids’ night” at Firefly. Enjoy a night of fun with stilt walkers, music, bubbles, face painters, fun inflatables, creative kids crafts, and family entertainment–all in the park. Feed the kids before you come, and they’ll provide an icy treat. Main Street Vet and HSMC will be on hand with animals, so leashed pets are allowed on Friday–please be sure to clean up after your dog. The Firefly Frolic is a 12 and under event. More information.

Karianne Jean – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, July 28, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

This up-and-coming country music star is back by popular demand to perform at The Boathouse. You can count on Karianne’s fun-loving spirit and awesome talent for an energetic show that will have your toes tapping in no time. Come via boat, car, jet ski, golf cart, kayak – whatever works best. Just don’t miss out on this live music event. More information.

On the Grill: Sausage-Making for Tailgating Season – Farmview Market

Where: 2610 Eatonton Highway, Madison GA

When: Saturday, August 4, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Cost: $25

Spend the afternoon with Farmview Butcher Glen Wellman and his team learning and using Farmview’s step-by-step process of making sausage blends, working with different types of casings and cooking methods with a focus on brats and other sausages well-suited for grilling— just in time for tailgating season. You will take home 2 lbs. of sausage after practicing the techniques of sausage making in an intimate setting. Please note that this class will be held in the butcher area, which is kept at a very cold temperature. Please plan to dress in layers, including hat and thick socks. $25 includes instruction, hands-on experience, and 2 lbs. of sausage to take home. Ages 18 and up. More information.

Fall Line Rambler – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, August 4, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

Fall Line Rambler is a collection of seasoned musicians from the mid-Georgia area who love to put on a good show. Their main influences are gathered from Southern rock, blues, and a bit of country. Come enjoy a family friendly night of live music and great dining at The Boathouse. More information.

Sunday At The Museum Lecture Series – The Plaza Arts Center

Where: 305 N Madison Ave, Eatonton, GA 31024

When: Sunday, August 5, 2018, 2:00 PM

Speaker: Alex Gregory

Cost: The lecture is free, but donations are appreciated.

This topic for this interesting lecture is “From Eatonton’s Imperial Cotton Mill to YKK: A 40-year Career in Textiles.” Alex Gregory, an Eatonton native, will share highlights of his career from his teenage years in the local cotton mill to his long tenure as CEO of YKK Corporation. Light refreshments will be served after the lecture. More information.

Jeff Johnson – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, August 11, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

Jeff Johnson is back with his trusty guitar to treat us to some fantastic music. Come early! The Boathouse Restaurant will have yummy food, drinks, beer & wine available for purchase. (Please no outside coolers.) More information.

Luke Ferguson – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, August 18, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

The gifted musician and Harbor Club favorite, Luke Ferguson, will play a variety of legendary country, alternative, and Southern rock songs to get us in the spirit of summer. Bring your chairs and blankets and stake out your claim on The Boathouse lawn overlooking Lake Oconee. More information.

Shane Millwood – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Saturday, August 25, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

If you love country music, you won’t want to miss this performance by Shane Millwood. His style of music is influenced by George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and most importantly his honky-tonkin’ father, Tommy Millwood. More information.

Easy Bread-Baking at Home: No-Knead Bread with Lori Smith – Farmview Market

Where: 2610 Eatonton Highway, Madison GA

When: Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM

Cost: $25 online pre-registration required; $8 supply fee paid to the instructor the night of class– exact cash/check only.

If you’ve ever longed to make a fresh loaf of bread but were daunted by the labor and time required to knead the dough, now is your chance to learn how to make this simplified bread at home. There’s no messy kneading required, so your family can enjoy fresh bread anytime. Join bread baker and kitchen magic maker, Lori Smith of Double L Ranch, as she guides you through the step-by-step process of her favorite “No-Knead” bread. All you’ll need is your apron and a sense of adventure. Suitable for ages 16 and up. More information.

Scott Deering & The Boat Rockerz – Summer Concert Series at The Boathouse on Lake Oconee

Where: 3991 Walker Church Rd, Greensboro, GA 30642

When: Sunday, September 2, 2018, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: Free

Hop in the car or board your boat and bring your family and friends to enjoy live music by Scott Deering & The Boat Rockerz on Labor Day weekend. It will be a great way to enjoy the holiday weekend. More information.

Both in summertime and beyond, there is always something fun to do in and around Harbor Club. Feel free to like our Facebook page to see all of our upcoming events. Also, discover more of our local area via our interactive, online map.

You may have seen our recent testimonial article highlighting Harbor Club resident Terry Lawler. There are many reasons why Terry and his wife chose to live in Harbor Club, but above all, it was the genuine neighborly feel of the community. This time we sat down with another happy resident, Amy Cox, to learn what brought her to Harbor Club and what she enjoys most about living here.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My husband and I have been retired a little over five years now. We moved to Harbor Club this past August from Snellville, Georgia. We have two kids. One lives in Athens and the other lives in Macon. We’re glad that we all live relatively close to one another. We enjoy classical music and the symphony. As a matter of fact, when we lived in Snellville, we’d often go to concerts in Athens rather than Atlanta. It was a much better experience since we didn’t have to deal with the awful Atlanta traffic.

How did you learn about Harbor Club?

My brother was planning a move from Portland to Georgia so he could be closer to the family. He came to visit and we took him around to visit several nearby communities. As we traveled, I remember seeing Harbor Club and it piqued my curiosity. Later, my husband and I ended up going back and taking a closer look at it on our own. We absolutely fell in love with it.

Did you visit other communities in your search?

At the time, we weren’t really searching for ourselves as it was more for my brother. We did visit several communities with him and discovered a house that we liked at one of them. But when we saw Harbor Club, we found we liked the community and the homes much better.

What made you choose Harbor Club?

We found we greatly admired Patriot-built houses. They are very different from the “cookie-cutter” houses of other communities. When we visited Harbor Club we fell in love with a new Cottage home that was nearly complete in the construction process. It was the Osprey floor plan. A designer had already picked out some of the finishing details, which were beautiful, but I wanted to make some changes. Kathy Phillips (the Director of Sales) took me to the Design Studio so I could see all the decor details in one place. I found that to be very helpful. It was fun to pick out what I liked and to see how it would look together.

Harbor Club is in such a beautiful location – away from it all, yet close to what you need. What is it about the location that appeals to you the most?

There are two things that make it an excellent location. One, we love not having to deal with crazy Atlanta traffic. Two, we love living in a lake community. We’ve never lived on or near a lake before. Here, we find it to be very aesthetically pleasing.

What amenities do you typically use?

I enjoy using the gym, as well as taking fitness classes over at The Grove. My husband has taken up pickleball and he loves it. We enjoy meals at both the Clubhouse and Boathouse restaurants. My husband has been to a trivia night and he said it was a lot of fun. He’s also got a plot at the Victory Garden. We were avid gardeners and involved with community gardens when we lived in Snellville, so it’s nice to be able to do that here too. We’re also looking forward to taking the grandkids to the pool this summer. You know, we’re not golfers, so we decided to invest in a social membership. It’s been great because it gives us access to all the activities and events we enjoy.

What are the best things about living at Harbor Club?

The people here are wonderful. Not just our neighbors, but everyone that works here too. They are all so helpful and kind. The location is beautiful. It’s a very pleasant place to live.

Do you participate in any of the community events and activities? Is there a favorite event or activity you can share with us?

I joined the Ladies League which has been fantastic. We do lots of fun things like field trips, luncheons, speaker sessions, and more. I’ve joined the book club through the Ladies League too. I love it!

Can you provide an example where Harbor Club exceeded your expectations?

When you move into a new home, it can be challenging to get the builder to address concerns. Not so here. Patriot Builders has certainly exceeded our expectations. They are consistently helpful, stick to their word, and get things done.

What are some of the reasons you would recommend Patriot Builders?

The quality of their work is excellent. I also admire their willingness to go above and beyond to address issues.

What would you tell people who are considering a move to Harbor Club?

It’s the best place to live! I keep telling my friends to come check it out because I know they’ll love it here.

Is your curiosity piqued? It’s time to check out Harbor Club for yourself. Start planning your visit today.

If you follow the Harbor Club blog, you’re well aware of how awesome our community is. But this time, you don’t have to take our word for it, take it from Harbor Club resident Terry Lawler. After living in Atlanta for many years, Terry and his wife Gail decided to move to our resort-style community.

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We sat down with Terry recently to learn why he thought Harbor Club was the perfect place to live.

Tell us a little about yourself and your family.

I’m originally from Atlanta. I grew up and lived there since 1954. My wife Gail is from Sandersville, Georgia. We’ve been married for over 25 years and have lived in Atlanta the whole time. We have two children, a son, and daughter. One currently lives in Atlanta and the other in Augusta. For us, living at Harbor Club is ideal because we are located halfway between the two.

How did you learn about Harbor Club?

We’ve known about Harbor Club for over 20 years. We’ve owned properties on both sides of Lake Oconee and have visited with friends and family throughout the Lake Country. I’d played golf at Harbor Club and really enjoyed it. Harbor Club made a great impression.

Did you visit other communities in your search?

Over the years, we’ve visited many communities in the Lake Country area while going out to eat, playing golf, or visiting with friends. We explored other places in metro Atlanta and felt the city has gotten so big that we had to live farther out to get the lifestyle we desired. We realized we loved the Lake Country area, and Harbor Club in particular.

What made you choose Harbor Club?

We discovered that Harbor Club had a warm, neighborly feel to it. At Harbor Club, it’s like the theme song from the TV show Cheers, where everyone knows your name. We love that!

As you know, Harbor Club is in a beautiful location – away from it all, yet close to what you need. What is it about the location that appeals to you the most?

The location is great. You’re close to Atlanta, Athens, and Augusta but far enough away too. And while it’s certainly not too close, we like the convenience to Interstate 20. Coming from Atlanta, it’s the first residential development you come to when you get off the Interstate. To get to other communities in the area, you can drive ten minutes or more after getting off the interstate. We really like the availability of quality healthcare, an excellent grocery store (Publix), churches, restaurants and more. Additionally, we enjoy shopping in Greensboro, Madison, and Eatonton.

What Harbor Club amenities do you typically use?

I love the golf course. It’s a very nice, comfortable course to play. I love the walking trails too. My wife plays tennis, and we are excited to start playing pickleball at Harbor Club. We both enjoy the Clubhouse and Boathouse Restaurant very much. One other thing I want to mention is that Harbor Club has only one main entrance with a manned gatehouse. With one way in and one way out, it gives an enhanced sense of security as well as the added benefit of no busy “pass-through” traffic.

What are the best things about living at Harbor Club?

Hands down, it’s the neighborly feel of the place. Neighbors wave as you walk or drive through the community. Everyone is so warm and friendly here. To give you an example, our house is across a small pond from a friend’s house. Via the road, it takes a while to drive to visit each other. But our friends got creative and decided to mow a path across the pond’s dam to make it easier for us to get together! We affectionately call it the “Yellow Brick Road.”

Do you participate in any of the community events and activities?

We’ve lived at Harbor Club full time for several months now, but my wife just recently retired, so we haven’t done a lot yet. However, we did enjoy a fun trivia night at the Clubhouse, as well as live music and dinner there too. We’re looking forward to doing more.

Harbor Club offers a lot of opportunities to connect with your neighbors through social activities. Regarding that, how has life changed for you since moving in?

We like that there are many different things to do, depending on your interests. Not everything revolves around just one thing, like golf. There’s something for everyone. If you want to just relax and enjoy nature, Harbor Club can satisfy that. If you’re more active, there’s plenty here to keep you happily occupied. But you don’t have to be super-active if you don’t want to be. You’re not getting graded one way or another. At other communities, people have asked me what level of membership I have. No one has asked me that here.

Can you provide an example where Harbor Club exceeded your expectations?

It took about eight months to build our new home at Harbor Club. At most places, once the build is complete, the people you did business with usually move on to the next set of clients. Not so at Harbor Club. Brandon continues to take the time to say hello to us, ask us how things are going, and if we are enjoying ourselves. Kathy does too. It shows that our relationships are genuine — because they continue, even though there was no expectation for them to do so.

What are some of the reasons you would recommend Patriot Builders?

Quality. It may take a little bit longer to get things done, but it’s worth it because Patriot Builders ensures they do it right. They are very meticulous about their finish work, and it shows. My sister-in-law just visited recently, and she remarked how everything was so solid and so well-built. In fact, we continue to find things that impress us. Even if something didn’t work quite right, as they always do with new construction, Jeff listened to our concerns and got them addressed. We’ve had other builders smile and nod their heads but never follow through. Not so with Jeff. We are very pleased with how our new home turned out.

What would you tell people who are considering a move to Harbor Club?

If you want to be in a club community in the Lake Country area, you can’t make a better investment, both personally and financially, than making Harbor Club your home.

It’s pretty evident that Terry loves living the Harbor Club Life. Want to see what all the hype is about? Start planning your visit today.

 

The Boathouse at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is more than just a restaurant, and it’s more than just a marina too. After all, you don’t win an Aurora Award for ‘Best Recreational Facility in the Southeast’ as just one or the other. We’ve put a ton of thoughtful effort into making The Boathouse the best it can be for everyone to enjoy. With all it has to offer, it’s no wonder that it has become a vital part of both Harbor Club and the surrounding community.

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To give you the scoop, we’ve put together an update on everything The Boathouse provides:

Restaurant

If you haven’t heard the latest news, we’ve been fortunate to acquire Adam Smith as the new head chef of the Boathouse Restaurant. He has updated the menu with some delicious new options, including his famous fish tacos, spicy green beans, and homemade hummus, just to name a few. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, including a dining deck overlooking the lake. There is also a banquet room available for special events.

Entertainment

If you’re a fan of live music, be sure to attend our free summer concert series, featuring a variety of talented singers, musicians, and bands. Follow our Facebook page to know when each of these live music events will be held. It makes for an exceptional summer evening to enjoy a concert and delicious food and drinks from the restaurant, not to mention indulging in the relaxed outdoor seating, fire pit, bocce ball, putting green, and grand lawn in front of the lake.

Marina

The Boathouse Marina operates year-round, seven days a week from 9am to 5pm. It offers two boat ramps, a community dock, and marine pumps with ethanol-free gasoline — one of the few marinas on Lake Oconee to do so. Harbor Club members receive a 10% discount on fuel, which is another great benefit of membership. And whether you’re a member or not, at our marina you don’t have to sweat getting your boat ready for a day on the lake. Just call the marina at (706) 817-7330 at least 45 minutes in advance, and our boat valets will have your vessel ready to go. Don’t have a boat? That’s ok too. You can easily rent one …or a Jet Ski, paddleboard, or kayak. The marina also has a general store making it super-convenient to grab your favorite snacks and sundries. You’ll find the store fully stocked with items such as soft drinks, beer, wine, ice, milk, eggs, sunscreen, nautical supplies and more.

Boat Storage

Our on-site boat storage facility, which offers 72 covered, dry storage spaces, is now fully leased with overflow. However, we are opening a second facility later this summer that will provide 72 more spaces. Ultimately, as many as 300 boat storage spaces will be available, making The Boathouse the largest marina on Lake Oconee. There are significant advantages to dry-stack storing your boat. One, it dramatically minimizes UV damage to your boat’s upholstery and gel coat from the sun. Two, it eliminates the need to transport your boat by a trailer, and three, it protects your boat from harsh weather conditions. And when it comes time to put the boat up for winter, we offer shrink wrapping to keep it even better protected during the colder months of non-use.

Location

Just a mile south of Richland Connector, The Boathouse is located just outside Harbor Club’s east gate at 3991 Walker Church Road. It’s situated on the Richland Creek side of Lake Oconee, which is renown for having the clearest water on the lake. Even better? We’re not far from the famous Sand Bar where everyone loves to drop anchor and hang out together on warm summer days.

As Georgia’s second largest lake, Oconee isn’t overly crowded like Lake Lanier often is. It’s also an easy, one-hour drive from Atlanta. We invite you to come visit us and see The Boathouse for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Walking is such an underrated form of exercise. It’s so simple to do, yet many of us don’t take the time to go for a simple stroll. Just 30 minutes a day is all you need to gain some significant mental and physical benefits. It can relieve anxiety, boost your mood, and even help you drop a few pounds. What’s great is that Harbor Club makes it easier than ever, with lots of beautiful places and easily accessible amenities to get in those steps.

So grab your tennis shoes and give some of these a try:

Hiking Trail

The Grove provides multiple opportunities to walk, one of which is our serene hiking trail. It’s a mile long, manicured and mulched hiking trail that winds through a wooded area of Harbor Club. If you’ve got a dog, this is an excellent place for you both to get in a pleasant walk. Better yet, one of the trail entrances is next to our dog park, so you and Fido can easily enjoy that space with other friendly pups before or after your hike.

