This article is part of our latest special report on International Golf Homes.

When it comes to second homes and golf communities, South Street Partners has more than a dozen years of experience under its belt, riding the industry through economic ups and downs and the increased popularity of drive-to developments in the wake of Covid-19.

South Street, a private equity development firm based in Charlotte, N.C., and Charleston, S.C., has scored major acquisitions of the Kiawah Island Club in South Carolina and its two golf courses; Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, S.C.; and the Cliffs development, which is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains and has seven separate communities in South Carolina and North Carolina.

With $1 billion in assets, the company’s strategy has been to primarily focus on the southeastern United States, which has experienced sustained population growth partly because of the migration of families and older adults to warmer climates.

Prices start around $2 million in their suite of developments, and Chris Randolph, a partner, says South Street is seeing no slowdown. In the coming year, South Street is building new homes at Kiawah and the Cliffs developments in South Carolina, particularly around Lake Keowee, and in Palmetto Bluff.

Golf remains, depending on where you live, a popular — and lucrative — attraction, so South Street is planning two new courses at Palmetto Bluff in the coming years: a nine-hole short course by King-Collins (architects of the Sweetens Cove course outside Chattanooga, Tenn., which has attracted investors like Peyton Manning); and another course at a private club.

At Kiawah, where Covid increased golf demand and drove up home prices, Beau Welling, Tiger Woods’ design partner, will work on a new course with a residential component. South Street plans to put a considerable amount of land into a conservation easement.

Mr. Randolph spoke about his firm’s investment plans and residential golf developments. The following conversation has been condensed and edited.

South Street just raised its first discretionary fund of $225 million. What does the fund allow you to do for the future, and how will it affect your existing portfolio of properties?

This is the first discretionary fund in South Street’s history and allows us to be more acquisitive of new properties while continuing to work with our legacy investment partners in the private equity and hedge fund space. At the same time, it will also allow us to do deals entirely on our own, to the extent we would like to do that.

As for existing properties, we will use the fund to make improvements at Palmetto Bluff, where we’re building a short course and a regulation 18-hole course, and Kiawah, where we will build a new 18-hole course, as well as other amenities and development activities.

How will you handle the golf real estate at both Kiawah and Palmetto Bluff? Has anything changed about how South Street views residential golf communities?

We may have a bit of a novel approach in that we’re not necessarily layering in real estate directly on the golf course. We want to create the best golf experience possible. From our perspective, that means what I would call a core golf course with little to no real estate impacting the golf experience.

Our theory is that if you create an incredible world-class golf experience, just the proximity of homes to that course will yield higher prices than a traditional fairway-lined real estate golf course development.

When you talk about giving the architects the best land, how much of that is member/customer-driven, and how much of that might be attributed to the average golfer’s growing understanding of what a good golf experience entails?

I think it’s both. We think the golf consumer has gotten far more sophisticated in terms of what they expect. To deliver on that, we need to find the best land for the best golf.

I used the term novel earlier, and I think it is probably still considered a little bit of a novel approach in our industry to not try and really integrate a ton of real estate on the golf frontage.

Another factor that’s driving this for us is that, at Kiawah, we actually see premiums for lots and homes on the parks that we’ve developed versus golf courses. The theory there is that people, especially young families, will pay more for frontage on a park they can access 24 hours a day versus a golf course where you really are only getting out there before and after the golfers play.

South Street has really made a push into offering turnkey homes at its properties. This seems to follow an industry trend. Is that consumer-driven, or simply the best way to maximize profit?

It’s very much consumer-driven and probably the biggest change to our industry, meaning high-end second-home communities. Fifteen years ago, the product of choice was the estate lots where you buy a lot, find an architect, find a builder, find a landscape architect and manage that all yourself.

Through the downturn of 2008 to 2010, people started taking a different approach, where they weren’t necessarily interested in taking on a project of that type. They still wanted a second home, but they were willing to trade some of the customization for a turnkey product that checked probably 90 percent of their boxes.

If you look at our home building activity, we are now the largest home builder at Kiawah and the largest home builder at the Cliffs. We will soon be the largest at Palmetto Bluff, because we believe fully in that strategy of delivering a finished product and doing so with scale and efficiency.

On Lake Keowee [at the Cliffs], we just set a record with a purchase price of $6.3 million. We designed it, built it and did the interiors, all the way down to the forks and knives in the drawers.

