The Landings vs. The Ford Plantation for Golf Living

At The Landings, Golf & Athletic Club membership is a separate purchase from Landings Association (HOA) dues -- homeowners may choose to join (Full Golf, Associate Golf, National Golf, or Athletic tiers) or may not join at all, and the club also admits a capped number of members who do not own Landings property. At The Ford Plantation, membership in The Ford Field & River Club is mandatory for every property owner -- there is no non-member ownership path, and the club fee must be budgeted as a certain cost of buying there, not an optional amenity.

The Landings offers six 18-hole courses (Marshwood, Magnolia, Terrapin Point, Palmetto, Oakridge, and Deer Creek) by four different architects, including two Arnold Palmer designs -- a large, varied golf portfolio under one club. The Ford Plantation offers a single Pete Dye course, reportedly one of Dye's own favorite Southern designs, with no assigned tee times.

The Landings is a large, established community of roughly 8,500 residents across more than 4,000 residences, with reported prices spanning roughly $250,000 to $2,000,000+ across housing types (Skidaway Island's broader 2026 median was reported around $800K-$914K). The Ford Plantation is much smaller, roughly 400 homes across 1,800 acres, with current listings reported roughly $895,000 to over $3,400,000 -- a smaller, more uniformly upper-tier price band.

The Landings pairs golf with a very large athletic-club program: 42 tennis courts, pickleball, bocce, indoor/outdoor pools, and two deepwater marinas. The Ford Plantation pairs its golf with a 36-slip deepwater marina and a 7-acre equestrian center with 10 miles of bridle trails -- a more sporting-club-oriented, horse-and-boat lifestyle rather than a large racquet-sports program.