Fit-Trail®

Also located at The Grove campus is our 10-station Fit-Trail®. This is a separate trail from the hiking trail, and it gives you the opportunity to not only walk but also do stretching and strength-training. For example, station 1 is calf stretches; station 4 is sit-ups and leg raises; station 7 is a balance walk, and station 9 is hamstring pulls. Each station describes how to do the exercise correctly, and it also offers a fitness index of recommended reps for both beginning and advanced users.

Golf course

Not too long ago one of our members, Ricky Knowles, was highlighted in a Golf Georgia article titled, “Why They Walk.” The piece was about walking 18 holes as opposed to riding a cart on the course. There were some compelling arguments for walking that go beyond the fitness aspect. These included such things as boosting a player’s competitive concentration as well as enjoying a peaceful connection with nature.

1/4-Mile Track

Our 1/4-mile track isn’t just for runners. It’s an ideal place to walk with measured ease. It’s the perfect place to listen to your favorite tunes or even a thought-provoking podcast while you quickly rack up laps. Don’t crank up the volume too high though so you’re aware of other runners and walkers around you. Also, if you’re walking, stick to the outer lanes so that the inside lanes are clear for those that are faster. If you walk at the track enough, you’ll likely soon find yourself working up to jogging and then running with the best of them!

If it’s raining, don’t despair. We have plenty of treadmills at our Fitness Center, which make it easy to get your daily walk in too. And if it’s nice outside, you can always step out the front door and amble around our safe, gated community.

We’d be happy to give you a tour to show you all of the great places you can walk (and more) in our community. There’s so much to see; we’ll have to chauffeur you around first! Give us a call and let’s start planning your visit today.

One of everyone’s favorite things about Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is the Boathouse Marina and Restaurant. The full-service marina has everything a boater would need, including winter storage facilities, a general store, and fuel.

But now that winter is over; it’s time to get the boat back out on the water, gassed up and ready to go. And it’s time to fuel you up too! We are excited to announce that our beautiful, lakeside restaurant is opening back up on Saturday, May 12 — and that we’ve got great new things in store for you this summer.

If you haven’t already heard the news, we have a new, highly-talented chef at the helm of the Boathouse Restaurant. Adam Smith has a tremendous amount of experience, not to mention an excellent palate. He’s adding exciting new things to the menu this season. While you’ll see some of your favorite, familiar dishes, you’ll also see additional items that have a Georgia coast/Key West vibe, such as Adam’s famous fish tacos. Much like Harbor Club itself, Adam intends to cater to a wider variety of tastes, as you’ll see some delicious vegetarian options and a yummy kid’s menu too. And if you’re planning a day on the lake, Adam is enthusiastic about offering convenient grab-and-go lunches for you to enjoy while you’re out on the water.

Better yet, and whether you’re a boater or not, everyone is invited to enjoy our free summer concert series at the Boathouse. We’ve got a fantastic line-up of entertainment scheduled so far this season, including:

Sunday, May 27 – Carey Station Road Band featuring lead singer, Princess

Saturday, June 2 – Fall Line Ramblers Band

Sat, June 9 – Ronnie Pittman

Sat, June 16 – Amy Rae Trio

Sat, June 23 – Keith Gregory

Sat, June 30 – Joshua Hilley

Sat, July 7 – Hands of Time Band

Sat, July 14 – Matt Rogers

Sat, July 21 – Oconee Rhythm Section

Sat, July 28 – Karianne Jean

Sat, Aug. 4 – Fall Line Ramblers Band

Don’t miss out! Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you can stay tuned for our upcoming concert events and more. Tasty food and drinks from the Boathouse plus great music on a warm summer evening make for a wonderful, memorable time with your family and friends.

The Boathouse Restaurant is located at 3991 Walker Church Road and is open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm, and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. We invite you to see for yourself why the Boathouse Marina and Restaurant won an Aurora Award for “Best Recreational Facility in the Southeast.” You’ll be glad you did.

With the warm weather approaching, we are excited to announce that The Boathouse Restaurant will be opening on May 12 …and it’s going to be better than ever. Not only do we have a fantastic line-up of live music planned for our summer concert series, but we also have a new, highly-accomplished chef at the helm of The Boathouse Restaurant.

Adam Smith not only has a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but he’s got some wonderful things in store for our patrons this summer (and beyond.) We sat down with Adam to get the scoop on his culinary background, his exciting plans for The Boathouse Restaurant; its menu, and much more.

Adam – how did you get interested in cooking?

Growing up I always played around in mom’s kitchen. I found it to be a lot of fun to come up with different dishes. But I never directly pursued a culinary career. I went to UGA and got a business degree and then got a “real” job doing accounting at Deloitte & Touche. But that didn’t last very long. Soon I found myself in Savannah working at the famous River Street Sweets. I then moved to Key West and opened a candy store there. I also worked at other restaurants in the area. At each, I kept working my way up into managerial positions. I very much enjoyed working at the famous Blue Heaven restaurant for many years. After the hurricanes hit Key West in 2005 though, I came back to Georgia. I dabbled in real estate for a short while but then I helped successfully open and run Bone Island Grill on Lake Sinclair. After that, I opened Smith’s Coastal Grill in Eatonton. And now I’m excited to handle The Boathouse Restaurant.

When did you know you wanted to be a professional chef?

It just ended up happening over time. I was always told that I had an excellent palate. Like I mentioned, I would find myself running the kitchen at every restaurant I worked at. I love the speed and the challenge of it all and especially creating great food that people love.

What’s the most rewarding part of your work and why?

It’s the interaction that food brings. I like to say that I’m ‘hiding in plain sight’ when I’m cooking. I love being in the kitchen preparing and creating good food for good people.

What are your plans for making The Boathouse Restaurant better than ever?

There will be a new, improved menu. You’ll find some things that are familiar, but there will be some exciting new dishes as well. Vegetarians will not be left out. The whole menu will definitely have a coastal Georgia, South Florida vibe to it. If all goes according to plan, I want to reconfigure the kitchen, bring on some new staff, add a bar outside, add more days and hours that we’ll be open, and maybe even stay open after summer ends. Most of all, I want The Boathouse to cater to family fun. We’re going to revamp the kid’s menu and focus the restaurant on families with kids. Oh, and I also want to offer grab-and-go lunches for boaters who want to spend the day on the lake.

Can you tell us about two or three dishes your planning on offering?

We’ll definitely be doing fish tacos, as well as other new taco offerings), fresh-made hummus, and spicy green beans. We’ll have lots of specials throughout the season too. You’ll see more salt-water influences on the menu, and we’ll be offering delicious standbys that everyone loves, like a great burger and smoked barbeque too.

Who do you most admire in the food world and why?

My favorite chef is Anthony Bourdain. I enjoy his books and his “avant-garde” approach to food. He and I have very similar backgrounds too. I also really admire Danny Hatch, the founding executive chef at Blue Heaven in Key West, Florida. He saw that I had a good palate, so he was pretty hard on me (in a good way). I ended up learning a lot from him.

What’s your favorite kitchen equipment or gadget?

My essential, must-have is a gas stove. But my favorite is a smoker. It’s a fun hobby that I like to play around with. You can smoke meat, vegetables, fish, nuts — you can smoke all sorts of foods.

If you could have one last meal, what would it be?

It would be an amazing surf-and-turf meal. I’d have my mom’s London broil with yellowtail snapper, grilled Florida lobster tail, rock shrimp, and mom’s Thanksgiving mashed potato casserole. There would be fresh limes on the side to squeeze juice on the whole dish. And for dessert, I’d have sour cream pound cake with vanilla-bean ice cream and Hershey’s chocolate syrup drizzled on top.

Be sure to stop by and visit Adam Smith and the rest of his team at The Boathouse Restaurant this summer. Follow us on Facebook and keep an eye out for our free summer concert events that we have there. Or stop by for a great meal. You’ll be sure to find some tasty things to eat and drink from The Boathouse Restaurant menu. See you soon!

*** The Boathouse Restaurant is HIRING! ***

Looking for a great job with great people? We’re hiring both full and part time servers and line cooks. You can start immediately! Contact us at (706) 920-3003 for details.

We are incredibly proud to announce that our distinctive community has won yet another noteworthy accolade — one that adds to our ever-growing list of awards. You may recall that last year, Real Estate Scorecard, the industry leader of online real estate reviews, announced that Harbor Club won the “Best Lake Community of the Year” award. This year, we’ve improved upon that and have won the “Best Georgia Community of the Year” award!

Here are the factors that helped us gain the top spot:

The residents

With almost 90% full-time residents, Harbor Club is known for its authentic neighborhood feel. It’s also one of the reasons why ours was chosen as a Southern Living Inspired Community. We take great pride in fostering fun gatherings, interactions, and celebrations together. We are on the opposite side of the spectrum from other combo-vacation resort communities. Here, the majority of our residents happily work, live, and play here year-round. So don’t be surprised to see people smile and wave to you as your drive through the community.

The location

We have the advantage of being located in Greensboro, Georgia, just an hour east of the vibrant city of Atlanta, and 40 minutes south of the popular college town of Athens. Here, we are fortunate in that we experience four distinct seasons, yet sit just below the snow line and a safe distance from coastal hurricanes. Located alongside the historic Antebellum Trail, we enjoy a countryside lifestyle, yet still have tons of shopping, restaurants, and other excellent conveniences nearby.

The lake

Our community is situated right on Georgia’s second largest lake, Lake Oconee. The mild winters and hot summers offer year-round boating and watersports, giving every resident of Harbor Club the ability to enjoy “lake life” whenever they wish. During the summer months, there is free live music on the front lawn of our Boathouse Marina and Restaurant (Lake Oconee’s only on-water boat-friendly restaurant.) The Marina also provides fuel, boat rentals, boat ramps, dry dock storage, and a convenience store. Whether you already own a boat or not, you’ll have access to everything you need to enjoy an amazing day on the lake.

The golf

Our excellent weather also allows for year-round play on our lakefront, highly award-winning golf course. Touching the shoreline of Lake Oconee on six different holes, our Weiskopf-Morrish designed course, with multiple Risk Reward holes, is challenging yet fun for players of all skill levels. Not a fan of golf? That’s ok — you’re not forced to join the golf club here (although most do because it’s so affordable.)

The amenities

In addition to The Boathouse, we also have The Grove, which is our newest fitness and recreational amenity. The fitness facility includes a 2000 square-foot, well-equipped fitness center, with room for multiple scheduled classes, such as Zumba, barre, and yoga. The Grove campus also offers hiking trails, dog parks, a community Victory garden, sports field, quarter-mile track, and more. Other amenities at Harbor Club include a junior-size Olympic pool, tennis, and pickleball courts. We also have a 15,000 square foot Clubhouse with a restaurant that overlooks the 18th green and croquet lawn. The Clubhouse Restaurant is famous for our trivia nights, holiday parties, happy hours, live music, themed dinner events, seminars, luncheons, and much more.

We invite you to see for yourself why Harbor Club won the prestigious “2018 Best Georgia Community of the Year” award. There’s more to experience beyond the world-class amenities and casually-elegant lifestyle. Contact us to plan your visit today.

As we finish off this busy first quarter of the year, we have some great news to report. Our home sales are continuing to grow! In fact, as of March 28, we’ve experienced over $3M in real estate sales for the year thus far. Considering the fact that we hit a new sales record in 2017, it’s exciting to see that we’re off to such a good start in the new year — and that we might hit a new record in 2018. Demand for homes at Harbor Club is obviously high, so we’re doing all we can to accommodate the needs and desires of today’s buyers. Here’s the scoop on current and future inventory:

Current real estate available

As of this writing, there are a total of 540 homes in Harbor Club. Of those, there are 18 active residential listings. Six of these are new construction homes, and the remaining 12 are resales.

Future real estate available

In addition to the six new construction homes currently available for sale, we have 17 speculative homes underway. These 23 homes are priced from $300k-$1M, for a total inventory level of $13.4M. Plans are in place to add even more speculative homes as 2018 progresses. Why are we putting so much focus on these “spec” homes? The answer is easy. We’ve found that it saves buyers a lot of time, stress, and hassle since they don’t have to worry about the cumbersome details around pricing, permitting, and architectural design. Instead, they get a beautiful, “design ready” home where they can pick and choose their favorite finishes to suit their taste.

Our status as a Southern Living Inspired Community

We’re still so proud to be one of the few chosen to be a Southern Living Inspired Community. As such, Patriot Builders (our in-house builder,) is committed to the required high-quality standards of construction and superior finishes — all characteristics that make Harbor Club homes unparalleled in the marketplace. This coming year, Patriot Builders plans on launching multiple new plans that are 2500-3500 sq ft, many with masters on the main floor and one-level living in mind. Most of these homes will be sited on interior as well as pond and golf front homesites …and all make for beautiful views and the fantastic lifestyle we like to call the Harbor Club Life.

Curious to learn more about living in our Southern Living Inspired Community? We’d be happy to give you a personalized tour. Contact us today so we can start planning your visit.

For those that are familiar with the Southern Living magazine, you know that the publication provides a ton of “eye candy,” particularly when it comes to the homes it displays. You’ll find that they are exquisite, yet cozy. Their design is beautiful, yet sensible. Even the decor has a lot of thought behind it. Best of all, you’ll find that each of those attributes ties together to create one stunner of a house. And you know what? You can see a perfect example of it with our Southern Living-inspired home, now available for sale here at Harbor Club.

There’s a lot that makes our Southern Living-inspired home a dreamy place to live. Located at 1041 Oakmont Court, you’ll find this perfectly sized 3,380 sq ft abode right on the #11 green of our golf course. Built by Patriot Builders with exceptional quality and character, this particular design is considered a contemporary farmhouse style. Called the Woodmere, the home features four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms as well as a three-car garage.

Inside you’ll find lots of space to entertain and host your family and friends. An expansive kitchen with a huge island will likely be the gathering space that everyone congregates to (isn’t that always the case?!) Here you’ll also find beautiful, upgraded details like Woodmode cabinetry, Thermador appliances, silestone quartz counters, and a large farmhouse sink. There is a lot of storage and workspace, so there is plenty of room to cook or have a big buffet.

Three of the bedrooms are located on the main floor, including the master. The master walk-in closet is enormous and includes built-ins for the ultimate in organizing and storing your things. Even better is the thoughtfully-designed master bath. Not only does it contain two separate vanities with Living Gold faucets, but a uniquely designed bathing area too. There is a magnificent, freestanding tub inside the oversized shower enclosure. The shower also has dual heads — a real time-saver that is perfect for those times when you both need to get cleaned up asap.

Another impressive feature, which is SO Southern Living, is the separate outdoor living room. It is a perfect example of a space that “embraces the natural beauty of the Southern Landscape” which “fosters gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.” Even if it’s sprinkling out, you’ll enjoy the sound of the rain on the tin roof. You and your friends can sit in cozy Adirondack chairs, make smores, and stay warm and dry with a charming copper cauldron fire pit.

These are just a few of the appealing things you’ll find at this home — there’s so much more to see.

Intrigued? Hurry and make plans to check it out today. It won’t be for sale forever. Now is the time to own your very own Southern Living-inspired home.

If you didn’t already hear the great news, we had another stellar year of real estate sales — a record 45% increase in 2017! It shows that smart buyers understand the value of Harbor Club property. With demand as high as it is, we wanted to highlight some our outstanding Patriot Builders homes currently available for sale. Which one of these is your favorite? 

1041 Oakmont Court – $730,000 – 4 BR / 3.5 BA

This Southern Living-inspired model home is our pride and joy. It’s a right-sized, contemporary farmhouse with shiplap detail throughout entire house. You’ll enjoy Woodmode cabinetry, Thermador appliances, Silestone quartz counters, a unique freestanding tub inside the master modern spa, reclaimed 120-year-old timber frame beams, a 3-car garage, a fabulous outdoor living room complete with a copper cauldron fire pit, views of the 11th green, and so much more.

1021 Oakmont Court – $729,900 – 5 BR / 4.5 BA

This is our newest addition to our Southern Living-inspired signature series. It’s a luxury home located on the beautiful “Chimney” green of our golf course. Inside you’ll find a luxurious master suite and a secondary bedroom suite on the main floor, as well as a gourmet kitchen with a 13′ island and upgraded hardwoods throughout.

1070 Carnoustie Drive – $584,000 – 3 BR / 2.5 BA

Here you’ll find a stunning ranch home with a fantastic view of one of our stocked ponds that has a fishing pier, center fountain and a sidewalk around it. Inside you’ll find an open concept floor plan and a large kitchen overlooking the expansive great room with dramatic cathedral ceiling. There’s also a home center/ study and a big covered porch perfect for entertaining.

