The Cliffs at Walnut Cove

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is the Asheville-area member of The Cliffs, a group of seven private communities in the Carolinas. It occupies about 1,000 acres of valley floor and lower ridge in Arden, off NC 191, with Pisgah National Forest on its western side and the Blue Ridge Parkway along the north. Nicklaus Design laid out the course on rolling former farmland between roughly 2,100 and 2,250 feet, with a southern exposure that keeps it playable most of the year. It opened in 2005 as a par 71 and has appeared on Golfweek's list of best residential courses.

Homesites run from a quarter acre to about 8 acres and climb to around 2,800 feet, so views range from the fairways to the national forest ridgeline. Beyond golf, the community has an 18,000-square-foot wellness center with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts and a spa, a clubhouse, and walking and biking trails. One club membership extends to the other six Cliffs communities. The gatehouse is at Cliffs Ridge Parkway in Arden, and Asheville Regional Airport and the Hendersonville Road corridor are a short drive east.