St. Augustine Golf Living Guide
St. Johns County, Florida
- Golf clubs researched
- 2
- Communities researched
- 3
- Flagship guides
- 1
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St. Augustine's golf market is defined by two very different purpose-built developments rather than a cluster of old private clubs: Palencia, a Hines-developed master-planned community organized around the Arthur Hills-designed Palencia Club, and World Golf Village, a 1998 PGA TOUR-founded destination built around two signature-designer public courses and the World Golf Hall of Fame. Both models share a common thread that buyers should keep in mind -- golf access at either one is optional and purchased separately from the home, not a private-club barrier the way it is in neighboring Ponte Vedra Beach.
Golf Character
Palencia Club's 18-hole Arthur Hills course (7,071 yards) sits at what the club itself calls "the heart of the Palencia Community," with a 33,000 sq ft clubhouse and 400-yard driving range serving as the community's central social hub. World Golf Village takes a different, more nationally branded approach: its two courses -- The King & Bear (a collaborative Arnold Palmer/Jack Nicklaus/Bobby Weed design, their only joint layout) and The Slammer & Squire (Sam Snead/Gene Sarazen/Bobby Weed) -- are both public, Troon-managed daily-fee courses rather than private clubs, giving the development a name-brand golf pedigree unusual for a facility anyone can book without membership.
Membership & Access Patterns
Neither anchor in this market bundles golf into home ownership. Palencia Club membership was confirmed this session to be optional for Palencia homeowners and open to both residents and non-residents, offered in separate golf and social categories -- current fees were not published or independently confirmed. World Golf Village's King & Bear and Slammer & Squire courses are public and bookable by anyone; an optional paid membership program (golfwgv.com/membership) layers priority access on top for residents who want it, but living in any of WGV's 14 neighborhoods -- including the guard-gated flagship King & Bear community or the age-restricted Cascades -- does not itself include golf privileges.
Housing & Community Patterns
Specific home-price data was not independently confirmed for either community this session. Palencia offers an extensive amenity package (three pools, athletic fields, a 30-acre interconnected park/trail system) alongside the golf course. World Golf Village's King & Bear community spans 14 sub-neighborhoods of executive and luxury single-family homes with a guard gate, while The Cascades is a 450-home, single-story, age-restricted (55+) neighborhood with its own clubhouse and amenities, reported at roughly $1,260/quarter HOA dues (a single real-estate source, not an official HOA disclosure).
Geography & Getting Around
Both anchors sit in St. Johns County in or near the city of St. Augustine, generally a more moderate-priced alternative to the private-club cluster in neighboring Ponte Vedra Beach to the north.
Nearby Alternative Markets
Ponte Vedra Beach, immediately north, offers a fundamentally different golf-living model built around private, membership-gated clubs (TPC Sawgrass, Sawgrass Country Club, Marsh Landing, The Plantation at Ponte Vedra) rather than St. Augustine's optional-membership and public-daily-fee models -- see the Ponte Vedra Beach market guide for detail.
Golf Clubs & Anchors
Residential Communities
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What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current Palencia Club membership fees and dues directly with the club -- not published or independently confirmed this session.
- Do not assume any World Golf Village home purchase includes King & Bear or Slammer & Squire golf access -- both are public/daily-fee courses with a separate optional membership program.
- Confirm HOA/CDD fees for specific Palencia and World Golf Village sub-neighborhoods directly, since these were not independently confirmed and vary by section.
Notable
- World Golf Village was founded in 1998 with direct PGA TOUR involvement and is anchored by the World Golf Hall of Fame.
- The King & Bear is the only collaborative golf-course design credited to both Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
- Palencia Club's clubhouse is described by the club itself as "the heart of the Palencia Community," its central gathering point for members.
Looking for a Golf Community in St. Augustine?
US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows this market's golf communities.
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.