1040 Quaker Ridge Rd – $574,000 – 3 BR / 3 BA

Patriot Builders is constructing this perfectly right-sized home with open spaces in mind. It features a spacious kitchen with a huge, walk-in pantry. The dining area is incorporated into the main living space and can easily accommodate a family-sized table. The master suite is located on the main floor and it has amazing views of the golf course. The secondary bedrooms/baths are located on the main floor as well as over the garage

You can see more of our new homes for sale on Lake Oconee on our real estate page. Remember, Harbor Club features nine miles of Lake Oconee water frontage, a dry dock marina, a 15,000 sq ft clubhouse, a well-equipped fitness center, community garden, hiking trails, a sports field with a quarter-mile track, pickleball, tennis, swimming, and full activity calendar. Plan your visit today for a personalized tour and who knows — you may just spot your new dream house.

 

We are proud to announce yet another banner year for real estate at Harbor Club. The Lake Country Board of Realtors tallied the numbers, and we are happy to report an unprecedented 45% increase in real estate sales from last year! It means that we sold $26.5 million in home, homesite, cottage, and townhome properties in 2017.

You may be wondering how we consistently grow our sales each year. We attribute it to a lot of things …and a lot of hard work too. But overall, we continuously strive to strengthen and reinforce the value of owning Harbor Club property. The fantastic sales results prove that our efforts are working. Consider this historical view of our real estate sales totals, year over year:

One of our most distinguished achievements this past year was being hand-picked by the editors at Southern Living magazine as a Southern Living Inspired Community. Very few communities have the ability to attain this accolade, but ours hit all the essential criteria. These include an excellent location; a beautiful, natural landscape; a focus on Southern Living inspired architecture; and the creation of inviting environments that foster warm gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.

This past fall we unveiled our Southern Living Inspired Home, a 3,380 sq ft beauty that perfectly blends a southern farmhouse rustic character with that of comfortable yet modern decor. As of this writing, this stunning home is available for purchase.

Other accolades that continue to enhance the value of ownership at Harbor Club include:

“Best Lake Community of the Year” – Bliss Award

The Boathouse named “Best Recreational Facility” – National Association of Homebuilders Aurora Award

“#3 Golf Course You Can Play” in Georgia by Golfweek Magazine

“A Course of Distinction” by LINKS Magazine’s Premier Property Guide

As always, we plan to continue the upward sales momentum from this past year into 2018. In fact, we have 23 new homes currently under construction, and over 50 new home builds planned for the new year. Will you be one of the next to live the Harbor Club Life? Check out our current real estate offerings and plan your visit soon. We’d love to give you a tour and show you all that makes Harbor Club so special. Who knows, you may just meet your future neighbors and discover that your dream home can indeed become a reality. Contact us today.

If you’re a current resident of Harbor Club and have been considering the idea of downsizing to a home that’s a better fit, then we’ve got the perfect program for you. On Tuesday, January 23 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm we’ll be holding a free seminar titled “Right SIZE Right HERE.”

It is specifically geared toward our residents who are looking to scale down their house without having to scale down their lifestyle. You’ll learn that the transition from a larger home to a right size home can be easier and smoother than you think. Most importantly, you’ll learn that there’s no need to leave the Harbor Club life or your beloved, familiar community.

The seminar includes a few industry experts who will share compelling information and helpful advice regarding the right sizing process. These include:

Roger Kurth – Senior Transition Services

As a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers, Roger will go over how to tackle the steps involved in downsizing. These measures include planning for the move (evaluating, sorting, household downsizing, new space planning, etc.), how to handle the move (packing, moving, unpacking, and new home set-up), and tips for after the move (cleaning out, cleaning up and more.)

Jodie Schmidt – A New Leaf Organizing

As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Jodie will offer excellent advice on the organization aspect of transition management. She will discuss how to best handle change with the “layers of life” that accumulate over time. She’ll also provide tips on how to best organize your most important valuables.

Kathy Phillips and Brandon Matney – Harbor Club Management Team

Kathy and Brandon will be providing tours of our Patriot Builders designer-ready homes. They will be paying particular attention to critical features suitable for aging in place. Beyond one-floor living, these features not only make life more comfortable as you age, but they can also increase the value of your home.

So if downsizing has ever been on your radar, now is the time to learn more. Don’t miss out! Be sure to RSVP for this educational seminar. You’ll walk away not only with a lot of excellent knowledge about the transition process, but you’ll also have a full belly. A tasty lunch is included for attendees! RSVP now.

Looking for a unique gift that can be enjoyed long after the holidays are over? Give the gift of golf! Whether the giftee is an expert or a novice at the game, playing golf at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is a thoughtful experience gift. In fact, research from San Francisco State University shows that experience gifts actually trump tangible ones. And a Forbes article also notes that experiences, rather than material things, bring people more happiness.

Why? It’s because the joy and the memories made from special experiences are ones that can last a lifetime — long after a new, cool, shiny “thing” is forgotten. Here’s how you can make a special someone’s holiday with the gift of golf this year:

Book a tee time

During the holidays or any time of year, surprise your friends and family members with the gift of 18-holes, on you. Throw in a few beverages and a nice meal, and you’ll make an excellent day of it — one that your recipients will remember for many years to come, especially if it’s a surprise. All you have to do is book a tee time and go.

Plan to play in a tournament

Members or not, both our men’s and ladies golf associations offer multiple fun tournaments throughout the year that caters to both. Often, these tournaments have a good cause tied to them, making the gift of play doubly rewarding. Our friendly pro shop staff can help you choose and sign up for upcoming tournaments that would be most meaningful to you and your gift recipients.

Give a membership

There are several options that Harbor Club offers for memberships — from full golf to social; it’s easy to find one that can fit most any lifestyle. Depending on the type of membership you choose, your benefactors will receive tons of benefits. These can include not just exclusive access to our award-winning course but access to The Grove as well as beautiful Lake Oconee via our Boathouse Marina — not to mention a full calendar of fun social events and activities too.

So make your list and check it twice. It’s time to be good, for goodness sake! Contact us to give a magnificent golf experience gift today.

Socializing has its benefits beyond hanging out with great friends. Believe it or not, it has a lot of health benefits too. It boosts your mental health and reduces feelings of loneliness and depression. Harbor Club on Lake Oconee, being an exclusive Southern Living Inspired Community, prides itself on the philosophy creating environments that “foster gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.”Our clubs and activities are no exception.

We offer lots of ways to get out and have fun with friends and neighbors, both this winter and all year round. If you’re looking to live at Lake Oconee, consider Harbor Club. Here are just a few of all the fun things available to you when you live (what we affectionately call) the Harbor Club Life:

Holiday and other events

Holiday events include our member Christmas dinner and party (with dancing and a live band, of course!) and breakfast with Santa. We are also doing an ugly Christmas sweater party in December and our annual Super Bowl party in January.

Trivia nights

Every other Thursday, we either have trivia or music game show nights at the Clubhouse. It’s a lot of fun for both members and guests to get together, laugh, and enjoy sharing their impressive logic.

Meet & greets

We offer our members and residents easy ways to get to know one another with a warm gathering at The Clubhouse. Everyone has a super time mixing, mingling, and meeting new friends.

Tons of fitness opportunities

Golf – It’s easy to get out and play a fantastic game of golf here most anytime at Harbor Club. We also offer both men’s and ladies golf associations and lots of fun tournaments, like the upcoming Santa Claus Open and Superintendent’s Revenge.

Jazzercise – This is a combination of aerobic exercise and dance fitness that is available for all ages and fitness levels.

Zumba – Here we get to dance to great music, with great people, and burn a ton of calories …without even realizing it.

Barre & Toning – This is an excellent, low-impact, total body workout that will lengthen and strengthen muscles.

Co-Ed Core – A great workout that concentrates on strengthening core muscles for both men and women.

Yoga – For both men and women, our instructor provides exercises that involve physical, mental, and spiritual practices — all of which help you find your zen.

Croquet – An ancient game played by knocking wooden balls through metal wickets with mallets. Even Pippa Middleton enjoys this game of sport.

Tennis – We can’t forget about our tennis enthusiasts. We offer tennis clinics, private lessons, tournaments and more.

Pickleball – A relatively new sport that has been taking over the country, our pickleball teams have been having a blast playing on our new courts.

Gardening – Our new Victory Garden has been a ‘fruitful’ addition to The Grove for our members and residents.

Want to get in on all the cool things we do at Harbor Club? Learn more about our club memberships, or stop by for a tour of our available real estate. You’ll likely find that you want to live the Harbor Club Life.

Did you see the November/December issue of Golf Georgia? We’re excited that Harbor Club was mentioned — and better yet, that one of our members, Ricky Knowles, was highlighted in the article, “Why They Walk.”

As you might have guessed, “Why They Walk” is about walking 18 holes as opposed to riding a cart on the course. Several people, besides Ricky, were featured in the article — young and old, male and female, fit or not. They all gave compelling reasons as to why they choose to walk the course over riding in a golf cart. Here are their primary motivators:

To boost fitness

There’s no doubt; walking does the body good. When he’s not walking the course, Jo Stegall walks four to six miles a day. Walking the course (with his bag, mind you) is an integral part of his fitness routine. He’s doing all he can to avoid heart disease, and the possibility of a heart attack like his dad had. Ann Faulkner, who plays golf three times a week, always walks and carries her bag too. It sounds daunting, but she reminds us that only two to three miles are covered in four hours of play. Then, of course, there is our own Ricky Knowles, who walks two games of golf at Harbor Club every week. It was challenging for him at first, but now his legs are in great shape, and he’s no longer winded. He proudly states, “I get a kind of high after a round from the physical exertion. It feels great!” Playing golf certainly has a lot of health benefits.

To gain competitive concentration

It’s simple for Cecil Calhoun. He says that “It’s distracting to ride.” He goes on to say that with all the time it takes to walk to the cart, ride to your partner’s ball, then consider his shot, you could’ve been walking to and considering your next shot. To back that up, Jo Stegall mentions that walking “sharpens your mental acuity” and keeps your “focus on the game.” What’s more, Dr. Andrew Koliani says walking helps him to “forget bad shots.” That’s certainly a nice trade off.

To better connect with nature

When you walk the course, you are invariably closer to nature. Jim Harrison mentions how nice it is to see hawks and deer during his jaunts. That more intimate connection with nature brings peace as well as a heightened awareness of the natural environment that surrounds you. Just think of all the beautiful things you’d see at Harbor Club’s course. Not only the deer, birds, and other forest animals, but with our course right on Lake Oconee, you’d also get to experience charming herons, turtles, frogs, fish and more.

Why not come check out Harbor Club’s award-winning golf course for yourself? Walk it, and you’ll get even more benefits out of the experience. Book a tee time today.

If you’re looking at Lake Oconee wedding venues, look no further. Harbor Club has several fantastic options to suit a variety of tastes. Whether you’re looking for that perfect place to propose, or a romantic setting for your wedding–or even an ideal spot to renew your vows we have venues that cater to most every whim and wish.

And speaking of catering, we’ve got that handled too. Everything you need for a memorable event is right here at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee.

Getting engaged? Consider this…

If you or someone you know is getting ready to pop the question, Harbor Club can be the perfect place to do it. If you love the lake, you can propose on The Boathouse dock at sunset. If you love golf, conduct a creative proposal right on the course. Or, if you are working a bit backward (which isn’t so crazy nowadays) and purchasing a home together before the wedding day, what could be better than proposing at your new house? Talk about making awesome memories!

Getting married? Consider this..

We have some amazing venues that are sure to make your wedding an epic event for both you and your guests. Whether your guest list is big or small, Harbor Club can accommodate you. If you got engaged on the dock, you could have your wedding at The Boathouse. If you got engaged on the golf course, hold your wedding in or outside The Clubhouse (which has beautiful views of the 10th and 18th fairways.) One of our most popular venues is The Stables. It’s excellent for a rustic barn wedding, complete with outdoor chapel, banquet hall, and bridal suite.

Renewing your vows? Consider this…

Celebrate your marriage — again. Reaffirm your love for one another amongst all those you hold dear. This is especially touching if you eloped or had a simple ceremony the first time around. Gather your family and friends so they can proudly bear witness to your saying “I do.” Hold your renewal ceremony at our Lighthouse Point Pavilion, a quaint place for up to 50 people. Or, if you need something more intimate, our private Oconee Room in The Clubhouse is just the place. It has a fantastic view of the 18th green and can accommodate up to 20 guests.

And remember, Harbor Club is also a great place to enjoy pre-wedding activities, which keeps everyone happily occupied on the “morning of.”

Ready to make your special engagement and wedding memories at Harbor Club? Give us a call. We have both the team and the scenes you’ve dreamed of.

Being chosen as one of the few Southern Living Inspired Communities (handpicked by its namesake!), we couldn’t be more proud to show off our latest model home. It’s no surprise that it is Southern Living inspired – everything from its exterior details to the interior accouterments, to the pretty decor are all the same as what you’d find on the slick pages of the magazine itself.

Now, if you haven’t had a chance to see this home for yourself, you’re in luck! We’ve provided a quick photo tour for you below. But here’s what’s even better: home tours will continue during weekends through November and December. And if you’ve already toured the home, don’t miss out. We invite you to come back and see our gorgeous Southern Living inspired holiday decor, which will be up by November 20. It’s sure to put you in the holiday spirit!

From the outside, it’s easy to see that the house is beautiful. That beauty continues inside too. As you step through the front entry, you’ll see dining room on your right. It’s just the right size — not too big, not too small. It has a stunning chandelier that makes a bold, beautiful statement.

In fact, you’ll find that much of the lighting throughout the home is striking. Our Instagram contest winner, Andrea Roper, posted several photos of her favorite fixtures saying, “Loved the lighting in the Southern Living Idea Home in Harbor Club!!!!”

Next, you’ll see the inviting living room. There your eyes will happily wander throughout the space with the use of bold, bright, cheerful colors. It all matches, from the painting above the mantle to the accent pillows, to the chevron rug. Don’t miss the contemporary fireplace!

Next, we’ll head into the kitchen where you’ll find ample counter space on the huge island. You’ll also love the stainless steel appliances, the high-end gas range, and the cozy eating nook. You can see that we put the kitchen to good use during our grand opening event, where we had friendly folks from Southern Living teach us how to make the perfect bloody mary.

The master bedroom is another showpiece, with its tray ceiling, ship lathe accent wall, striking metallic decor and matching light fixtures. Imagine waking up in the dreamy bed!

And right off the master bedroom is the en-suite. It’s a spa-like retreat that uniquely incorporates both the separate tub and shower all in one space. It’s almost like a room within a room! You’ll also find double shower heads, his and hers vanities, and more of that beautiful lighting.

And what’s a Southern Living Inspired Community home without an outdoor area to entertain? The one we’ve created is a fantastic place to enjoy a warm fire with good friends on a chilly, fall evening. Just follow the strands of Edison bulbs from the porch to the pergola and grab an inviting Adirondack chair for yourself.

There’s so much more to see beyond this quick photo tour. Make plans to see our Southern Living Inspired home for yourself! Free, public tours continue each weekend until the end of the year. Don’t forget that our festive holiday trimmings and decor will be up starting on November 20. For additional information or to arrange a private tour, contact us today.

Earlier this year we proudly announced that Harbor Club was chosen as a Southern Living Inspired Community. Currently, there are only 14 communities on this prestigious list, one of which is ours! Even better, Harbor Club is one of just two communities in Georgia awarded with the exclusive accolade.

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As excited as we are about this honor, you may be wondering how it translates to you and our residents. The benefits are many, but you’ll find a list of the top three below:

Strong sense of community

Quite different from typical resort-style neighborhoods, over 80% of the people that own a home in Harbor Club live in their homes full-time. That means new neighbors become old friends in no time. Our full calendar of activities, as well as our top-notch facilities and amenities all encourage fun ways to engage with others. When you visit, you’ll quickly feel our warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes meeting and making new friends effortless. As wonderful as all of this sounds, it’s healthy too — this type of neighborly Southern charm leads to an improved quality of life for our residents.

Pride of place

Our location an hour east of Atlanta is ideal. We embrace the natural surroundings of our scenic setting, right on the shores of Lake Oconee. We also have our award-winning golf course with its highly attractive green spaces and long range views. Add to that our thoughtfully designed homes, and you’ll quickly understand the allure of our community — it’s not just about the beautifully manicured landscapes and hardscapes throughout. It’s about our neighborhood and all that it offers. This particular place and the great people that reside here all create a profound sense of pride for both our residents and members alike.

Charming, Southern Living Style Homes

There’s something about living in a well-designed, hand-crafted, custom home. Our Southern Living inspired homes offer a unique retreat into a simpler, yet more vibrant living experience. We understand that right-sizing and aging in place are essential factors to homebuyers today. Our thoughtfully designed and well-built homes keep those elements in mind — all while continuing to provide the sophistication and refinement of luxury living that we all desire.

Why not come experience Harbor Club for yourself? Our newest Southern Living inspired model home will be decorated for the holiday season and will remain open for tours during the months of November and December. Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and get in a festive spirit visiting us! We look forward to introducing you to the Harbor Club Life.

Did you know? Fall weddings are, well …falling back into favor. In the past, summertime was the most popular time of year to get married. And it still is.