To that point, what are other major developments you’ve noticed in the last 10 years, and where do you foresee things going in the next five years?

As we enter into whatever this recessionary — whether it’s deep, shallow, long or short — environment, we’re going to be very conscious of what that means for our buyers.

The good news is we’ve got a very long-term outlook at all of our projects of 10-plus years, if not more. So, we don’t concern ourselves too much with slowdowns in the market in terms of our business plan, but we also want to be conscious of overdeveloping during a time when sales might not be there.

So, we’ll continue to build our amenities. We’ll continue to build the clustered neighborhoods around those amenities. Maybe we’ll scale back a little bit on some of the larger spec homes, but I don’t think it changes our business plan much at all, if any.

One thing we know is that you can’t rinse and repeat. That might have worked in another time, in different cycles. We’ve got to create unique products and, more than anything, we have to deliver the best product possible from both a club and resort experience.

At the end of the day, that’s what people are buying: the private club experience we can offer. The home is important, but you’re buying a lifestyle. Our buyers have worked a long time to have the ability to buy into these communities. The service, amenities and experience we offer need to be just world class.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A study of the football human condition took place Saturday in the giant football lab of Williams-Brice Stadium, revealing how some people go ahead and exit home stadiums when it’s 24-0 at halftime, while others choose 31-0 at 13:21 of the third quarter, while still others reckon it’s enough at 38-0 six minutes later, while still others wait for an interception at 38-0, while still others wait for 45-0. That last group may or may not include the guy 20 rows up behind the end zone who remained lonely and supine on the metal bleacher, his knees bent upward and a small towel mercifully covering his face in the heat.

Were they connoisseurs, they would have stayed to witness some of the smartest, most beautiful college football played anyplace in any year: that of the moment of No. 1 Georgia, whose apparent 48-0 win became officially 48-7 with 53 seconds left on a South Carolina touchdown the conference should overrule on review — not because it wasn’t legit but because it didn’t fit.

Eight months after the proud program got its first national title in 41 years, and five months after it sent a 15-man drove toward the NFL on draft weekend, the Bulldogs stand 3-0 and look really, really, really-really-really good. They’ve outscored Oregon, Samford and South Carolina 130-10. In an alleged road SEC game, the customary rooster call from the Gamecocks’ stadium public address on third down began to sound like a cry for help on the verge of strangulation.

Roger Goodell called names of five Georgia defenders in the first round in April, and Coach Kirby Smart frets a bit about the green defensive line that needs time and practice reps, and Smart guarantees there won’t be 15 draftees this time, but the defense still reserves the right to keep your offense from running free or to chase you down and foil your giddiness if you do.

And the offense. Gracious. Smart called it “explosive,” a word not overused in his seven-season tenure. They’ve got the ball going all over the lot and they’ve got coordinator Todd Monken calling reverses and flea flickers, which must delight fans who want every other play to be a reverse or a flea flicker.

They’ve got a sophomore tight end from Napa who not only got to grow up in Napa but also runs around looking not completely unlike Hercules. Said this Brock Bowers, “It’s always hard matching up with some tight ends,” as tight ends can be both “big” (6-foot-4, 230 pounds, like Bowers) and “fast” (4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, like Bowers). Said wide receiver Ladd McConkey, “Just whenever he gets the ball in his hands, people are bouncing off of him.”

Said Smart: “I don’t even know his numbers. I know he looked fast running down that field” — not to mention “the amount of attention that he draws.”

Here were those numbers: one rush for five yards and a touchdown on a reverse; five catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, one in a wrestling-match catch in the corner of the end zone, one on a 78-yard score on a short toss to an empty middle. For that one, Georgia’s selfless attention to detail shone in Darnell Washington’s downfield block, which Smart extolled and said, “Holes are created through displacement, not just blocking.”

They’ve got a national champion starting quarterback, Stetson Bennett, once so-so like all of us yet getting better and better and better. He’s flipping a pass over a guessing defender to McConkey to roam in a space as wide as the beach at Kiawah Island for a 28-yard gain on the opening march. He’s dodging two defenders and running for chunks. He’s vomiting from over-hydration while continuing a drive, even insisting upon holding for the extra point, a full-time job for Georgia these days. Said Smart, “It’s hard to defend a quarterback that can check things, make throws, has weapons, and then he can run on top of it.”

