Which communities put you closest to quality public golf — without a private club membership. Ranked by proximity to a tee time you can actually get.
Golf proximity means different things to different buyers. For some it means a course inside the community gates. For others it means a 5-minute drive to a public course with affordable green fees. The St. Augustine / World Golf Village corridor delivers the second definition better than almost any 55+ market in Northeast Florida — but the communities are not all equally positioned relative to the courses. This page ranks them by what matters: how close are you to a tee time you can actually book without joining a club?
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Talk to a Specialist →| Course | Location | Public Access | Green Fee Range (est.) | Design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slammer and Squire at WGV | World Golf Village | Fully public — book online | $45–$95 (seasonal) | Pete Dye / Bobby Weed |
| King and Bear at WGV | World Golf Village | Semi-private — limited public tee times | $75–$150 when available | Arnold Palmer / Jack Nicklaus |
| St. Johns Golf and Country Club | St. Johns, FL | Public / semi-private | $35–$65 | Mark McCumber |
| Cimarrone Golf Club | St. Johns, FL | Semi-private — some public access | Verify current access | Bobby Weed |
| Palencia Club | St. Augustine, FL | Private — membership required | N/A — members only | Arthur Hills |
| Rank | Community | To Slammer & Squire | To King & Bear | Golf Cart Access? | HOA + CDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkland Preserve | ~2 min drive / golf cart possible | ~3 min drive | Possible via WGV paths | $3,310–$4,844/yr |
| 2 | Cascades at WGV | ~5 min drive | ~5 min drive | Golf cart accessible within WGV | Verify with HOA |
| 3 | Residences at WGV | ~5 min drive | ~5 min drive | Within WGV corridor | Verify with community |
| 4 | Reverie at TrailMark | ~15 min drive | ~15 min drive | No — drive required | Verify with builder |
| 5 | Reverie at Silverleaf | ~15–20 min drive | ~15–20 min drive | No — drive required | $2,376–$2,616/yr, no CDD |
| 6 | WaterSong at RiverTown | ~20 min drive | ~20 min drive | No — drive required | $60/yr + CDD (verify) |
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The two communities closest to the WGV courses — Parkland Preserve and Cascades at WGV — are both established resale communities with CDDs. Parkland Preserve's CDD runs $2,390–$3,924/year. Cascades at WGV's CDD is not confirmed publicly but warrants verification before purchase. The communities further from the courses — Reverie at Silverleaf (no CDD) and Reverie at TrailMark — cost less annually on a total carrying cost basis but require a 15–20 minute drive to the same courses.
The practical question is how often you will actually play. If golf is 3–4 times per week, the 2-minute cart ride from Parkland Preserve to the first tee is a meaningfully different lifestyle than a 15-minute drive from Silverleaf. If golf is once a week, the drive is inconvenient but not decisive. At $1,500–$3,000 more per year in annual carrying cost at the WGV communities, the math on whether proximity is worth paying for is roughly: is being 15 minutes closer to the course worth $125–$250/month to you?
No St. Augustine 55+ community in this market has a golf course inside its gates. This distinguishes St. Augustine from markets like Sun City Center (Hillsborough County) or On Top of the World (Ocala) where golf is included within the community footprint. In St. Augustine, even the closest communities require leaving the gates to reach a course. The World Golf Village courses are adjacent to WGV communities but are separate developments — not owned or exclusively operated by any single residential community.
Tour Parkland Preserve and drive to the Slammer and Squire on the same visit — the proximity is easier to evaluate in person than on a map.
Connect with a Local Agent →Golf course access and green fee ranges are estimates — verify current pricing and public tee time availability directly with each course. Drive time estimates are approximate. HOA and CDD figures from county records and builder disclosures. This page is for research purposes only.
Connect with a specialist who knows this market from the inside — real cost math, honest community comparisons, and what's actually happening right now. Every agent is personally vetted by the Nova55Living founder.
Connect with a Specialist →