But we are certainly seeing an increase in autumn weddings here at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. In fact, we’ve got three scheduled for this October alone! Couples are finding that Harbor Club offers the perfect wedding venues for their fall wedding.

In no particular order, here are the top 10 reasons why it’s so remarkable:

• Our beautiful fall foliage

• The leaves are gorgeous in our community in autumn. You’ll see nature’s finest and richest color palette of oranges, browns, rusts, yellows, and golds. Also, the fall sun is a bit lower in the sky, making for wonderful natural light.

• Lake Oconee and our golf course look fantastic

• Both offer lovely backdrops of varying shades of blues and greens for some amazing wedding photos. We also have our pretty fountain, several wooden bridges, The Clubhouse, The Boathouse, manicured paths, an antique carriage and so much more to make both you (and your photographer) smile big for the camera.

• The weather is excellent in Greensboro, GA

• During autumn, it isn’t nearly as rainy as summer is here. Plus, it’s not too hot, and it’s not too cold. The bonus? Compared to summer, fall offers much lower humidity, which means that you and the bridal party will have frizz-free hair and melt-free makeup.

• We’ve got you and your guests (literally) covered, rain or shine

• Whether you wish to have your wedding indoors or out (or both), we’ve got a great variety of venues to suit your needs. Weather can be such a stressor, but with the right planning, we can ensure that Mother Nature doesn’t ruin your big day.

• Pre-wedding / Day-of activities are a cinch to plan at Harbor Club

• There’s no need to scramble to come up with his and hers “day-of” wedding activities. Check out these pre-wedding ideas that your bridal party can take part in before the big event.

• The Boathouse is an exceptional spot for a Lake Oconee wedding.

• The Boathouse gives you the ability to have both the ceremony and reception in one extraordinary place. Here, you can make an awesome entrance by arriving by boat, enjoy fantastic catering, dance the night away, and cap off the evening with a lovely bonfire by the lake.

• The Stables are perfect for a rustic barn wedding

• Fall weddings and rustic barn weddings go together like peanut butter and jelly. They’re perfect! So are our stables for your picture-perfect barn wedding. Plus, our outdoor wedding chapel nearby adds just the right flair to the rustic charm of this venue.

• Feeling more formal? Check out The Clubhouse

• If rustic isn’t your thing, The Clubhouse would be your venue of choice. It’s tastefully decorated inside and out, and its location on the 18th green and croquet lawn offer amazing views, especially in autumn. We’ve had many couples tie the knot here. Once you see it, you’ll understand why.

• Scrumptious catering opportunities abound

• We’ve got a fantastic catering team that can come up with some delicious menu ideas. Fall weddings inspire delectable “harvest” menus. Think sweet, and savory comfort cuisine. Warm cranberry baked brie and signature apple cider cocktails, anyone?

• Seasonal cake flavors are the best – and we can make any you wish

• In keeping with the fall harvest menu theme, our catering team can make your dream wedding cake that tastes as good as it looks. Think pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting, apple galette, black forest parfaits… whatever you fancy, we can make it happen.

Bonus reasons to have your wedding at Harbor Club in the fall

• Fall themes are SO much fun!
• With summer wedding season over you’ll get better deals on wedding planners, DJs, bands, florists, photographers, and the like.
• Guests don’t have to work around their summer vacations to attend your wedding.
• It’s a perfect time of year to go on your honeymoon.
• It’s a perfect time of year for an anniversary.

Come check out Harbor Club for yourself! We’d be happy to give you a tour of our Lake Oconee wedding venues and facilities. But please hurry — couples book up to two years in advance, and 2018 is already filling up quickly. Contact us today.

If you didn’t already hear the great news earlier this year, we were one of the fortunate few to be chosen as a Southern Living Inspired Community. Considering how competitive the housing market currently is, this accolade is quite an honor and one that we are very proud to achieve.

Now, we’ve got even better news to share. We’ve just completed the final touches on our latest new Southern Living inspired model home in our prized Lake Oconee community — and we invite you to enjoy this beautifully decorated house with tours in October. Here are all the details:

Tour dates and times: the Southern Living Inspired Home will be open to public tours on October 7-8, 14-15, 21-22, and 28-29; Saturdays 10am – 5pm, and Sundays 12pm – 5pm. (Note: a private grand opening event for Harbor Club residents and special guests will be held Friday evening, October 6).

Grand-opening activities:

Saturday, October 7

11:30am – Kathryn Lott with Southern Living will be doing a live demo for those want to learn how to create the perfect Southern Living Bloody Mary.
2:30pm – Delicious appetizers will be prepared and shared, with all recipes made straight from the pages of Southern Living magazine.

Sunday, October 15
1-3pm – A “Family Block Party” will feature a variety of delectable food offerings, gourmet ice pops from the famous ‘King of Pops,’ and a fun bounce house for the kids. 

About the house: The Southern Living Inspired Home is a 3,500-square-foot, four bedroom, four bath plan called The Woodmere. The main floor features a great room with fireplace, open concept eat-in kitchen that is open to the living area, and a formal dining room. Three bedrooms and two full baths flank the central living area with a split bedroom design. Additional second-level finished rooms offer more living space and guest bedroom accommodations. And an outdoor living space comes complete with a central fire pit, oscillating fans, and a grilling station — all with a beautiful view of the golf course. The model home was built by our highly experienced in-house homebuilding company, Patriot Builders.

About the decor: Think modern farmhouse décor fused with southern chic. Inside the home, you’ll find shiplap and other details that adorn the public areas and master bedroom. A cathedral ceiling in the main living space is accented with real reclaimed timber frame beams. The spacious kitchen features Woodmode cabinetry, quartz countertops, and professional grade appliances. The luxurious master bath features the same southern chic flair but with an elegant European twist. 

Cost: There is no charge to tour our newest Southern Living Inspired model home. However, a $10 donation is suggested. Donations will fully benefit the Greensboro-based Circle of Love Center which provides support services to domestic violence victims and their children in Greene, Morgan, Putnam, Baldwin, and Hancock counties (www.colinc.org).

Location: The model home is located near the main entrance of the community and is framed by the 11th hole of our award-winning golf course. 

So mark your calendars! We’d love for you to tour The Woodmere model home and see why Harbor Club was hand-picked as a Southern Living Inspired Community. And if you can’t make it for one of the weekend tours in October, contact us for an alternate arrangement. We look forward to showing you some of the best new homes in and around Lake Oconee.

We are excited and proud to be hosting the non-profit, GratitudeAmerica, for their upcoming fundraising golf tournament on July 24. Curious to learn more? Here are the “who, what, when, where, why, and hows” about GratitudeAmerica, the heart-warming charitable work they do, as well as details about the golf tournament and how you can get involved.

Who

GratitudeAmerica is an organization whose primary goal is to provide critical support for past and present U.S. military service members, their families, and families of the fallen. Much of their focus is on assistance for veterans as they transition back to a normal civilian life. The non-profit accomplishes its goal by offering specialized retreat programs. These retreats focus on therapeutic approaches that are specifically geared toward helping participants affected by the “invisible injury” of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder as well as other traumatic brain injuries. It also connects vets to helpful resources through a unique network of community partners. GratitudeAmerica is a 501(c)(3) that is entirely funded through private donations from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

What

The GratitudeAmerica 4th Annual Military Appreciation Golf Tournament at Harbor Club is a fundraising event in which the proceeds will benefit veterans and their families. Those who attend the tournament will be treated to an exclusive, first-class golf experience that includes:

• An inspiring pre-tournament patriotic spectacle
• A Ralph Lauren golf shirt
• Complimentary beverages
• Complimentary lunch
• Complimentary dinner
• Chances to win $10,000 in prizes (including a raffle and silent auction)

When

The tournament will be on Monday, July 24, 2017. Registration begins at 10:30am, and there will be a shotgun start promptly at noon. Dinner, open bar, and prize giveaways start at 5:30pm.

Where

The event will be held at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee golf course, located at 1350 Club Drive, Greensboro, GA 30642.

Why

The better question is why not? Harbor Club’s beautiful award-winning golf course is challenging, yet incredibly fun to play. It’s the perfect place for a tournament that benefits such rewarding cause. GratitudeAmerica ensures that all proceeds gained will go toward assisting veterans and their families.

How

There are a number of ways to get involved. Here’s how:

• Sign up to play. The cost to enter is $350 per player or $1000 per team. (Tournament details)
• Sign up to become a sponsor. Sponsorships start at $100. (Sponsorship details)
• Can’t make the tournament? Make a tax-deductible donation to GratitudeAmerica instead.

Sign up for any of the above here.

We, at Harbor Club, are excited about the upcoming golf tournament on July 24 and look forward to a heartfelt response from everyone involved. It’s going to be a fun time for a fantastic cause, so don’t miss out! Sign up for this rewarding event today.

“We should all be grateful that GratitudeAmerica is there for our fellow citizens in uniform. For too many Vets the war is never over – and GratitudeAmerica is at their side to help them leave the horrors behind.” – Tom Brokaw

There’s nothing like a fresh off the vine, homegrown tomato from the garden. Warm and super-juicy, there’s nothing quite like it. Sure, the grocery stores have tomatoes available all year-round, but more often than not, those “‘maters” pale in comparison to ones you can grow yourself.

As delicious as all homegrown vegetables are, the hard work to construct and maintain a garden often outweighs the benefits. The challenge of it all is daunting, so most people (sadly) do without.

But not so, if you live at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee!

Our recent addition of The Grove offers several great amenities, one of which we are very proud of — our new Victory Garden. It is a community garden that has easily accessible raised beds and an automatic watering system. These things, in addition to our avid gardeners, have helped contribute to the success of our plantings. However, fresh veggies aren’t the only benefit of the Victory Garden. There are many advantages of a community garden, such as:

• Adding beauty to the neighborhood
• Bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together
• Motivating people to be more active (reaching, digging, planting, weeding, etc.)
• Increased opportunities to meet new neighbors
• A better sense of community stewardship
• An increase in community spirit
• Quick, easy access to highly nutritious foods
• Reducing stress for both gardeners and visitors alike
• Creating a sense of wellness and belonging

Considering the fact that ours is a Southern Living Inspired Community, all of the above are things we strive to provide for each resident of Harbor Club. We embrace all the makes our community friendly, fun, healthy and rewarding. Whether you are a Master Gardener or just interested in learning more about this fun and interesting hobby, we encourage our residents to get involved with the gardening club. Contact Paul Davis, our community gardener organizer, to learn more. Not a resident of Harbor Club? That’s ok — we’re happy to give potential residents a tour of the garden and so much more. In the meantime, get inspired with this tasty recipe that highlights delicious summer veggies easily grown in Georgia:

Summer Harvest Ratatouille

Serves 10

Ratatouille, a traditional French vegetable dish of eggplant, bell peppers, onions, summer squash, and tomatoes, is an ideal side dish to serve with grilled or roasted fish or chicken.

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers, assorted colors, seeded, cored and cut into thick wedges
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch slices
• 2 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch slices
• 2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch slices
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup pitted Niçoise or other black olives
• 5 large tomatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
• 3 tablespoons chopped marjoram or oregano
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place peppers and eggplant on one sheet, squash, and zucchini on the second sheet. Roast vegetables, turning them once halfway through cooking and switching trays top to bottom and front to back, until browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool vegetables slightly, then coarsely chop.

Meanwhile, combine broth and olives in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a heavy pot and add tomatoes, onion, garlic and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until tomatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Add roasted vegetables and marjoram to pot; cover and simmer, stirring once or twice, until flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and vinegar; cook 5 minutes more.

Nutritional Info:

Per Serving: 80 calories (10 from fat), 1.5g total fat, 90mg sodium, 15g carbohydrates, (5 g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 3g protein.

Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods

For more great recipes, check out Southern Living’s Summer Casserole Recipes That Make the Most of Your Farmers’ Market Finds.

When making a big purchase in real estate, you have to wonder if you’re making the right move to the right place. After all, it’s a huge decision! But if you’ve ever thought about staking a claim at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee, you shouldn’t be concerned. Year over year, more people are making a wise choice by investing in real estate at Harbor Club.

 Whether it be a brand new home, a resale home, or a fantastic piece of land for a future dream home, people are flocking to our community.

Here’s the proof: With 2017 mid-year sales results recently tallied, Harbor Club has sold a whopping $17.6 million of real estate. Compare that to the $12.1 million in sales for the same timeframe the year before, and you’ve got a 46% year-to-date increase. Impressive results! As you can see below, Harbor Club’s real estate sales continue to grow year-over-year.

So what do we attribute this success? It’s a combination of things.

New sales director joined the team

We brought Kathy Phillips on board at the beginning of 2016 as our new Sales Director. Right from the start, she’s done a fantastic job. She quickly fell in love with the community, and she effectively showed prospects the value it had to offer. In fact, she liked it so much that she recently bought her own Harbor Club home! She talks the talk, and she walks the walk.

New real estate offerings

Our real estate offerings cater to a wide variety of tastes, styles, and desires. Whether it be a brand new home or resale, big, small, or “right-sized” home (such as our new Cottage Series), Harbor Club has options for each. Plus, our new in-house design studio has been instrumental in helping all those who want to build a home of their dreams… each with a great deal of added resale value.

Excellent mortgage options abound

It’s been a very good time to buy a home. Why? Mortgages have been easier and cheaper to obtain, making people seize the opportunity to get them. More money means more home sales, especially those that present an exceptional value.

People are moving to less urban environments

Many people, especially families and retirees, have been opting to live in more serene, suburban communities rather than those in bigger cities. Many have discovered that “slow-living” in a pastoral, resort-style community is highly ideal. Living the “Harbor Club Life” is like experiencing a “staycation” every day!

Harbor Club amenities continue to grow

Harbor Club has recently opened a wonderful new amenity, The Grove. It is a fitness, recreation, and special event campus that includes a new quarter-mile track, Fit-Trail®, dog park, victory garden, sanctuary pond and more. Also, new pickleball courts were installed, and we’re currently adding a new tennis court.

Georgia is a great place to retire

For those that want to preserve as much as their retirement income as possible, Georgia is an excellent place to retire. Plus it is very tax-friendly as well. Even better, our temperate climate offers four distinct seasons where you very (very) rarely have to shovel snow.

Harbor Club’s golf course is tops

Our fun, yet challenging Weiskopf/Morrish-designed golf course continues to win awards and accolades. One of the more recent being that it advanced to 3rd on Golfweek’s Best Courses list!

Lake life here is the best life

Every real estate owner in Harbor Club has access to Lake Oconee via The Boathouse Marina. So whether you have lakefront property or not, if you’ve invested in Harbor Club property, you’ll always be able to experience “Lake Life.” Why miss out? Harbor Club even won “Best Lake Community of the Year” by Real Estate Scorecard.

Harbor Club chosen as a Southern Living Inspired Community

From our numerous Southern Living-inspired designed homes to our warm community that fosters friendly gatherings, interactions, and celebrations — it’s no wonder Southern Living chose us for this prestigious classification.

It’s easy to see why so many people are investing in Harbor Club real estate. Will you be next? We invite you to see all that’s new at Harbor Club today!

We’ve got fantastic news to share. Harbor Club on Lake Oconee golf course was highlighted as the “Course of the Week” on the popular Golf America television show! 

If you haven’t heard of it yet, Golf America is a weekly syndicated TV show that has been on the air since 2004. Each week Golf America features some of the best resort and private golf courses located in North America and the Caribbean. It’s no surprise that our award-winning golf course was recently featured on their June 20-26, 2017 segment. It makes for some great TV, considering our course is one of best in the state of Georgia, not to mention our gorgeous terrain and beautiful Lake Oconee as a backdrop.

On the show, you’ll find executive producer and journalist, Alan Hunter; the popular golf fitness coach, Mindi Boysen; and renowned PGA professional, Doug Price. All three hosts provide interesting information and helpful tips while showing stunning footage of the Harbor Club course. Alan Hunter was delighted with his Harbor Club experience, saying “From your first tee shot on through your final putt, this golf course is both aesthetically pleasing and fun to play for players of all skill levels.” He went on to say, “At Harbor Club, as you would find on many of Weiskopf-Morrish designs, no two golf holes are the same …there is always an ample amount of several risk-reward holes.” It’s safe to say he truly enjoyed our course!

The show also highlights a great exercise routine demonstrated by the fitness guru Mindi Boysen. Her activities focus on improving both the shoulder and core muscles to improve your game. And if you ever find that your ball is just off the green, you’ll learn a great short game tip from PGA pro, Doug Price.

Golf America is a big deal. The program reaches over 84-million homes in over 130 television markets throughout the U.S. You may have caught some episodes on DirecTV or DISH. If not, you can easily watch the program online at www.tvgolfshow.com. Or better yet, look at the specific segment that features Harbor Club golf course here: http://www.tvgolfshow.com/videos/harbor-club-show.mp4.

