Settlers Bay Golf Course (Wasilla, AK)
Wasilla, Matanuska-Susitna Borough County, Alaska · Mat-Su Valley (Wasilla) golf market
- Access
- public
- Holes
- 18
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Settlers Bay Golf Course sits on the shores of Knik Arm roughly 8 miles west of Wasilla in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, and holds a genuinely unusual position in Alaska golf: it is the state's only privately owned, non-government-run 18-hole golf facility, and its own official website functions as the real-estate marketing arm for Fairway Estates, the golf-fronting residential subdivision built along its fairways. The original 9 holes opened in 1977 -- making this the oldest golf course still operating in the Mat-Su Valley -- with a timber-framed clubhouse added in 1984, and a second 9 holes completed in 1996 brought the course to a full par-72, 18-hole championship layout. Ownership passed from the Trillium Corporation to the current ownership group, Settlers Bay Golf Course, LLC, in 2002.
What makes Settlers Bay relevant to a golf-oriented homebuyer is not private-club access -- the course is ordinary public, pay-to-play golf, with no equity or invitation-only membership program found in this research -- but the fact that the club itself markets Fairway Estates, a 138-acre subdivision of roughly 3.8-acre-average homesites platted directly along the course, repeatedly and independently described (including by the club's own site) as 'the only residential golf community in Alaska.' That developer-level integration, not a private-access barrier, is the qualifying fact here.
Buyers researching 'Settlers Bay' real estate should be aware the name covers two genuinely distinct residential products: Fairway Estates, the smaller golf-fronting subdivision marketed by the golf course itself, and the much larger, older Settlers Bay Owners Association (Subdivision Units 1 & 2, established 1977, roughly 799 property owners), whose own website explicitly states it is not affiliated with the golf course. Both are documented as separate community records in this research; see the companion comparison for the full disambiguation a buyer needs before assuming any 'Settlers Bay' listing includes a golf tie.
Golf & Course
The course opened as a 9-hole, par-37 facility in 1977 -- the Mat-Su Valley's second golf course and its oldest still operating today -- with a timber-framed clubhouse added in 1984. A second 9 holes, completed in 1996, brought the course to a full par-72, 18 holes, preserving surrounding wetlands and adding an artificial beaver dam feature on one hole; the layout is bordered on two sides by salmon-rearing streams. No architect is credited for either phase in any source found this session. The club has hosted Alaska Golf Association events since its 1978 season.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Golf at Settlers Bay is sold as ordinary public play: daily 18-hole green fees were found at $35 (weekday) / $46 (weekend) for adults, with senior and junior discounts, plus a season-pass program (Single Weekday $850, Single Unlimited $1,075, Couple Unlimited $1,500, Family $1,700, Junior $400, as found this session) open to any golfer, resident or not. No source found this session described golf access as included with, or required by, a Fairway Estates or broader Settlers Bay-area home purchase -- a buyer should not assume that owning property near the course grants any golf privilege beyond what any public golfer can buy directly from the club.
Living in Settlers Bay Golf Course (Wasilla, AK)
The club's own real-estate materials describe Fairway Estates as a 138-acre subdivision with roughly 3.8-acre average lot sizes, platted along the course and bordered on two sides by salmon-rearing streams, marketed directly as 'the only residential golf community in Alaska.' This is distinct from the separate, larger, and non-golf-affiliated Settlers Bay Owners Association (Subdivision Units 1 & 2) -- see the paired community records for the full detail on both.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Beyond golf, the property includes a clubhouse restaurant/bar (the area is also home to the separately branded Settlers Bay Lodge and Restaurant, referenced in Settlers Bay Owners Association materials as sitting adjacent to the subdivision's main entrance) and a driving range with putting/chipping practice areas. No pool, tennis, fitness, or spa amenities were found documented for the golf facility itself in this research pass.
Location & Surrounding Area
Settlers Bay sits at Mile 8 of the Knik-Goose Bay Road, roughly 8 miles west of downtown Wasilla on the shores of Knik Arm, within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough -- the Mat-Su Valley's one documented golf-residential market, and geographically distinct from Anchorage's cluster of municipal and military-installation courses roughly 40-45 miles to the south.
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What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current Fairway Estates-specific lot/home pricing directly with the club or a local agent -- the $385,000-$999,000 range found this session covers the broader Settlers Bay area, not exclusively Fairway Estates' golf-fronting lots.
- Confirm directly with the club whether any golf-access perk (discounted season pass, priority tee times, etc.) is extended specifically to Fairway Estates homeowners -- none was found in this research pass.
- Confirm current course architect credit directly with the club -- no source found this session named one.
- Confirm whether Fairway Estates has its own incorporated homeowners association/covenants separate from the Settlers Bay Owners Association -- no dedicated Fairway Estates HOA filing was found this session.
- Confirm gated/access-control status of Fairway Estates directly -- this session found no reliable evidence either way, and specifically discarded a weak AI-summary claim conflating a public-park access gate with community gating.
Notable
- Alaska's only privately owned, non-government-run 18-hole golf facility, per the club's own history materials.
- The oldest golf course still operating in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley -- original 9 holes opened 1977, second 9 completed 1996.
- The club's own website markets Fairway Estates, a 138-acre, ~3.8-acre-average-lot subdivision along the course, as the only residential golf community in Alaska.
- Ownership passed from the Trillium Corporation to the current ownership group, Settlers Bay Golf Course, LLC, in 2002.
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US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.