Then they’re all going around talking about practice — practice this and practice that. “Every single week, that’s our goal: to make practice harder than the game,” said defensive back Kelee Ringo, eternally famous for the 79-yard interception return that clinched the championship in January. He pegged Georgia’s wildly detailed practices as where they’re “put in every situation” and “always get somebody’s best,” where the somebodys are mighty. He spoke of the evident horror of feeling “complacent,” and Smart spoke of “the standard created last year and the legacy,” which “lingers around our building — not the championship but the way they practiced.”

So the home fans fled early, a scene Ringo said would count among Georgia’s goals because of what it meant, rather like Smart saying, “I thought we challenged our guys to come on the road in the SEC and play really physical, attack from the get-go, and not be treading water.” He called the trip a chance to flex Georgia’s composure muscle, such as after the successful fake punt South Carolina Coach Shane Beamer ordered in the first quarter, something you might even call “Beamerball.”

“Gave up a fake punt,” Smart said, “[and] nobody panics; everybody’s happy they get to go out and play some more.” Soon came a fourth and nine when an open Jalen Brooks caught a short pass and Ringo chased him down from behind.

Then the halftime exit came in thin but steady streams of Gamecocks garnet, out through the nearby parking lot past the tailgate porta-potties and over toward the RVs, out through the crosswalks and down the street near the BP and the sprawling building marked “Budweiser of Columbia,” out the other way toward Bojangles and Waffle House — out, out, out. The home majority of the 78,212 proved more football fans than football aesthetes, and by the third quarter, the six sections of bleachers behind the end zone, filled at the outset, had rough fan counts of 16, 40, 76, about 96, 46 and 17, while the sections around the bend from there boasted three, 17, 17, 24 and 51.

From renowned tennis and golf facilities to miles of breathtaking beaches, there's so much to see and do on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Here's your guide to experiencing it all.

Kiawah Island is an upscale destination in South Carolina’s Lowcountry known for its beautiful scenery and residences, and its wide variety of family-friendly activities. Here, we’re sharing our experience with a destination within the destination — the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Don’t let the name fool you. Yes, it’s famous for its golf courses, but there’s so much more to it than that! For some, the draw might be miles of expansive beachfront to explore or quiet marshlands to discover by kayak. Some might prefer to dedicate the weekend to indulging in local food and drink, while others may stick to the area’s renowned tennis or golf facilities, where it’s exciting to play on the same turf as the pros. Here’s a weekend itinerary that allows you to take advantage of it all.

The resort is 33 miles from the Charleston airport and less than that from the historic area of town, so Kiawah’s location makes for a great way to experience relaxing beach time in conjunction with all the charms of Charleston. Kiawah accommodations include the luxurious Sanctuary Hotel, with its 255 rooms on the ocean, and a variety of villas spread out over the property under picturesque live oak trees. You can also rent one of the larger private homes and still enjoy resort privileges by going through Kiawah’s website. Check-in time is mid-afternoon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get there earlier and start exploring.

SB Note: As with many resorts, making reservations well ahead of time for meals and activities is highly recommended.

All 255 rooms at Kiawah’s luxury hotel, The Sanctuary, come with balconies and upscale amenities: Italian linen sheets, a deep soaking tub, and plush robes in the closet. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The Sanctuary opened in 2004, and the idea was for it to feel like a grand, historic seaside mansion. With that in mind, the furnishings are elegant but not over the top. The expansive lobby offers plenty of places to sit, and almost all rooms possess a view of the Atlantic Ocean. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Head to one of the bicycle rentals (one at The Sanctuary and another at West Beach Pool Shop), where you can secure a bike — there are plenty of options, including an adult tricycle or bicycle for two — then grab a map and start exploring! Kiawah excels at its easy-to-follow bike paths, and you’ll find 30 miles of trails that wind through wooded areas, over bridges, through neighborhoods, and along golf courses. You’ll likely spot signs pointing to beach access and, by all means, head that way. Kiawah’s vast shoreline is perfect for long walks, but bike-riding on the beach is a big thing here, too!

