You've toured the house. The kitchen faces the eighteenth fairway, the dock has room for a center console, and the number on the listing sheet feels, for Skidaway Island, almost reasonable. Then your agent mentions two more numbers that never appeared in the listing at all, and the math you did in the car on the way home stops adding up.
That gap between the portal price and the actual cost of ownership is not a rounding error. It comes from two separate billing systems that layer on top of every home in The Landings, one you cannot opt out of and one that is technically optional but rarely treated that way in practice. Buyers who ask about both before writing an offer end up with a very different annual number than buyers who don't.
Two Bills, One Home
The Landings runs on two parallel structures that most portal listings never mention in the same sentence.
| Landings Association Assessment | Golf & Athletic Club Membership | |
|---|---|---|
| Required for every lot | Yes | No, though many buyers assume it |
| Current cost | $2,518 per lot, due March 1 | $35,000 to $80,000 initiation, depending on category |
| Annual dues | Set in three-year cycles | Not published; call the membership office |
| Who administers it | The Landings Association | The Landings Golf & Athletic Club |
The first is the Property Owners Association assessment, and it applies to every lot on the island whether or not you ever pick up a golf club. The second is membership in the private club that runs the golf courses, tennis courts, dining rooms, and fitness center, and it is a separate legal entity with its own fee schedule that the club does not publish in full.
The Assessment You Can't Opt Out Of
The Landings Association sets its annual dues in three-year blocks, and the assessment was set at $2,518 per lot for property owners, payable in full by March 1 or spread across quarterly or monthly ACH payments with interest built in. That money funds the pieces of island life that aren't club-adjacent: security, road maintenance, the two deepwater marinas, the dog park, the nature trail, and the recycle center.
Here's the part that matters if you're closing this year rather than next. That $2,518 figure was set for the middle year of the current three-year cycle, which runs 2024 through 2026, and the Association has spent this year running Community Conversations and Annual Dues Town Halls to walk residents through the next vote. In other words, the number you're quoted at closing sits at the tail end of a cycle that's already being renegotiated. Anyone buying in the back half of 2026 should ask where that conversation stands before assuming the assessment holds steady into the next three-year term.
The Club You Don't Have to Join, Except Everyone Basically Does
Membership in the Landings Golf & Athletic Club is not tied to the deed. You can own a home in The Landings and never join. But the club's own leadership has been candid about the goal. Its executive director, Steven Freund, put it plainly to golf writer Len Ziehm this year: "We want our club to be indispensable in our members' lives."
That shows up in the numbers. Golf writer Len Ziehm, reporting on the club's 2026 fee schedule, pegged full golf initiation at $80,000, with associate golf starting at $50,000, national golf at $35,000, and athletic membership at $40,000. Those are one-time initiation figures. Annual dues and food and beverage minimums sit on top, and the club does not post those numbers publicly. You call the membership office to get the current sheet.
It's easy to see the pull. Ten dining venues span four clubhouses, including Palmer's Steakhouse and Arnie's Tavern, plus The Deck at Franklin Creek with its pool and water slides for visiting grandchildren. Two deepwater marinas, Landings Harbor and Delegal Creek, put Intracoastal boating within a short golf cart ride of most homes. And the club's newer sports have grown fast: pickleball went from around 80 players in 2017 to more than 750 active players today, with 15 courts now and seven more planned. None of that is required. Most buyers who move here decide it's worth having anyway, which is exactly why the fee schedule matters before you close, not after.
The One Question That Moves the Needle
If there's a single question worth asking before you fall for a specific house, it's whether club membership comes attached to that property or whether it's a decision you'll make separately after closing. Golf writer Brian Weis, covering the club's structure this year, put the stakes plainly: confirming that one detail with the specific property you're considering "can swing your cost by five figures a year."
That's not a rounding difference. It's the gap between a home that costs what the listing says and a home that costs the listing price plus an initiation fee somewhere between $35,000 and $80,000, plus dues the club won't quote until you call.
Why the Portal Median Undersells the Real Number
As of April 2026, homes listed for sale in The Landings carried a median price of $862,000, or roughly $301 per square foot, according to portal data pulled that month. That figure is a reasonable starting point for comparing one listing to another. It is not a reasonable stand-in for what ownership actually costs, because it reflects none of the Association assessment and none of the club's initiation or dues structure.
Put the three numbers next to each other and the shape of the real decision comes into focus. The purchase price gets you the deed. The $2,518 assessment, current through the tail of this cycle, gets you security, road maintenance, and marina access regardless of club status. And the club, if you choose it, is a second transaction entirely, with its own fee sheet and its own conversation with a membership office that has every reason to keep those numbers off a public webpage.
A Timing Wrinkle for Buyers Near Deer Creek
One more detail worth knowing if you're looking at a home near the golf courses specifically. Deer Creek, the Tom Fazio design and host course for the Korn Ferry Tour's Club Car Championship each spring, is next in the club's renovation queue, with Davis Love III's name attached as of mid-2026. A course renovation typically means a closed course for a season. If the home you're considering backs up to Deer Creek or you were counting on that specific course as part of your golf routine, it's worth confirming the renovation timeline with the club before you buy nearby, not after.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is club membership required to buy a home in The Landings? No. The Property Owners Association assessment applies to every lot, but Golf & Athletic Club membership is a separate, optional decision. Some properties have owners who never join.
How often does the Association assessment change? It's set in three-year cycles. The current cycle runs through 2026, and the Association has been holding town halls this year on the terms for the next cycle.
Where do I get the actual club membership fee sheet? The club does not publish full pricing, including annual dues, on its public site. Call the membership office directly to request current figures before making an offer.
If you're weighing a specific Landings property and want the real math, not the portal shorthand, that's the conversation we have every day. The Landings Home Team lives here, knows which homes carry which fee structures, and can walk you through both numbers before you ever write an offer. Let's Start a Conversation.
