What is a mandatory club membership?

A requirement in the community documents that every owner join the club and pay its dues. It is a cost of owning the home, separate from the HOA dues.

What happens if a golf course in my community closes?

It depends on who owns it and what the zoning and deed restrictions allow. Ask about ownership and any redevelopment plans before you buy.

What is an equity club?

A club owned by its members, who buy a share when they join that may be refunded or transferred on the club's terms when they sell.

Buying in a Gated or Golf Community in South Florida

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Published November 1, 2026

The Short Answer

In a gated or golf community you buy into an association and sometimes a club as well as a house. Read the disclosure summary and the documents, find out whether club membership is mandatory and what it costs to join and keep, and confirm who owns the golf course and what could happen to it.

The Association Documents

Florida requires a disclosure summary for homes in a homeowners association, listing the dues and whether membership is mandatory. Read the declaration, the rules, the budget and the reserves, and ask about pending assessments and litigation. Gates, guardhouses, private roads and lakes are maintained by the association, and their cost is in the dues.

Mandatory or Optional Club Membership

Some communities require every owner to join the club; others make it optional. Equity clubs sell a share that can be refunded or transferred at resale on the club's terms; non equity clubs do not. Ask for the initiation fee, the annual dues, food minimums, capital contributions charged at purchase and any transfer fee.

Who Owns the Golf Course

A course owned by the members is controlled by them. A course owned by a developer or an outside company can be sold, closed or redeveloped, which has happened across Florida. Ask who owns it, what the zoning and deed restrictions allow, and whether a sale is under discussion.

Living on the Course

Golf course lots bring views and stray balls. The documents may give the course an easement over your yard and limit fences and plantings. Visit during play.

Gate Access and Approval

Gated communities set rules for guests, contractors and deliveries, and many approve buyers and tenants. Ask how long approval takes and build it into your contract dates.

See the Homes for Sale

Talk It Through With a Broker

Every purchase is its own set of numbers. Tell us what you are looking for and a BreakThru agent will walk you through the costs, the contract and the homes that fit. Talk to a BreakThru agent · Search homes for sale

Your Buyer May Already Be Working With BreakThru Realty

Buyers come to BreakThru Realty searching for homes like this one, and many have shared their exact requirements with us: the neighborhood, the price, the bedrooms, the pool, the timing. If you own a home nearby and are weighing a sale, a broker can check it against those requirements before you list, and if no buyer on file fits, show you how we would reach the rest of the market.

BreakThru Realty works with hundreds of prequalified buyers searching for properties. Before you list, a broker reviews what you own, the market around it and whether an existing buyer's requirements match. If none does, you see how we would position it to reach other qualified buyers.

Find Out If We Have Your Buyer · Discuss Selling With BreakThru Realty

A potential match is a conversation, not an offer, until the buyer sees your property and makes one. No buyer is named and nothing about your property or business is shared until you decide to proceed.