Fairway Estates vs Settlers Bay Owners Association: Which 'Settlers Bay' Actually Has the Golf Tie?
Alaska's Mat-Su Valley has exactly one golf-anchored residential subdivision, Fairway Estates, platted along Settlers Bay Golf Course and marketed directly by the club. But it sits immediately next to a much larger, older, and entirely separate community that also carries the 'Settlers Bay' name: the Settlers Bay Owners Association, covering Subdivision Units 1 and 2 since 1977. A buyer searching listings for 'Settlers Bay' could easily land in either one -- and only one of them has anything to do with the golf course. The Owners Association's own official materials settle the question directly: the golf course and its Lodge and Restaurant are explicitly not affiliated with the Association, despite the shared name and a subdivision entrance that sits right next to the clubhouse.
Side by Side
How They Compare
Golf-course affiliation
Fairway Estates (Wasilla, AK)
Yes -- marketed directly by Settlers Bay Golf Course's own website as its residential community.
Settlers Bay Owners Association (Wasilla, AK)
No -- the Association's own materials explicitly state the golf course and Lodge are not affiliated with it.
Established
Fairway Estates (Wasilla, AK)
Not independently dated in this research pass; golf course itself dates to 1977 (original 9 holes).
Settlers Bay Owners Association (Wasilla, AK)
1977 (created); incorporated as an Alaska nonprofit in 1993.
Scale
Fairway Estates (Wasilla, AK)
138 platted acres, lots averaging roughly 3.8 acres.
Settlers Bay Owners Association (Wasilla, AK)
Roughly 799 property owners across Subdivision Units 1 and 2.
Annual dues
Fairway Estates (Wasilla, AK)
No dedicated HOA or fee schedule found in this research pass.
Settlers Bay Owners Association (Wasilla, AK)
$125/year (home), $25/year (undeveloped lot), $62.50/year per unit (Unit 1 multi-family).
Golf access with home purchase
Fairway Estates (Wasilla, AK)
Not included -- public green fees/season pass, same as any golfer.
Settlers Bay Owners Association (Wasilla, AK)
Not included, and not applicable given the disclaimed affiliation -- same public access as any golfer.
Governance and Scale
Fairway Estates is a comparatively small, 138-acre subdivision with roughly 3.8-acre-average homesites, marketed directly on the golf course's own website -- no independently incorporated homeowners association or dues schedule was found for it in this research pass. The Settlers Bay Owners Association, by contrast, is one of Alaska's larger HOAs: established in 1977, incorporated as a nonprofit in 1993, and covering roughly 799 property owners across Subdivision Units 1 and 2, with modest documented annual dues ($125/year for a home, $25/year for an undeveloped lot).
The Golf Tie -- Real vs. Absent
Fairway Estates' entire identity is built on its golf-course relationship: the club's own real-estate pages market its lots directly, and independent sources repeatedly describe it as Alaska's only residential golf community. The Settlers Bay Owners Association's own 'About Us' materials state the opposite in plain language: the golf course and Lodge are not affiliated with the Association. The subdivision is simply nearby, and golf-course access happens to run through its roads -- a geographic fact, not a governance or membership one.
What Homeownership Actually Includes
Neither community includes golf access with a home purchase. Fairway Estates residents buy season passes or pay green fees exactly like any other golfer; so do Settlers Bay Owners Association residents. The practical difference for a golf-oriented buyer is proximity and frontage, not access rights -- Fairway Estates homesites are platted along the fairways, while Owners Association lots sit in the broader, non-golf-oriented subdivision nearby.
Why This Matters for a Buyer
A listing agent or aggregator search for 'Settlers Bay real estate' will likely surface both communities without distinguishing them -- current Zillow data for the broader 'Settlers Bay' area (15 active listings, $385,000-$999,000 as of this research pass) blends both subdivisions rather than isolating Fairway Estates' golf-fronting lots. A buyer specifically seeking golf-course frontage or the area's one true golf-community product should confirm directly which subdivision a given listing sits in, rather than assuming the 'Settlers Bay' name alone signals a golf tie.
Trying to Choose Between Fairway Estates (Wasilla, AK) and Settlers Bay Owners Association (Wasilla, AK)?
A local real-estate specialist can walk you through the tradeoffs and current availability at each.
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.