If you haven’t already visited or played golf at Harbor Club, the television program does an excellent job of showing you what it’s like here. But why not make that virtual tour into reality? Book a tee time or plan your visit to Harbor Club today! You’ll be glad you did.

With summer getting into full swing (pun intended!) we wanted to remind you that our junior golf camp starts back up in July. Now, this isn’t just any old boring camp where kids just fritter time away. Junior golf camp is an awesome opportunity for kids to not only learn the great game of golf, but it also helps them become confident, more well-rounded individuals.

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Don’t believe us? Check out all the advantages junior golf camp provides:

Banish boredom

Junior golf camp will quickly nix the “I’m bored!” commentary from the kids. It’s a wonderful way to keep them both happy and busy this summer.

Anyone can play

You already know that golf champs come in all shapes and sizes. Boy, girl, big, small — it doesn’t matter when it comes to playing the game.

Enjoy outside

Your kids will be outside, in nature, breathing fresh air and getting some exercise in a beautiful place (our award-winning golf course!) It’s a good break from those zoned-out smartphone and video game addictions.

Create new friendships

Kids have great bonding opportunities when in a group of like-minded individuals. These newly cultivated “golf-themed” friendships can last a lifetime.

Boost socialization skills

The more exposure and involvement with others, the more chances your kids have to open up and communicate with people. Positive interactions will abound, not only with other children but with adults too.

Fitness that’s fun

Walking on the course, swinging a club, putting, stretching, bending, reaching …all of these do the body good. These physical activities are certainly much better than sitting on the couch and watching TV.

It’s super safe

Golf is a non-contact sport, so the risk of injury is small. Not only that, Harbor Club is a safe, gated community with security personnel monitoring the entrance 24/7.

Prep for the business world

Golf is not a simple game. There’s a lot to it and it’s perfect for preparing kids to be a professional, no matter what career they choose. When kids play the game of golf, it will help them to:

• Enhance their focus and attention
• Think strategically
• Be solution-oriented
• Be disciplined and dedicated
• Better manage emotions
• Maintain a positive outlook
• Adapt to challenges
• Learn from their mistakes
• Bounce back from setbacks
• Be collaborative
• Maintain grace under pressure
• Practice good sportsmanship

Gain courtesy and etiquette

The golf course is an excellent place to practice patience, good manners and honesty. It’s also where kids learn how to take good care of the course, mute their phones, respect other player’s time, and keep their tempers under control.

Scholarship opportunities

The earlier your kids start playing golf, the better. If they grow to love the game and continue to do well on the course, they’ll have the potential to unlock some great academic scholarship opportunities in the future.

Family time fun for years to come

Young or old, golf is a sport can be played by almost everyone in your family. Brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, moms, dads — golf can bring them all together in a way that other sports can’t. It’s an awesome way for grandma and grandpa to interact with the grandkids and vice versa.

There are so many benefits to golf! Got questions? We’ve got answers. Give the pro shop a call at (706) 453-4414 or email dprice@harborclub.com. We look forward to seeing your kids play!

Ok, so you already know there are lots of surprising health benefits gained from playing golf, but did you know that playing golf in a group adds a slew of other advantages? Groups play for a variety of reasons.

It’s a fantastic social activity, a competitive sport, or they may play just for the fun of it. No matter the reason, playing golf with others is a good idea. Here are other reasons to get your friends, relatives, neighbors, and colleagues together to play:

Stimulates fellowship

Fellowship isn’t something you only find at church. It’s a friendly feeling amongst those who are doing something together as a group. Any group of people who have a shared interest in something (like golf, for example) will experience more fellowship opportunities than those who have more singular interest. This can result in wonderful friendships that strengthen over time.

Creates friendly competition

A little healthy competition is good for you. Why? Because it makes you strive to be a better player. When playing golf with a group of people, it’s only natural to want to be the best — and to want to win. As a result, you’ll want to do things to improve your game. You’ll find yourself educating yourself, and other fellow golfers, on tips and tricks that work best. This not only perfects your game but also yourself as an admired team player.

Boosts social growth

Anytime you are part of a team, it’s an opportunity to grow socially. A golf course has a clubhouse where people often interact before and after their game. Also, due to the nature of the game, golfers can interact socially between shots. All of these interactions with people on your team, as well as those from other teams, are a great chance to grow your social networks. Not only that, playing golf stimulates cooperation, communication, and conflict resolution, allowing players to appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses. All benefits in a healthy, social relationships.

Increases social capital

What’s social capital? The University of Minnesota definition of social capital is this: “Social capital is the value that comes from social networks, or groupings of people, which allow individuals to achieve things they couldn’t on their own.” Golf in a group setting not only helps to boost your social growth (as mentioned above) but it also helps to establish stronger connections and trust-based networks with other families, communities, and organizations. Essentially, it helps to reinforce the quality of those all-important relationships. The more social capital you have, the more access you have to information, ideas, business opportunities, emotional support, cooperation, goodwill, trust and more.

As you can see, playing golf with a group certainly has its advantages. So get your gang together and call us at (800) 505-GOLF to set up a tee time and a great group rate.

Photo credit: Leigh Lofgren 

Woohoo! The weather is getting warmer and summer is upon us. Lake life on Lake Oconee is firing back up, and with that, so is our free concert series! We have an exciting line-up of talent playing at the Boathouse Restaurant and Marina this summer. On a nice warm evening, our concerts are a joy for everyone both young and old. Have fun noshing on delicious food and drinks from the restaurant, hang out by the fire pit, dance on the great lawn, or just chill on your boat — all while being entertained by fantastic musicians.

Be sure to bookmark this page, as it lists each act and the date they’ll be playing live at the Boathouse Marina. You’ll find the Boathouse at 3991 Walker Church Road. By boat it’s about three miles north of the Ritz-Carlton Lodge. Our summer concerts are from 6-9pm. Don’t forget to bring chairs and blankets to sit on. (Please no outside coolers.)

Saturday, June 10 – RONNIE PITTMAN

Ronnie is a Georgia boy and a veteran of the Atlanta and Nashville music scenes who plays a “home grown” brand of music that infuses modern rock and R&B flavors.

Saturday, June 17 – PULLIN’ STRINGS

NOTE: **Special Southern Living-Inspired Event – BBQ, Boats, and Bluegrass**

Pullin’ Strings band plays fantastic “blue grassy” tunes, which will be a perfect compliment to this special Southern Living-Inspired event at the Boathouse. If you love BBQ, boats and bluegrass, you won’t want to miss it!

Saturday, June 24 – KARIANNE JEAN

A popular, rising country star who’s talent awarded her “Female Country Artist of the Year” at the IMEA awards. This highly accomplished singer plays a variety of country and some pop.

Sunday, July 2 – LEIGHLYNN SHINE BAND

The dynamic duo of Brittany Coles & Cindy Taylor share a love of co-writing and singing fantastic country music songs.

Saturday, July 8 – KYLE SMITH

A singer-songwriter from Augusta GA, Kyle performs an eclectic mix of covers and original tunes.

Saturday, July 15 – JEREMY JOHNSON

Jeremy is a Georgia-based musician who has performed tons of fan-favorites at Harbor Club in the past.

Saturday, July 22 – OCONEE RHYTHM SECTION

Oconee Rhythm section plays a variety of oldies, including blues, soul, classic rock, and swing dance.

Saturday, August 5 – KARIANNE JEAN

Karianne is so nice, we’re having her perform twice! If you missed out on June 24, be sure to attend this event. She’s such a great country performer, you won’t be disappointed!

Saturday, August 12 – LUKE FERGUSON

A gifted musician, Luke enjoys playing a variety of country, alternative, and Southern rock.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Events page for more information and details on each upcoming musical performance this summer at the Boathouse. We can’t wait to see you and hope you enjoy a taste of the Harbor Club Life!

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It’s exciting to think about the upcoming holiday weekend. And at Harbor Club, every day feels like a vacation day. We live here and play here! A nice, long weekend often means fun activities and special time with family and friends. So, if you want to get the most out of your long holiday weekend, consider these ideas:

Play pickleball

Get outside, have fun, and get fit playing the fast-growing sport of Pickleball. Sure, it’s an odd name, but it’s a blast to play. Both men and women enjoy group play at 10am on Saturday mornings at the pickleball courts.

Party at the pool **A ‘not to miss’ event!**

From 12-3pm on Saturday, May 27 Harbor Club will have a fantastic party to celebrate the holiday weekend and the recent opening of our sparkling, junior-size Olympic pool. Come enjoy delicious food, special live music, and a giant water slide for the kids (and kids at heart!) Check out the fun photos from past events.

Brunch on Sunday

Out late on Saturday night? Sleep in on Sunday morning then come to the Clubhouse Restaurant to indulge in a delicious Sunday brunch buffet. Brunch is served every Sunday from 11am-3pm. If you have a party of six or more, please make a reservation via cwalker@harborclub.com or calling (706)453-7111.

Catch a free summer concert at The Boathouse **A ‘not to miss’ event!**

Remember, this Sunday night is not a “school night!” We’re starting off our free summer concert series that evening (May 28) from 6-9pm. Come to the Boathouse Restaurant via boat, car, kayak (whatever works best for you and your friends) and enjoy live music by the talented Tim Cadiere. The restaurant is open, so consider purchasing a yummy dinner, snack or drink while you’re there.

Play a great game of golf

Book a tee time and get out on the course with family and friends on Memorial Day. Harbor Club’s golf course and clubhouse will be open on Monday, May 29 from 8am-12pm. (Note that the course will be closed on Tuesday, May 30.)

Indulge in amenities at the Boathouse Marina and Restaurant

There’s so much to do at the Boathouse Marina and Restaurant this time of year. Go for a boat ride, play bocce ball, fish from the community dock, enjoy a great meal — or any combination thereof! The restaurant’s holiday hours of operation over Memorial Day weekend are Friday through Sunday from 11am-9pm, and Monday (Memorial Day) 11am-6pm.

Go for a stroll

At Harbor Club, we have the luxury of having nature right outside our door. Head down to The Grove and walk the trails. Count your miles on our quarter-mile track. Or walk your dog to the dog park for a play date with other neighborhood pups. The dog park has become an excellent place to connect with others in the community.

No matter what activities you end up doing (or not doing if you plan on just relaxing), our family at Harbor Club wishes you and yours a very pleasant holiday weekend.

Harbor Club is proud to announce the reopening its renown Boathouse Restaurant–the only “boat-up” marina restaurant on Lake Oconee. Whether you pull up in your boat or your car, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a delicious casual meal this summer.

Patrons of the Boathouse Restaurant can fill up on more than just tasty food. Our marina features services and conveniences that make “lake life” fun and enjoyable for the whole family.

Fill up on entertainment with our free summer concert series

Make your summer Saturday night special with free, live music on the grand lawn of the Boathouse. Grab dinner and enjoy talent by the popular Tim Cadiere and the Washboard Road Band, Karianne Jean and Ronnie Pittman, just to name a few. Check our Facebook page during the summer season for event dates and times.

Fill up on a great snack, lunch, and dinner

From yummy appetizers to delectable desserts, The Boathouse Restaurant has you covered. Entrees include southern-style BBQ, burgers, and salads. Nosh on fun foods like fried pickles, bang bang shrimp, and fried okra. We also offer more traditional fare, like brisket, chicken tenders and pulled pork. Don’t forget to finish off your meal with a refreshing vanilla ice cream sandwich. The Boathouse Restaurant is open on Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm.

Fill up on provisions at our convenience store

Whether you need ice, beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, sunscreen or other nautical supplies, you’ll find most everything you desire at our old time general store. Stop by and stock up before you head out for a day on beautiful Lake Oconee.

Fill up on fuel

Running low on gas? Stop by our convenient marina to fill up your boat. Our marina services team will gladly help fuel up your vessel with our ethanol-free gasoline. Remember that Harbor Club members receive a 10-percent discount on their marina fuel purchases.

Fill up on fun

There are lots of ways to have fun at The Boathouse Marina and Restaurant. Our marina team will be happy to get you set up with a boat rental (pontoon boats, Jet Skis, paddleboards, and kayaks). Other great features include a bocce ball court, putting green, community dock and a fire pit on our lakefront grand lawn. Or, just chill out in one of our Adirondack chairs by the lake. Whatever your definition of fun is, you’ll find it at the Boathouse.

Safely stow your boat away for another day

When your boating fun is done, whether it be for the day or for the season, we can store your boat safe and sound in our 72-slip dry stack storage facility. This impressive facility will soon grow to 300 slips, which will make our marina the largest one on Lake Oconee. In addition to dry stack storage, we also offer shrink wrap services for winter boat storage. These combined services make our marina an ideal place to store your boat and gain quick access all that Lake Oconee has to offer.

The Boathouse Restaurant and Marina is located just outside of Harbor Club’s east gate at 3991 Walker Church Road, which is a mile south of the Richland Connector. By boat, it is about three miles north of the Ritz. Stop by and fill up on all the great things our Boathouse Marina and Restaurant has to offer. You’ll be glad you did.

Perhaps you’ve already seen and heard the buzz around real estate right now. The housing market is busy. People are buying and selling homes like crazy, especially here in the South where we’re currently experiencing the fastest appreciating housing markets. Not only that, Realty Biz News reports that there has been a rise in suburban homes sales.

Why? “Suburban areas [are] integrating spaces where people can live, work and play, without having to commute to the city.” Sounds a lot like Harbor Club, doesn’t it?

Whether you are interested in buying or selling a home during this bustling real estate market, you may be wondering how to get the most value out of your transaction. According to Realtor.com’s recent article, “Appreciation Sensation: The Real Factors That Boost Your Home’s Bottom Line,” there are several new trends that can increase a home’s worth:

Smaller homes gain value faster

Today’s home buyers want less stuff, and therefore, don’t need as much space to store it. As a result, downsizing has created an increased demand for smaller homes. With that, the inventory for smaller homes has diminished. Therefore, prices for small home prices have gone up simply due to the economic laws of supply and demand. Fortunately, Harbor Club is continuing to build several more of its popular Cottage Series homes to satisfy this growing demand.

Less bedrooms means more ROI

If your home has one to three bedrooms, then you’ll see a greater appreciation than homes that have four or more. Harbor Club has embraced this “less is more” approach. In fact, when we look at all of our new home listings and average out the number of bedrooms, it results in 3.86 bedrooms per house… a long way away from six-bedroom homes. We understand what today’s home buyers need and want.

A two-car garage is perfect

A one-car garage is good, but a two-car garage is what most people desire in today’s real estate market. Again, looking at our latest new home listings, you’ll see that every one of our homes include a two-car garage. The only exceptions are a few that include a small bay to park a golf cart.

Three home features with the most appreciation

The most desired home features are an open floor plan, a patio and hardwood floors, with appreciation rates of 7.4%, 6.8% and 5.7% respectively. If you have those in your home, you’re golden! So are our new homeowners, as we made sure to include them in all of our new homes.

Location, location, location

Nothing ever trumps location when it comes to real estate. Homes with access to public transit, good schools, shopping and a hospital are tops when it comes to appreciation. Being that we are in a suburban location an hour away from Atlanta means that we don’t have quick access to public transit. However, we make up for that with our close proximity to the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International. Also, having one of the top rated schools in the nation, Lake Oconee Academy, right outside our gates is a huge asset, not to mention the nearby shopping and an excellent, award-winning hospital too.

Views are valuable

In order of appreciation, the views provided by a park, mountain, lake, and golf course carry the most value. Our rolling terrain with well-maintained green spaces, golf course and (of course) Lake Oconee has all of those covered. In fact, several of our homes offer wonderful combined views. By the way, we were shocked to learn that homes with ocean views have the least amount of appreciation. Perhaps this is because they are very expensive to begin with.

So, as you may have gathered, Harbor Club has already wisely embraced many of the trends that carry the most appreciation for its homes. Not only does that increase the value of the homes at Harbor Club, it increases the value of the community as a whole. The bonus? Our residents! We’re proud to have over 80% full-time homeowners in Harbor Club. They know the value of having a Harbor Club home …and we’d love to show you too. Stop by so you can see for yourself! We’ve got some fantastic new home inventory under construction. You’ll not only discover the valuable ROI in the homes we build, but in the life you can build here at Harbor Club.

Contact us today.

Hurry, hurry! Isn’t it sad that our modern world dictates that everything must be so fast? Fast internet, fast food, fast cars to get us from place to place, well — fast. With everything moving at hyperspeed, busy people become even busier. Quick has to be quicker. Fast has to be faster. Over time, you feel compelled and almost required, to multi-task and speedy at almost everything. And with that, your stress level invariably increases.

Sure, you may think you’ll find time to decompress, but have you? And if you did, was it enough time? And better yet, what do you have to show for that down time? Was it “quality time?” If you’re like most people, the answers to these questions were a resounding “no.” Don’t feel bad though. There’s a fix!