As beach-goers ponder the pros and cons of the Gulf Coast versus the East Coast, consider this: the firmly packed sand at Kiawah is ideal for bike-riding by the ocean, with plenty of space to avoid running into people. Bikes are easy to rent at Kiawah, and getting around the resort is a breeze with 30 miles of dedicated bike trails (plus the beach). Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Golf courses and bike trails at Kiawah are surrounded by lush, almost other-worldly landscaping, such as this hole on the Cougar Point Course along the marshlands. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort/O’Brien

Lowcountry cuisine is the theme at Jasmine Porch, a restaurant at The Sanctuary. It’s a great choice for breakfast, but it’s also a relaxed, delicious option for dinner. Consistent with the hotel’s decor, brick walls and oak floors bring in a bit of Charleston charm, and there are patio tables if the weather cooperates. The restaurant menu boasts fresh-caught choices, but when in doubt, go with the specialty here: shrimp and grits.

On day two of your expedition, get up close and personal with Kiawah’s natural beauty in a kayak. The scenic Mingo Point offers guided and self-guided kayaks through the marshes, where you can observe abundant birdlife and maybe even a dolphin. Kiawah’s Night Heron Nature Center is a big hit with children, but all ages can learn from its displays and educational materials.

Natural beauty is abundant at Kiawah, and the resort loves to help guests get up close and personal with its naturalist programs. Here, a bird-watching naturalist brings his scope and binoculars to view the dozens of bird species on the island. Image: Lisa Mowry

There are two ways to get around the resort other than a car: the aforementioned bicycles and a continuously running shuttle. One way or another, get yourself over to Tomasso at Turtle Point for lunch with an Italian flair. Hand-tossed pizzas and artisan salads are one way to go, but there’s heartier fare, too, such as meatball subs and short-rib grilled cheese.

Next, relax by the pool or splurge on a spa treatment — both excellent ways to spend an afternoon. The Spa at The Sanctuary is one of the reasons the resort received a five-star Forbes rating, so you’ll want to try it out! The spa’s spacious layout includes multiple relaxation rooms, a whirlpool/sauna/steam room, and thoughtful refreshments. In other words, arrive early for your massage or facial treatment to enjoy the whole luxurious experience.

Receiving a treatment at The Spa at The Sanctuary is a well-earned splurge. Make sure to get there early to enjoy a soak in the whirlpool or relax in one of the lounges. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The Sanctuary’s U-shaped building offers a large lawn with plenty of places to sit and be mesmerized by the ocean. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Whether or not you’re a golf enthusiast, head over to the famed Ocean Course, the #4 public golf course in the U.S. Even non-golfers will swoon over the rugged, breezy landscape, which is often compared to locations in Scotland and Ireland. And even without a round on the coveted course, visitors can access the clubhouse, including a pro shop and dining area. Grab a drink at the Ryder Cup Bar, with its gorgeous views of the course and ocean. The Atlantic Room next door has a similar ocean setting with signature seafood selections for dinner. All the appetizers look terrific, but don’t miss the crispy shrimp starter with sweet chili sauce — They apparently removed it from the menu one day and received so many complaints that it was back 24 hours later! The Country Captain seafood stew is also well-known, and you can’t go wrong with a catch of the day prepared with seasonal vegetables.

The Ryder Cup Bar, also at the Ocean Course, is a pub-type spot for lunch or a drink. Image: Lisa Mowry

Restaurants are strategically located around the resort, but be sure to visit one of the spots at the Ocean Course (home to all of the significant PGA championships) to feast your eyes on the gorgeous view. The Atlantic Room at the Ocean Course is open nightly for dinner, and you can’t go wrong with the fresh-caught seafood. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The Atlantic Room’s Seafood Stew is one of the most popular items on the menu, with its array of ocean delights: fresh-caught shrimp, clams, crabs, and Carolina Gold Rice in a special broth. Image: Kiawah Island Golf Resort

If you can spare another day of activities before heading home, start the morning of day three with Yoga on the Beach. Then choose from any number of adventures such as fishing expeditions, tennis lessons, mosaics, or a photography cruise. Of course, there’s also nothing wrong with sitting on the beach, watching the shorebirds do their thing, and dreaming of your next trip to Kiawah. After all, it’s known for its repeat visitors!

For more information on Kiawah Island Golf Resort, head to kiawahresort.com.

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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. —

President Joe Biden arrived in South Carolina on Wednesday to begin what is expected to be at least a seven-day vacation with members of his family.

The first couple was planning to be in Kiawah Island, noted for its private beach and golf resort, through Tuesday, according to Federal Aviation Administration advisories.