Introducing “slow living.” If you haven’t heard of it before, Create The Good Life describes it like this: “Slow Living means structuring your life around meaning and fulfillment. Similar to ‘voluntary simplicity’ and ‘downshifting,’ it emphasizes a less-is-more approach, focusing on the quality of your life.” Boiled down, slow living is essentially slowing down to restore the balance in you and your family’s lives.

Our community is one where slow living is not only encouraged, it’s wholeheartedly embraced by our residents and members. This is a place where happy people take the time to lead fulfilling lives. How? Here are just a few of the ways we make it happen:

We spend quality time with family

When you live someplace that has numerous ways to experience family time together, more often than not, you actually get to take part in and enjoy that quality time. Whether it be spending time on Lake Oconee, playing golf together, getting fit together, or simply indulging in a special meal (where you don’t have to cook or clean!) together, it’s incredibly easy to find meaningful time with family at Harbor Club.

We spend quality time with friends

When you live amongst like-minded people, you tend to develop awesome friendships that last a lifetime. Listening to live music at our outdoor concerts at The Boathouse, dancing to Zumba, experiencing mindfulness together at yoga classes, playing trivia at our trivia nights, or having neighbors over for a nice cookout are just a few of the ways to slow down and spend quality time with friends here at Harbor Club. When you live at Lake Oconee, the possibilities are endless.

We spend more time in nature

If you live in a naturally beautiful place, it’s so easy to step outside and enjoy all that nature has to offer. That kind of ready access offers unparalleled quiet and solitude that are hard to find in more urban environments. Play a round of golf on our awe-inspiring course, take a moment to hike our wooded trails, throw a line in the water at Lake Oconee or one of our many stocked ponds, garden in our Victory garden, or grab a good book and read outside in the quiet warmth of the sun. No matter the season, you have lots of ways to truly enjoy the outdoors and nature in all its glory at Harbor Club.

What does all of this add up to? Memories — ones that you’ll remember and treasure forever. It’s all a part of what we are proud to call the “Harbor Club Life.” If you’re ready to get a taste of it for yourself, stop by! We’d love to show you around the place. Like so many others, you’re bound to fall in love with our beautiful homes, the access to Lake Oconee, and the gorgeous golf course views… but you don’t know until you try. Let’s make arrangements today.

Having a beautiful landscape doesn’t have to be a chore. Enjoying colorful blooms from spring through fall is possible. This is especially true since we live in a wonderfully temperate climate here in Georgia. Each of the five plants we’ve listed below are very easy to grow and maintain. What’s better is that they are perennials, so you get to enjoy them year over year. Why not plant a few? Once you see the pretty results, you’ll be glad you did.

Canna Lily

Canna lily is a classic in tropical gardens. Each plant grows to about seven feet tall and two feet wide. The tall stalks have large, multi-petaled, showy flowers at the top. Some plants also have variegated leaves. These beauties prefer full sun and moist, well-drained soil.

Black-eyed Susans

More formally known as Rudbeckia Fulgida, this cheerful flower is a great addition to a casual garden bed. It can grow up to three feet tall and looks fantastic when planted in a large grouping. This one is also a favorite of butterflies, so you’ll get double the beauty. Plant it in full sun with well-drained soil.

Phlox

Phlox is another flower much loved by butterflies, and honeybees too. Not only are the flowers gorgeous to look at but they also give off a pleasant scent. On warm, humid evenings they become even more fragrant. Phlox is happiest planted in full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil.

Daylily

Daylilies got their name because each flower only blooms once in a day. Don’t despair, as there are several buds on each stalk, each blooming after another fades. These are excellent perennials for the south because they start to bloom as early as March and continue to produce flowers into late summer. Growing as high as four feet, they are also available in a wide variety of colors. What’s more is that they are relatively drought tolerant, making them maintenance-free.

Lantana

The variety to look for is “Miss Huff,” as it is the hardiest in a Georgia landscape. Happiest in full sun, Lantana will flower from June to October. Once established, it is highly pest, disease and drought resistant. This perennial’s showy orange and pink blooms are ones that butterflies adore.

Need a bit more advice when it comes to gardening in Georgia? Why not join the fun at our next Harbor Club Gardeners Club meeting? Anyone from a master gardener to a novice is welcome. The group is currently strategizing plantings for the new raised beds in our Victory Garden. There’s even been talk of a get-together to sample the harvested garden products, including a possible wine tasting event. Contact Harbor Club today to learn more about the Victory Garden at The Grove, or better yet, visit us for a personalized tour.

Do you know the secret about getting in shape? It’s really not a secret at all. The “secret” is to discover a sport that makes fitness fun. When you find your favorite sport(s), you’ll soon realize that being fit can seem effortless. As your activity increases, you’ll form new healthy habits that result in a lifestyle change as well as boosts your quality of life. No matter which sport you love, Harbor Club has you covered. 

Walk, run or jog

If you’re into any walking, jogging, or running, Harbor Club is a fantastic place to do all three. Believe it or not, Duke University Medical Center discovered that a brisk 30-minute walk or jog around a track three times a week worked just as well as antidepressant medication for those who are middle-aged or elderly. Our new quarter-mile track at The Grove provides the perfect, level surface for getting in that all-important, mood-boosting cardio. It’s also an ideal place to do sprints or intervals of walking and running. If you prefer a more natural environment, we also have pleasant wooded trails that provide a tranquil setting to exercise, not to mention over 25 miles of well-maintained roads for a simple stroll. At Harbor Club, it’s easy to go for a walk or run every day — and reap all the awesome health benefits that come with it.

Play field sports

Do you love soccer, football, whiffle ball, Frisbee or any other sports that requires a level, manicured, grassy field to play on? Our new, carefully-graded sports field at The Grove offers a fun, safe place to engage in any number of field sports that require wide open spaces to play.

Take a hike

Our new Grove facility provides hikers with two new, fantastic trails. One is a mile-long, manicured and mulched hiking trail. If you want to add some additional fitness benefits to your hike, we also offer a new Fit-Trail®, which includes 10 fitness stations for stretching, bending and strength training.

Play a round – or two – of golf

Our highly popular, award-winning, Weiskopf-Morrish designed golf course is sure to delight anyone who loves to swing a club. Up your fitness game by walking our magnificent course, which has a spectacular, varied terrain which skirts Lake Oconee nine times.

Swim at Lake Oconee

If you love to swim, we have a couple of excellent options. We offer a crystal-clear, Junior-sized Olympic pool, which is a fantastic place to do laps. Also, you also have access to Georgia’s largest second lake, Lake Oconee, to swim to your heart’s content (and health)!

Bust a move

Dancing is an awesome form of exercise and Harbor Club offers plenty of options to shake a leg in our new fitness studio! If you are more into the ballet side of things, we offer a barre class that would be right up your alley. Those who like to shimmy a bit more can take advantage of our heart-pumping Zumba classes. Don’t forget about our scheduled social dances and outdoor concerts for additional ways to get your groove on!

Try a new watersport

There are other ways to get around Lake Oconee besides a motorboat. The lake provides an excellent place to row, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, sail, canoe, and of course, go fishing! <href=”#boathouse”>The Boathouse Marina provides every resident of Harbor Club with access to the lake, making it easy to get your vessel in and out of the water at any time of year.

Stretch your muscles

Love yoga? It’s a sport that continues to gain popularity, and Harbor Club offers fantastic classes for both men and women at The Grove. We even have a men’s class that will help improve your golf game!

Make a “racket”

With both tennis and pickleball courts, we have plenty of ways to help you get your racket swinging. Aside from playing either game at your leisure, we offer scheduled clinics, group play and tournaments so you can engage with others who match your level, from novice to experienced.

So if you are ready to see how fitness can be a truly fun endeavor, come visit Harbor Club! We’d be happy to take you and your family on a personalized tour to show you all of our sports and fitness facilities, not to mention the grounds, lake and everything else that makes Harbor Club so special. Give us a call today.

We’ve got some great news to announce! We are extremely proud that the editors at Southern Living magazine have hand-picked Harbor Club on Lake Oconee as one of it’s newest Southern Living Inspired Communities!

To be added to this prestigious list, there were a number of criteria that our community had to meet, including:

• Being located in either Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee
• Embracing the natural beauty of Southern landscapes
• Displaying the best of Southern Living inspired architecture
• Creating environments that foster gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.

Considering the above “Southern Living Community Philosophies,” it’s easy to see how Harbor Club made the list. Let’s break each one down so you can clearly understand why this is the case. 

Georgia location

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is nestled in Georgia’s lake country, in the charming southern town of Greensboro. Conveniently located midway between Atlanta and Augusta, and just 40 minutes south of Athens, our location puts you within arms-reach of all the best that Georgia has to offer. Even better, our residents have year-round access to Lake Oconee (Georgia’s second largest lake) via our <href=”#boathouse”>Boathouse Marina amenity, making “lake life” synonymous with the “Harbor Club Life.”

Southern landscapes

The temperate climate at Harbor Club gives the unique ability to enjoy four distinct seasons with differing, beautiful landscapes throughout the year. Southern favorites like azaleas, crape myrtles, magnolias, gardenias, and camellias all thrive here. Wide, rocking chair front porches are often adorned with pretty container plantings. Even in the winter, you’ll see colorful pansies in bloom.

Southern Living inspired architecture

Exclusive only to Harbor Club is our custom home builder, Patriot Homes. Our award-winning architect, Mitch Ginn, designs gorgeous, Southern Living inspired home plans for our community. In fact, his designs have been featured in both Southern Living Magazine and Southern Living House Plans Magazine. And Bill Lynn is our highly experienced and knowledgeable builder who makes those stylish dream homes into a reality. All Harbor Club homes are built with unparalleled quality and craftsmanship, giving every homeowner a sense of pride, not only in their home but in the Harbor Club community itself.

Southern hospitality

One of the strongest values in the south is good old southern hospitality, and there’s plenty of that fostered here at Harbor Club. We pride ourselves on having a resort-like neighborhood with over 80% full-time residents. Our <href=”#clubhouse”>recreational amenities and our jam-packed calendar full of fun events cater to all ages. Family dinners, free concerts, dances, golf tournaments, exercise classes, and more provide multiple opportunities for friends and neighbors to enjoy gathering, interacting and celebrating together.

Why not give us an opportunity to practice our Southern hospitality on you? See for yourself why Southern Living chose Harbor Club as a Southern Living Inspired Community. Give us a call to schedule a tour. We can’t wait to meet you!

Going to The Masters? Lucky you — in more ways than one. Not only do you get to experience Augusta National with its colorful azaleas in full bloom and observe amazing pro golfers trying to win a coveted green jacket, you also get to nosh on the renowned concession food. Yes, the concession food — but not just any concession food.

The food at The Masters is well known for not only being inexpensive but also for its simple, southern deliciousness. The most popular of them all is The Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich, with The Masters Egg Salad Sandwich a close second. At $1.50 each, they are a bargain! And for dessert, you can delight in The Masters Peach Ice Cream Sandwich for only $2.00. But if you aren’t one of the lucky ones heading to The Masters this year, don’t despair. Even though the recipes are closely guarded secrets, we’ve found some copycat versions so you can make your very own. So come play golf with us during Masters Week and give these recipes a try. Enjoy!

The Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich

(Copycat version from Marynelle Presley)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounce block sharp cheddar cheese
• (4-ounce) jar of chopped pimientos
• Salt and cracked pepper to taste
• Duke’s Mayonnaise
• White bread

Directions: Grate cheddar cheese into a large bowl (do not use pre-shredded cheese.) Add chopped pimientos (for more pimiento flavor, use 8-ounce jar instead of 4-ounce jar.) Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise to mix and stir well. Continue adding mayonnaise one teaspoon at a time until the mixture is of the consistency you like. Serve on white bread.

The Masters Egg Salad Sandwich

(Copycat version from Mary Ann Anderson)

Ingredients:

• 6 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
• 1⁄3 cup or slightly more, to taste, of Duke’s Mayonnaise
• 3⁄4 teaspoon yellow mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• White bread

 

Directions: Chop the eggs in a large bowl until just slightly chunky. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve on white bread.

The Masters Peach Ice Cream Sandwich

(Copycat version from Paula at CallMePMc.com)

Ingredients:

Ice Cream

• 6 cups diced peaches (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups half & half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Cookie

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 /12 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions: To make the ice cream, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and peaches; stir and set aside. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, flour, and salt. Stir. Beat eggs with an electric mixer until frothy. Add sugar mixture to eggs; beat until thick. Gradually add milk; beat until everything is well incorporated. Pour custard mixture into a heavy saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. (Mixture is thick enough when you pull the spoon out of the mixture and run your finger down the spoon the line stays making a distinct mark.) This will take about 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and sit in a larger bowl filled with ice. Stir gently until mixture cools. Stir in peaches, half and half, and vanilla. Pour mixture into an ice cream mixture (1 gallon.) Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place in freezer section of refrigerator to harden before making sandwiches.

For the cookies, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. It may be easier to work with to separate the dough into two parts. Dip cookie cutter in flour before cutting. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6 to 7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Place one huge scoop of ice cream between two cooled cookies and enjoy!

We are so proud to announce that Harbor Club on Lake Oconee has added yet another win to it’s long list of impressive accolades. Real Estate Scorecard, the industry leader of online real estate reviews, recently announced the winners of its prestigious Bliss Awards for 2017. Over 390 master planned communities were in the running for the 15 awards available, and Harbor Club made the cut! We are excited to have been awarded the “Best Lake Community of the Year” Bliss Award for 2017. 

Real Estate Scorecard obtained over 6000 bona fide resident reviews, and from those, determined the best of the best communities based on genuine happiness and highest quality of life experienced at each. For the “Best Lake Community” category, they also took a close look at water quality and lake level fluctuations. They found that, “Lake Oconee is warm, it’s clean, and the annual lake levels vary less than two feet; –making it the top contender among large lakes in the Southeastern US.

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee stood out because, unlike other communities on Lake Oconee, almost 90% of its residents live there year-round. With a social calendar chock full of fun activities, and tons of wonderful neighbors, Harbor Club is vibrant, cheerful place to live.

Through its Boathouse amenity, Harbor Club offers access to Lake Oconee to every homeowner in the community, whether they own lakefront property or not. The Boathouse Marina offers a full- service marina and restaurant on the lake, as well as drystack boat storage. Having these benefits and easy access to Georgia’s second largest lake, is a big plus for anyone who desires to live the “lake life.”

The below top characteristics also helped tip the scales in favor of Harbor Club:

• A highly popular, award-winning golf course (recently ranked third in Golfweek’s Best State Courses You Can Play listing)
• Highly affordable golf memberships that, according to Real Estate Scorecard, are “…the lowest fees we have seen among almost 100 lake communities we’ve analyzed”
• “For less than $200 a month in HOA/social fees, property owners can live in one of the best places to retire on a lake”
• New Cottage Series homes, priced in the $300’s, are “rightsized” luxury homes with yard maintenance included
• Real estate taxes in Greene County are among the lowest in the state of Georgia
• Ideal location below the ‘snow line’ in Georgia
• Mild winters and hot summers offer year round boating and watersports

Want to see what all the fuss is about? We invite you to experience Harbor Club on Lake Oconee for yourself. Contact us today and we’ll design a personalized tour just for you. See you soon!

With retirement comes a lot of questions, with one of the most significant being where to live. There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to relocation but retirees usually aim for states where they can get the most bang for their retirement buck. And probably very little snow too! But no matter where you live, you can’t guarantee 100% that snow won’t happen. There is one thing you can always count on though — taxes. 

Taxes are a major part of a retirees relocation equation for determining which state to live. According to Kiplinger, a popular finance publisher, the state of Georgia is one of the best. In fact, it ranked seventh on their list of the top 10 most tax-friendly states for retirees! Here’s why:

State sales tax

Georgia state sales tax rate is currently 4%. Depending on local municipalities, the total tax rate can be as high as 8%. Also, the state doesn’t tax grocery food sales (but several local governments can, and do so around 2-4%.) Overall, the sales tax is moderate compared to other states.

Income tax

Georgia has six marginal tax brackets, ranging from 1% (the lowest tax bracket) to 6% (the highest tax bracket). The percentage you pay depends on your income and how you file your taxes (individual, married filing jointly, etc.). You can find a list of the Georgia income tax rates here.

Social Security tax

In Georgia, your social security benefits are not taxed.

Exemptions for other retirement income

For anyone age 62 to 64, the exclusion is $35,000 per person. For individuals over the age of 64, the exclusion is $65,000 per person. That applies to all retirement income, including pensions and annuities, interest, dividends, net income from rental property, capital gains, royalties, and the first $4,000 of earned income, such as wages. IRAs, 401(k)s, private pensions and public pensions all qualify for a retirement income exemption of up to $35,000 or up to $65,000, depending on your age.

Property taxes

Georgia property taxes are somewhat below average. Property tax rates vary by county, with a range from 0.44% to 1.29%. Homeowners pay about $940 in annual property taxes per $100,000 in home value. Georgia homestead exemption is available to every homeowner who occupies his or her home as a primary, permanent residence. It exempts the first $2,000 in assessed value (equal to about $5,000 in market value) from property taxes.

Inheritance tax

In Georgia, inheritances are not taxed.

Estate tax

There is no estate tax in Georgia.

We also want to mention that Georgia’s cost of living is about 8.5% lower than the national average. That means that retirees can expect their everyday costs to be fairly low.

With so many tax benefits for retirees, it makes sense to take a close look at Georgia as an excellent place to live. And better yet, check out Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. We’ve got brand new, beautifully designed right-sized homes available now (with maintenance included!) in our fantastic, debt-free lake and golf community.

Contact us today to arrange a personal tour. We’d love to show you what Southern hospitality is truly like!

With April not that far away, The Masters golf tournament is fast approaching. Whether you are lucky enough to experience it in person, or on TV from the comfort of your easy chair, it’s an inspiring event that puts you in the mood to play great golf.

With so many people in Augusta during Masters week though, the golf courses in that area will be swamped, not to mention carry a premium price tag. A better option is to escape the majority of those crowds and come to Lake Oconee, Georgia’s second largest lake. There you’ll find Harbor Club on Lake Oconee golf course, which is conveniently located halfway between Augusta and Atlanta, just a few miles off of Interstate 20. 

Harbor Club’s course is consistently one of the places to play golf during The Masters. It’s no surprise, considering the ties to one of its designers, Tom Weiskopf. He finished second at the Masters on four different occasions. But, both he and Jay Moorish came up with a winner of a golf course design at Harbor Club. It offers some of the best playing conditions on the lake, including:

• An appealing pair of short, driveable risk-reward par 4’s.
• Six holes set beautifully along the shore of Lake Oconee.
• A 7,048-yard layout that skirts four creeks.

And speaking of The Masters, Harbor Club’s 17th hole was designed to emulate the infamous 12th hole at Augusta National. It has similar bunker placements, water hazard, and bean-shaped green. This hole is a challenging, yet fun par three that requires a tee shot over the lake.

What’s more are the impressive accolades that Harbor Club continues to accumulate, including these two recent distinctions:

• #3 on Golfweek’s 2016 State-by-State Best Courses You Can Play in Georgia.
• #4 on Golf Magazine’s Best Courses You Can Play in Georgia, 2016-2017.

A traditionally popular course to play during The Masters, Harbor Club continues to offer Masters week golf specials to those who want to experience it for themselves. This year, patrons can take advantage of these special rates from March 31 through April 9, 2017. Pricing is as follows:

• $179.00 + tax – 7:30am-2:50pm
• $159.00 + tax – 3:00pm-Close
• $90.00 replay special

These rates include golf cart, range balls, and a special Harbor Club cap.

You can book your tee time online, or call us at (706) 453-4414. Tee times will be in high demand during Masters week, so please don’t wait until the last minute to reserve your spot. Plan your Masters week golfing experience at Harbor Club today!

Year over year, the Harbor Club on Lake Oconee community continues to achieve unprecedented results in real estate sales. It comes as no surprise, considering the increased value that Harbor Club provides its members and property owners. In the past year, the Harbor Club lake and golf community has been busy creating and building both brand new homes, amenities and activities catered to delight its residents, members, and property owners. Some of the most notable of these include: 

• Building The Grove, a brand new fitness / recreation / special event campus.
• Creating a new home offering, The Cottage Series for those who desire a smaller footprint without compromising high-end details or design.
• Installation of new pickleball courts.
• Providing a fantastic new design studio for the benefit of those who are building new homes in the community.
• Free music concerts at The Boathouse Marina and Restaurant and The Clubhouse.
• Refined membership offerings that cater to multiple lifestyles and aspirations.

What’s more, Harbor Club’s Weiskopf-Morrish designed golf course attained several new accolades in 2016, including ranking fourth on Golf.com’s list of Best Courses You Can Play in Georgia. It also jumped to third on Golfweek’s “Best Courses” List as well as achieved placement on their Best Residential Courses 2017 listing. This is all in addition to the fact that Harbor Club has been named one of the Top 200 Residential Communities in America by Golfweek Magazine, as well as one of the Top Golf Course Communities Around the World by Links Magazine.

What were the results of all these incredible efforts and commendations? An impressive 25.3% increase in overall real estate sales in 2016, compared to 2015. As you can see below, there have been notable increases in Harbor Club real estate sales and transaction for the past few years. The upward trend continues to be fueled by the wonderful and incredibly wise people who have invested in the community, many of which have now made it their full-time residence.

	2014	2015	2016
Sales volume	$10.9K	$14.7K	$18.3K
Transactions	71	82	107
Home sales	20	34	42

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is located an hour east of Atlanta, Georgia. It’s family-owned and operated, completely debt-free, and filled with great friends and families who take pride in their neighborhood. Will you be the next? Check out our current real estate opportunities or better yet, stop by for a tour. See you soon!

If you haven’t already heard the news, Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is building brand new homes that appeal to today’s wise, yet refined homebuyers. Known as The Cottage Series Homes, they offer an awesome opportunity to live in a luxurious “right-sized” home, at a rightsize price point. The Cottage series homes open up an unprecedented chance to live luxuriously in a highly awarded, yet close-knit lake and golf community.

In this article we are going to highlight The Heron model home, which features five bedrooms and four bathrooms in 3550 square feet of living space.

With its gorgeous curb appeal aside, as soon as you walk into The Heron you’ll immediately be impressed with the design, not to mention the grand, open floor plan and stylish decor.

The stunning great room offers long range views into the dining room, kitchen and keeping rooms. Note the architectural details of arched entries, wide columns and high-end crown moulding.

The kitchen is an entertainer’s dream. Adjacent to the breakfast nook, it includes a huge, impressive granite island and top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. As you can see, storage space abounds.

 

The keeping room makes for a cozy place to enjoy a crackling fire in the stacked stone fireplace while indulging in a warm beverage and good conversation with close family and friends. Or perhaps you’ll want to enjoy it on your own with a great book.

The tranquil master bedroom on the main floor includes a trey-ceiling, deluxe trim and enough space for a king-sized bed as well as a serene seating area.

 

The master bath is spa-like, with its roomy tub, separate shower with frameless glass doors, his-and-hers sinks, and high-end granite and tile throughout. Note the adjacent master closet with thoughtful built-ins to keep your clothes and accessories beautifully organized and within easy reach.

Outside, delight in the temperate Georgia climate with a floor-to-ceiling screened-in porch alongside a lovely patio and barbeque space. Don’t forget that your landscape maintenance is included, so you’ll never have to mow your yard again.

 

There is so much more to see with this stunning model home at Harbor Club. Come visit us for a personalized tour of The Heron, The Grove and the rest of our golf and lake community. We look forward to showing you why so many folks choose to say “We LIVE here!”

Located near the main entrance of Harbor Club on Lake Oconee, you’ll discover a brand new amenity center–The Grove; a campus full of wonderful new features that enhance what we call the Harbor Club Life.

The horse polo fields and facilities have been transformed and upgraded to create the new 12-acre Grove campus. While you won’t find a horse there today, what you will discover are the following fantastic new features:

Fitness Center

A new 2000 sq. ft. fitness center is now located in the Carriage House. Here you’ll find brand new Life Fitness exercise equipment –including recumbent bikes, treadmills, powermill climbers, elliptical cross-trainers and weight-training equipment. Each exercise station allows the user to personalize their workout as well as their entertainment. In addition to the fitness equipment, there is a group fitness and yoga room for scheduled Zumba and yoga classes.

Trails

Two new trails are on the grounds of The Grove. One is a new mile-long, mulched hiking trail. The other is a Fit-Trail®, which includes 10 fitness stations for stretching, bending and strength training.

Quarter-mile Track

Those that are runners, will delight in the new quarter-mile track–where running, sprinting and interval training can be done with measured ease.

Sports Field

Located within the quarter-mile track is a well graded, new sports field. Engage in soccer, football, Frisbee and other fun field sports.

Grandstand / Outdoor Event Venue

Overlooking both the track and sports field is a refreshed grandstand. The stadium seating will be a great place for people to enjoy concerts and other events held on the sports field.

Sanctuary Pond

Just beyond the sports field is an inviting green space and water feature called Sanctuary Pond. It’s a beautiful spot to have a picnic, read a book or simply enjoy nature. If your family likes to fish, the pond will be stocked for catch and release fishing as well.

Victory Garden

Harbor Club’s new community garden features professionally designed, raised beds to help gardeners of all ages enjoy and get involved with this new amenity.

Dog Parks

Whether you have a large or small breed dog, they will have a wonderful time running and playing fetch at the new dog park facilities.

The Stables

One of the lake area’s most popular venues for weddings and other events, The Stables now offers a new outdoor wedding chapel. The beautiful, rustic chapel was made with cedar trees imported from the Virginia Mountains.

All of the outdoor amenities at The Grove are open to all residents of Harbor Club. The indoor fitness center is open to resident and non-resident club members.

Want to learn more? For more information about The Grove or other club membership and real estate opportunities at Harbor Club, contact us today.

Did you know that November is National Gratitude Month? It makes a lot of sense considering all we have to be thankful for in this eleventh month of the year — and especially because we live in such an awesome place as Harbor Club!

But it’s important to note that there’s more to gratitude than simply expressing thanks. In fact, there are many scientifically proven benefits of gratitude, including improved physical and psychological health. So it’s important to count your blessings, not just during the month of November, but every single day. Want to give it a shot? 

Here are a few things that we can certainly be grateful for:

The right to vote

No matter who you were rooting for, this past election was a tough one to be excited about. However, our ability to vote is something to be proud of. We live in a country where we are allowed to participate in the process of electing our next president. There are people in other countries in this world that can only dream to do the same. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to freely express whom we wish to be in the highest office in the land.

Veterans / Those who serve our country

And speaking of free, we must be thankful for our veterans, not just on Veteran’s Day, but everyday. We all know that our freedom was not free. Those that served our country are an amazing group of people. Serving is an incredibly selfless act and because of those that did we have the amazing ability to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Thanksgiving holiday

Of course you must be thankful of this, the most grateful day of the year! It’s a nice day off (for most) and the perfect time to reflect on our blessings. But do yourself a favor and attempt to express gratitude daily. Start a gratitude journal and keep it on your bed stand. Write down a few things that you are grateful for each night. It could be anything, from fresh water from the tap, to having good health, to living in a safe community. So many others don’t have privileges such as these. Daily reflection on what we are lucky to have will make you a happier person overall.

Community

We mentioned community above, as that is a big one. Harbor Club is exceptional in that it is a lake and golf community that is completely debt free. Very few other lake and golf communities can say the same. It goes to show what a value Harbor Club is, not only from a financial standpoint but from a neighborhood standpoint too. With more than 80 percent full-time residents who live here, it’s a wonderful, close-knit place to live. Our residents are fantastic!

The Grove

As you have heard, our brand new Grove amenity center will be open very soon. We are so thankful to put this new amenity center in place for our residents to enjoy. We’re working hard to add new features at Harbor Club to delight our residents. The Grove will have a new fitness center, sports field, running track, dog parks, victory gardens and more! These will go a long way toward boosting your health and happiness here at Harbor Club. 

So, what about you? We’d love to know what you are most grateful for this month. Let us know on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Don’t put your golf clubs away just yet! The cooler weather can actually be an ideal time to work on perfecting your golf technique. There are some simple things you can do to stay in top form. So even if the weather isn’t that great out on the golf course (granted, it’s a rarity here at Harbor Club) consider the following alternatives to keep your game fresh:

Do cardio

Hop on our new, state of the art fitness equipment, play tennis, play pickleball or take our invigorating Zumba classes! Cardiovascular exercise not only improves heart-health, it will enhance your physical conditioning too. In fact, PGA of America vice president Ted Bishop recommends at least 45 minutes of aerobic exercise four to five days a week. That cardio work will improve your golf swing, help you avoid injuries and you’ll play better overall.

Do strength-training

Take advantage of our gym’s strength-training equipment to help keep you strong and toned. Aim for strengthening your glutes and your core, both of which will help increase your power and your balance. Why? Added power and better balance means you’ll be able to hit the ball harder and farther. So grab the weights and do some squats. You’ll be glad you did!

Do yoga

Yoga is a great way to improve your flexibility and core stability. It also helps to increase your range of motion. All combined, these will help you to have a bigger, more productive golf swing. Yoga is especially great for senior golfers, since flexibility can deteriorate with age. Remember, we offer weekly yoga classes for both men and ladies, so take advantage and do your body good.

Improve your grip

Not sure if your grip is quite right? Have one of our professional golf instructors show you a proper grip. Another option is to buy a club with a training grip attached. Keep that club handy so you can practice at home during TV commercials. Aim for a light grip without tension in your arms or hands and try to practice several days a week.

Improve your swing

There are a lot of drills and techniques you can do to improve your swing, even when it’s cold outside. Inquire with our golf instructors for some great ideas or try swinging a weighted club a few minutes every day. It will make your club head speed faster and your wrists and arms stronger. You could also simply swing a regular club (in a safe place!) 100 times a day without hitting a ball. This will help to improve your strength, flexibility and grip.

Don’t let fall and winter take the zing out of your golf game. Besides, here at Harbor Club, our winters can be produce some delightfully mild days. So keep your game on point and book a tee time to enjoy that lovely weather out on the course here in the beautiful lake country of Georgia.

PS – Don’t miss out on our famous Turkey Shoot Scramble on Saturday, November 19. Format is a 4-person scramble with a shotgun start at 10am. All turkeys will be donated in the player’s name to the Greene County Senior Center. Sign up at the golf shop or call (706) 453-4414 for more information.

The fall is such a wonderful time of year. The weather becomes cool and crisp, the fall foliage is turning bright hues of orange, yellow and red, and suddenly, Halloween is upon us. So what fun, fall stuff is happening here and around town? Here’s a list awesome upcoming activities to enjoy:

The Lickskillet Artist Market and Festival

Day: October 22

Time: 10am-4pm

Where: Lyndon House Arts Center, 293 Hoyt Street, Athens

Details: This is a unique artists market and festival for the whole family. It is an exciting indoor/outdoor event that features eclectic wares for sale and demonstrations by artists, live music, children’s art activities, food vendors and tours of the historic Ware-Lyndon House. Visit https://lickskilletathens.org/about/ for more information.

Movies on the Courthouse Lawn – Showing “Goosebumps”

Day: October 28

Time: 8:30pm

Where: Putnam County Courthouse Lawn

Details: This family friendly event is free and open to all. Bring your own chairs and blankets and enjoy a movie under the stars. Refreshments are available for purchase. For more information, call 706-749-9150 or visit www.eatontonmainstreet.com.

The Briar Patch Arts Festival

Day: October 29

Time: 9am-3pm

Where: Downtown Eatonton

Details: Specialty arts and crafts vendors will be showcasing handmade soaps, photography, paintings, jewelry, pottery, wood working, handmade glassware, clothing, potted plants, children’s items and much more. Live entertainment on the Music Stage will keep you tapping your toes. Visit www.eatontonmainstreet.com for more information.

Madison Haunted History Tours

Days: Every Friday and Saturday night through November 12

Time: 7:30pm

Where: Madison Methodist Church parking lot, 285 South Main Street

Admission: Adults $15/ea., kids under 12 are $10/ea. (Not recommended for children under 8.)

Details: Enjoy an evening stroll through the shadows of Madison and listen to tales of hauntings and local legends along with a heaping helping of local history. Reservations are required in advance through North Georgia Tours. More info

Golf Cart Trunk or Treat

Day: October 29

Time: 12-2pm

Where: The Stables at Harbor Club

Details: Our annual trick or treat event includes family fun for all residents of Harbor Club. Decorate your golf carts, dress in your favorite costumes and drive over to the Stables to show off your creativity. Don’t forget to bring some candy to share with the kids for cart-to-cart trick or treat! Inside the Stables we’ll have games, spooktacular treats, activities and more.

Downtown Trick or TreatDay: October 31

Time: 5-7pm

Where: Downtown Greensboro

Details: Little ghouls and goblins are invited to Greensboro for Downtown Trick or Treat this Halloween. Downtown merchants — many in costume — will offer a trick or treat for children 12 and under. Children should begin their visit to town at the Greene County Court House where they will be given an official trick or treat bag and a snack. All children should be escorted by an adult. The Greensboro Police Department will be on hand to ensure fun and safety for all.

When most people think of “Lake Life” they often think of summertime fun — being outdoors and enjoying all the great things the lake has to offer during the warmest part of the year. It’s a time to enjoy swimming, boating, water skiing, paddle boarding and so much more. But what’s it like to live the “Lake Life” during the off season? We’re here to tell you that Lake Oconee can be just as enjoyable in the fall and winter months as it can be during the spring and summer. Sure, it’s different, but different in a good way.