The White House did not respond to requests to provide details on Biden’s vacation schedule, activities or when he planned to return to Washington. The president will stay at a friend’s home on the island that the family has used for previous visits, according to a White House official.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to visit Kiawah Island this week

Biden, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, departed the White House by motorcade to Joint Base Andrews outside the capital, where Air Force One was on hand to take them to Joint Base Charleston. Biden was dropped off at a private home in a gated community alongside a golf course on the island.

Biden was joined on Air Force One by his son, Hunter Biden, daughter-in-law Melissa Cohen and grandson Beau.

Summer vacations are a presidential tradition. George W. Bush often spent August clearing brush in the 100-degree heat that baked his central Texas ranch. Barack Obama worked on his golf game on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard. Donald Trump spent time at his home on his private golf club in central New Jersey.

The White House in the past has emphasized that the president is never truly free from the job’s responsibilities — and that he’ll continue to consult with aides and take his daily national security briefing regardless of his location.

And at times, presidents have had to make legacy-defining decisions while on vacation, including Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina flooding New Orleans in 2005. Bill Clinton ordered airstrikes against al-Qaida terrorists from Martha’s Vineyard in response to the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. And Bush’s father, President George H.W. Bush, planned the U.S. response to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 from his family’s oceanfront compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.

A real estate investment firm that owns the developer of Kiawah Island plans to build a private golf course on Johns Island and invest in new and existing resort and residential projects locally and across the Southeast after raising $225 million in a new fund.

South Street Partners plans to turn the nearly 900-acre Orange Hill tract into an 18-hole golf course community with homes. It will include a short course and a practice facility for members of Kiawah Island Club. The property between Bohicket and River roads is now used as an outdoor sporting site by the private club.

The land use allows for a golf course and associated amenities as well as residential development, said Chris Randolph, a South Street partner. He said plans are still evolving for the site, and it hasn’t been determined how many homes will be part of the Orange Hill development.

The golf course will take up about 300 acres.

Part of the property is in a planned unit development through Charleston County that allows 181 home sites, a golf course, clubhouse, pro shop, amenity center and about 212 acres of preserved land.

“We are working with the county and other constituents on Johns Island for a plan that everyone is happy with,” said Randolph, whose firm is headquartered in Charleston and Charlotte.

A representative of the Johns Island Community Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the proposed plan.

Randolph hopes to start development of the as-yet unnamed layout next year, followed by 12 to 18 months of construction. He also said it was too early to provide a cost estimate for the course, which will be one of the few to be built in South Carolina in recent years.

Randolph said the course would provide members with an additional golfing option and take some of the pressure off of the club’s two existing layouts, Cassique and the River Course, where usage has increased sharply during the pandemic. The average member played 40 more rounds in 2021 than in 2019, according to South Street.

“We think there is a new market of people who have recently moved to Charleston who would have an interest in joining a golf club like this given its proximity to the city and especially since it offers members access to the rest of the Kiawah Island Club amenities,” Randolph said.

The new course will be designed by Beau Welling of Greenville, who previously worked with River Course designer Tom Fazio. Welling also is a partner with Tiger Woods in the golfing great’s golf course design business.

The vision for the new course is to create a playing experience that looks like it could have been crafted more than 100 years ago, according to South Street. It will be built around grand live oaks and feature “undulating fairways ... and Old World slopes and contours.”

The company’s future plans for Kiawah include additional residential development as well as the opening of the oceanfront Cape Club adjacent to The Cape on Kiawah, a condominium development on the sea island’s western end. The Cape Club is expected to break ground in August.

South Street also recently acquired the 131-year-old Two Meeting Street Inn on the Charleston peninsula for nearly $7.7 million. It will be refurbished and become an overnight accommodation for Kiawah Island Club members when it reopens in 2023.

Randolph said raising the money for the golf course and other developments was challenging during the pandemic but the effort attracted “outsized investor demand” because of “compelling opportunities.”

South Street Partners’ other investments from the fund include the acquisition and development of the 20,000-acre Palmetto Bluff community in Bluffton near Hilton Head Island.

The company also has its sights set on other resort properties across the Southeast from south of Washington, D.C., to Florida and west to Texas.

“We are continuing to look for opportunities,” Randolph said.

Those could include existing properties or new developments.

South Street also owns The Cliffs communities across the mountains of South Carolina and North Carolina as well as The Residences at Salamander in Virginia.