Here are some of the joys of lake living in the off season: 

Festivities

There are so many reasons to gather around and enjoy company at the lake in the fall and winter. From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s to Valentine’s Day, and everything in between, it’s an incredibly festive time of year to get together with friends and family. The camaraderie and cooler weather are a perfect combination for entertaining. The added bonus? The majority of people who live at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee are full-time residents (over 80%). Who wants to live in a ghost town community, especially in the off-season! At Harbor Club, there are always fun-loving residents and enjoyable events and activities, no matter the time of year.

Beauty

The lake makes an incredibly gorgeous backdrop for all those festivities mentioned above. It’s beautiful in the off-season. There is less boat-traffic and therefore, a peacefulness about it. Also, the sun is lower in the fall and winter months, which casts a gorgeous, golden light. It creates pretty, long shadows in the afternoon that you don’t see in the spring or summer. Combined with the fall foliage, this backdrop makes for a very special, pleasing view of the lake. That ever-changing beauty is quite the sight, no matter your vantage point.

Outdoor Activities

Being in the southeast, the fall and winter months present us with gorgeous weather compared to our neighbors in the north. As a result, we can enjoy Lake Oconee at a time when most people in the north are digging themselves out of snow. Lucky for us, our award-winning golf course touches the shoreline of Lake Oconee six times and is stunning to see, even in the off-season. Our temperate climate allows us the ability to go <href=”#boathouse”>boating and fishing in the late fall and early winter too. Walks and hikes in the autumn are stunning as well, especially with the fall foliage.

Cool weather calm

The off-season can also bring tranquil calmness to the lake. At the shoreline, it’s easy to enjoy the lovely peace and quiet. The serenity offers a unique, special time for reading, writing, reflecting or simply meditating. It makes for a pleasant experience for those who want to indulge in a bit of heart-warming solitude.

Want to experience lake living in the off season for yourself? Make plans now to come visit us! You’ll see just how special it is to live the Harbor Club Life.

If you are a homeowner at Harbor Club, you’re in luck in more ways than you may have realized. You already know that Harbor Club offers a slew of amenities and benefits to its residents, but if the time ever comes to sell your home, there’s one more big advantage: The Harbor Club Sales Center.

We all know that selling a home can be a stressful process. However, you can easily remove stress from that equation by utilizing our on-premise team of experienced sales experts. The Sales Center team fully comprehends what it will take to get your Harbor Club home sold both quickly and at a great price. Consider the following:

• We know how to drive home buyers to Harbor Club. Our marketing tools and strategies are proven to work, as we have had a 141% increase in walk-in traffic, to date, this year over all of last year.
• We are on track to triple our 2016 walk-in traffic compared to 2015.
• The Harbor Club Sales team has taken the time to truly understand who the real buyers are and what they desire in a home–arming themselves with important statistical data to gain a knowledgeable edge in the market.
• This has been a banner year for the Harbor Club Sales team so far. As of this writing, we’ve achieved $7.4 million in combined pending and sold listings.
• The Harbor Club Company is dedicated to the continuous investment of effective marketing practices, spending nearly $800k thus far in 2016 to drive buyer traffic and increase home sales.

● Harbor Club’s Sales Center, located conveniently just beyond the front gate, offers every potential buyer a professional, informational and enjoyable presentation of the entire community and the amenities offered. This helps buyers gain a strong desire to choose Harbor Club over any other Lake Oconee options.

• Harbor Club’s Discovery Package provides an ultimate welcoming experience to out of town guests to play golf and socialize with our residents through an ambassador program.
• Harbor Club Resale property owners receive a highly polished marketing platform that includes professional home photography, access to three listing services, high gloss commercially printed brochures, virtual tours with dedicated web domains, continual feedback, and exclusive posting on Harbor Club’s website.
• You’ve probably seen many of our marketing investments yourself, such as our brand new website, regular appearances on Atlanta’s Best New Homes television, grand opening events around our new model homes, as well as an uptick on our social media postings and blog updates. We’ve worked hard on the back-end enhancements too, including improving Harbor’s Club’s SEO (search engine optimization), conducting real estate broker events, increasing our trade show representation and more — all in an effort to continuously improve our sales strategies.
• All of this momentum is due in part to the leadership and direction of Kathy Phillips, our on-site Director of Sales at Harbor Club. A resident of the community, Kathy joined the Harbor Club team in early 2016. Her wealth of real estate knowledge and experience has helped gain a tremendous amount of exposure for the Harbor Club community. Everyone, from colleagues to residents, love to work with Kathy.
• “Working with Kathy Phillips has been a wonderful experience! Her attention to detail and the heart she puts into her work is outstanding. She keeps you informed as potential buyers and other agents view your home. She is a professional and lives in the community which enables her to answer many questions new homeowners have in their buying decisions. Kathy took me through each step as I sold my home. She should be your choice of a real estate agent whether buying or selling! Thank you Kathy!” – Jessica Harrison

Ready to get your home sold at Harbor Club? Give Kathy and her sales team a call at (866) 805-LAKE (5253).

The Harbor Club on Lake Oconee community has added a fantastic new offering to its private, gated enclave of elegant homes. The Craftsman-style home series, called The Cottage Series, provides an awesome opportunity to live in a golf and lake community in a rightsize home, at a rightsize price point. Even better, all homes in Harbor Club enjoy full access to Lake Oconee through Harbor Club’s Boathouse Marina amenity.

The residences in the Cottage Series offer exterior features common to other estate homes in the Harbor Club community, such as stone and brick accents, shed dormers and covered front porches. Framed by Harbor Club’s famous Weiskopf-Morrish designed 18-hole golf course, clubhouse and serene inland lakes, the Cottage Series homes range in price from the mid $300’s to the low $400’s, with no-maintenance landscaping services included. This is an unprecedented value for the location and resort-like amenities available from Harbor Club.

Ranging in size, from 2300-3550 sq. ft., Patriot Builders (Harbor Club’s in-house builder) has already begun construction on three Cottage Series model homes. Each features predominately one-level living with the master bedrooms located on the main floor. Each home also comes with a generous kitchen-island, large great room, a screened-in porch, and a two-car garage.

The Heron offers five bedrooms and four bathrooms in a beautiful, open-concept ranch. The Vista is a three bedroom, two bathroom ranch, that sits on a much sought-after pre-plumbed basement foundation that effectively doubles the size of the home. The Osprey boasts four bedrooms and three bathrooms as well as a fireplaces in both the great room and study. The anticipated completion of the three model homes is in fall 2016.

Those interested in a Cottage Series home can choose from 43 unique homesites in the neighborhood, with some offering panoramic views of the 18th hole. Others front a stocked inland lake with a fishing dock and a manicured walking trail. Once a homesite is chosen, new homeowners can enjoy the process of picking out their ideal home plans and finishes with helpful, knowledgeable staff in our brand new design studio.

Harbor Club is a family-owned community located only an hour east of Atlanta. Due to high demand of these cottage-type homes, along with the special price points and the amenities that come with them, we encourage you to visit Harbor Club soon. We look forward in delighting you with the best in resort-style living, not just for a day or a week, but in a magnificent home you can enjoy all year round. Contact us today!

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee’s Ladies Golf League is proud to hold its annual Pink Ribbon Cancer Golf Tournament on Thursday, October 13, 2016. The special event is being held to support and benefit The Lydia Cancer Project in Augusta.

All proceeds for the event will be donated to that charity. The Lydia Project is an awesome organization that helps women all over over the country cope with cancer. The non-profit provides several free services as well as special, purple-handled totes filled with a unique journal and several other encouraging items of assistance to help women courageously fight their battle with the disease.

Any and all women (whether a member of Harbor Club or not) who are interested in supporting this good cause are warmly invited to participate in the Pink Ribbon tournament. It’s a wonderful and fun way to make new friends and enjoy camaraderie for a cause with like-minded women in our beautiful Harbor Club community. In keeping with the theme, all women are encouraged to wear pink to the event. For those that do not wish to play golf, you don’t have to feel left out. You’re invited to a delicious luncheon to enjoy with all of the participants of the event after the tournament is complete. During the luncheon, there will be gorgeous gift baskets raffled off to lucky winner. Note that for every $5 donation you make, you will receive one raffle ticket. The larger your donation, the greater your chances to win a prize.

But wait, there’s more! After the luncheon, there will be a magnificent pink balloon release outside the Clubhouse in remembrance of not only those who have lost their lives to cancer, but for those that have had the strength and good fortune to survive it as well. It is a moving tribute to all of those who have been affected by cancer.

The golf tournament begins at 9am (shotgun) and is a four-person scramble format. Event organizers are happy to provide partners for any single participants that sign up.

The field for the golf tournament is limited to 25 teams, so please reserve early using this registration form. Hurry! The deadline for sign-up is October 1, 2016.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Kurelic at (609) 841-9035.

Pickleball. What an odd name for a sport, huh? While there is a ball involved, sadly, there are no pickles in play with this particular game. Which makes you wonder why it’s called pickleball in the first place. Here’s the scoop on all things pickleball, including the origins of the funny name:

Who came up with pickleball? Pickleball was the brainchild of Joe Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. The three friends returned home from a game of golf to find their families bored. To fix that, they decided to play badminton. After setting up the net, they couldn’t find the shuttlecock, so they improvised with a wiffle ball. They lowered the net a bit and used wood paddles they hastily fabricated with plywood from the shed.

What is pickleball? It is a paddle sport that combines several elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It is played on a smaller, badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net. The paddle used is smaller than a tennis racket but larger than a ping-pong paddle, and the plastic ball used in play looks very similar to a wiffle ball.

When was pickleball invented? It is a fairly new sport, as it was pioneered back in the summer of 1965. It’s only 51 years old!

Where was pickleball created? Pickleball started at the home of Joel Pritchard on Bainbridge Island in the state of Washington. (Interesting sidenote: Joel Pritchard was a State Representative who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the State of Washington back in 1970.)

Why is it called pickleball? No one knows for sure, as the stories vary. Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, has stated that the game was so named because it reminded her “of the Pickle Boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” Others have stated that the name resulted from the Pritchard family dog, Pickles. Rumors state that Pickles would often chase after the balls they used to play the game.

How do you play pickleball? From the unique underhand serve to hot to score points to staying out of the “kitchen”, here’s an informative video that shows you the basics: https://youtu.be/KNrIB-PsE88 (Courtesy of Third Shot Sports)

Better yet, now that we have installed new pickleball courts here at Harbor Club, Larry Price can offer clinics to help you learn how to play. If you have questions or want to get information on the next clinic, feel free to give him a call at (706) 453-1436. See you on the courts!

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new, beautiful Harbor Club Design Studio. From start to finish, Harbor Club on Lake Oconee now offers homebuyers the best experience for  making their dream home a reality.

The exclusive Design Studio services are complimentary to anyone planning to build a new home through Harbor Club’s in-house home construction company, Patriot Builders. The center provides a “one-stop shop” that not only simplifies the entire process, but makes it exciting and enjoyable too. New homeowners will have an exceptional experience with each of the following steps in their home building process:

Real estate selection
In addition to physically viewing home sites in place, the new design center provides a large 54” monitor that displays an interactive home site plan. This unique view provides homeowners deeper insights for exploring the beautiful neighborhoods within the Harbor Club community.

Home selection
Patriot Builders offers an amazing selection of architectural home plans that can be customized and adapted to homeowner’s wishes. Once a home plan is chosen, attractive exterior finishes, such as brick and stone can be chosen as well. The large monitor shows the homeowner a rendition of what their new home will look like on their chosen homesite, turning their visions into a ‘real-life’ example.

Interior Design
After the home design, elevation, and floor plans have been selected, the real fun begins. The interior design team provides a large variety of tangible examples of finishes to choose from. With the help of a designer, homeowners can decide on their decor — everything from cabinets, hardware, countertops, tile, plumbing, carpet, paint, window treatments and flooring. These are not your traditional “builder grade” finishes. They are high-quality, exceptional components (with additional upgrades levels available) — and all of which will cohesively accentuate each other in the new space.

Since every step of the homebuilding process is handled under one roof, everyone on the team is kept well-informed. This seamless communication in all steps of the process offers new homeowners a top-notch experience that very few other communities can replicate.

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee prides itself on offering resort-like living in a close-knit community. If you would like to learn more about Harbor Club homes or the new Design Studio, feel free to call us at 706-453-7855. Better yet, discover Harbor Club today!

Have you heard the good news? Through our instructor, Sue Knowles, Harbor Club on Lake Oconee is now offering a special yoga class for male golfers called “Men’s Conditioning for Golfers.” You may not have associated yoga with improving your golf game, but you should. Practicing the right yoga maneuvers will both optimize and maximize your performance on the course. Check out the awesome benefits you can gain:

Increased flexibility

As you practice your poses, you’ll soon find that tight muscles will begin to loosen up, which will greatly improve your golf swing. Better flexibility allows for a better full range of motion, and therefore, a more powerful swing.

Improved strength
Yoga does a great deal to improve your strength, almost as much as a weight-lifting regimen. It’s also especially beneficial to your core strength, which goes a long way for improving your swing.

More endurance
Yoga requires that you sustain certain positions for a period of time. This practice will build your endurance. Better endurance will allow you to perform better over a longer period of time on the course.

Better mobility
Practicing yoga will help you to gain a better range of motion in your joints. This will allow you to move faster and with better accuracy as you play.

Increased stability
Yoga includes several exercises that will help you to improve your stability over time. So, if you’ve ever had to hit a ball from an awkward position (and come on, who hasn’t?!) you’ll be more grounded to do it well.

Better balance
Stability and balance go hand in hand. If you have problems keeping your balance, yoga practice will provide for a better center of gravity, which is ideal for improving your golf swing.

Improved focus
The breathing exercises that go along with yoga can improve your concentration and focus on the game. If your mind isn’t calm and focused, you’ll be challenged to play at peak performance.

Are you ready to boost your golf game and counteract the results of aging? Then come enjoy our new Men’s Conditioning Class!

This class is being offered on Mondays this August, from 2:30-3:30pm at the Clubhouse. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Sue Knowles at sck1963@gmail.com. Namaste. 🙂

It may sound strange, but money is “cheap” right now. When it comes to mortgages, the interest rates continue to remain incredibly low… and wise people are taking advantage their affordability. In fact, CNBC recently reported that mortgage application volumes are continuing to increase due to the lowest interest rates in three years. But these rates will not last forever.

On Yahoo Finance, real estate maven, Barbara Corcoran, shared this tip: “Take advantage of the cheap money. We’ve had it for so long that you start to think it’s your American right to have that kind of money. It’s a ridiculously low-interest rate…so if you don’t take advantage of the market now, when will you?”

There’s no better time to invest in a home than now. So consider the following:

Savings on interest

With such low interest rates, you can save quite a bit of money over time. With a $400,000 loan, you can easily see what a difference a 4.5% interest rate has over a 2.75% interest rate (not including property tax, PMI, extra principle payments, etc.):

Mortgage InterestMortgageMonthlyTotalTotal Interest

Amount Rate Period Payment Cost Paid

$400,000 4.5% 30 years $2027.00 $729,626 $329,627

$400,000 2.75% 30 years $1633.00 $587,867 $187,867

That small increase from 2.75% to 4.5% may not seem like a lot but when you break it down, that little bump equates to $141,760 in savings over the life of the loan.

It’s ok to buy before you sell

It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Home prices are rising faster than mortgage rates are dropping, so if you find your dream home, buy it! With it being a seller’s market right now, your current home should sell quickly. Besides, the low inventory of available homes could leave you without a place to live — quite a scary thought. Also note — people are feeling more secure with their jobs and are in the mood to buy. With buyer demand as strong as it is and home supply as short as it is, homes may be less affordable a year from now. So seize the moment, buy now and simply price your current home right to get a quick sale.

Sell now so you can buy

If you want to carry a bit less risk, go ahead and work with an agent to sell your home now. That way you’ll be in a better position to buy. Since it’s a seller’s market, it will be no surprise to see bidding wars on the best available inventory. Selling now offers a nice advantage, as your offer will certainly get the seller’s attention if it’s not contingent on the sale of your current place.

Gain value by trading up

Do you have a growing family and need more bedrooms? Want to downsize without compromising on luxury? Or maybe you are thinking of upgrading your house to experience resort-like living every single day? These might all sound like expensive budget busters, but the ultra-low mortgage rates offer buyers more affordability on higher-value homes. Even though home prices are now starting to rise a little, wage increases are helping to offset that. If you act quickly, you can extend your purchasing power more than ever, offering you a much better ROI opportunity on your next home purchase.

Of course, nothing last forever. Interest rates will go up and home prices will continue to rise, so hop off that fence and get your next new home now. Who knows, you may discover your dream home is right here at Harbor Club. Take a look. Check out our stunning new home inventory and our beautiful resale homes and call Kathy at (706) 454-7042 for a personal tour. We can’t wait to introduce you to your new home!