The Champions Club Tee Times and Reservations 423.238.6812

2005-06- Nowadays many empty nesters are opting to retire inside the comfort of a private oasis where they can bask on a front porch rocker, sip fresh sweet tea or hot coffee, and observe golfers teeing off along the rolling hills of the golf course, a course which ultimately seems designed as part of their very own back yards.

Adirondack chairs hug front or back decks that are adorned by the soft presence of fall or wintry colors. Many of these decks and porches, subtle extensions of the indoors, are decorated with oil paintings, water fountains or fine home furnishings that are formal elements of storybook living.

It's quite an interpretation direct from an old southern novella, but it's a scene that is every bit the reality for folks living in Hampton Creek, a modern gated community amid rural landscape in Ooltewah.

Hampton Creek, visually inspired by local artist Ben Hampton (some of the streets are named after his paintings,) is conveniently divided into four distinct divisions: the Village, the Views, the Fairways, and the Grove.

But it is in the Village where smaller square footage means less upkeep and not less quality or opulence, a perfect setting for aging retirees or other couples choosing to downsize without sacrificing amenities. The homes in the Village represent a variety of square-footage, ranging anywhere from 2,280 square feet to approximately 4,000 square feet.

Of the families currently living in Hampton Creek, there is a great percentage of "baby boomers all grown up" who have slowly eased into the community after discovering it is a quiet place to retire, especially in the Village.

With a backdrop featuring homes of the utmost architectural standards and exteriors ranging from stone, brick, hardy board, stucco or stacked rock, the neighborhood epitomizes domesticity for baby boomers in the new millennium.
"We wanted diverse exterior treatments," says Rich Balthrop, general manager at Hampton Creek.

With street names like Gentle Mist Circle and Daybreak Circle, and homes characteristic of old Cape Cod, old world French, Charleston and New Orleans, driving through the Village is like a step inside a cinematic dream. It is quaint country living embraced by a setting reminiscent of a continual "long weekend getaway."

A sense of community is easily fostered by neighbors, retired or newly married, who wave at one another as they walk their dogs or ride their bikes along the street, smiling as they deliver a natural "hello." Wives meet for fun-filled games of Bunco inside the community clubhouse while husbands join together for 18 holes of golf.

Attractive amenities include the 18-hole golf course, covering 175 acres, a driving range, tennis courts, junior Olympic-size swimming pool, neighborhood sidewalks with street lights and a fully equipped playground, all surrounded by over 300 acres of peaceful countryside. Hampton Creek gives downsizing empty nesters an alternative to a town home or condominium. It allows them to live in a dream home and a secure community that is "all-inclusive and exclusive."

Toby McKenzie of Cleveland owns Hampton Creek and the Champions Club golf course, which was designed by Carter Morrish of Jay Morrish and Associates, a nationally recognized design firm out of Dallas, Texas. With his financial contributions, the golf course recently expanded from nine holes to 18. Jay Morrish and Associates designed three PGA tour courses, says Balthrop. With close to 20 employees in the Pro shop, maintenance, grill room and golf club restaurant; Hampton Creek is a place where commitment to excellence is standard.

Charming kitchens with tile, granite and plush cabinetry are common amenities.

"I'm very proud of it," Balthrop says of the community. "We're constantly endeavoring to improve the golf course and the Pro shop. We're in the process of expanding one of our greens on the golf course and one of the practice facilities."

Of McKenzie, Balthrop notes, "He's got an unyielding commitment financially to this community and this golf course, and any golf course community is dependent upon that. He has a commitment to having a top-notch facility."

Balthrop, who has overseen the development of Hampton Creek since 1998 after having relocated from Hilton Head, South Carolina, says he is part of the original development team.

"I've been here since we stuck the first shovel in the ground," he says. "The overall vision was a collaboration but the actual land planning was done by a group out of Nashville called lose and Associates. They did the original streetscape planning and street layout and design."

Balthrop says the neighborhood is fashioned with neo-traditional houses. "I call it Mayberry USA," he says. "That's the feel we're going for. We're front porch driven."

New houses are on the rise in this sidewalk community. "We have approximately 20 houses under construction now in all four areas," Balthrop says, especially in the Village, which he says is "tailor-made for the empty nester lifestyle."

He says the Village is the spot for homeowners who would rather not worry with maintaining an acre of grass. The Grove aims for people who prefer a more wooded surrounding while the Views have a high view of the neighborhood and the Fairways overlook much of the golf course.

For former resident Sue Owens, who built a few homes in the Village and lived in one of its homes, the Village embodies all the charming essence of "the idyllic spot" for the baby boomer generation.

"The Village represents a more carefree lifestyle with less maintenance but all the plush amenities as found in a 6,000- square-foot home," she says. "It gives you the freedom to enjoy your retirement. It's so much easier to maintain and so much more enjoyable."

She adds, "Homeowners don't have to spend all their free time working in the yard." she says such lifestyles and neighborhoods are a rage in other towns, having already become quite popular in larger cities like Birmingham and Atlanta.

Sue and her husband Bobby opted for a stacked rock and stucco Country French cottage on a corner lot. Her style: "everything fabulous." "In the kitchen we had tile and granite," she says. "I did not cut any corners at all. There are a lot of architectural detail and arches, and that's what people are looking for, not necessarily cheap but a smaller house."

Sue says retirees are now choosing maintenance-free yards and houses with "all the amenities" in gated communities so they "can relax and travel and live in a safe environment."

According to Sue, "It's one of most popular trends … as people get older and their kids leave home they want to downsize but live in a nice house. The Village-type homes are a new lifestyle choice and people are really wanting that and they don't know where to find it." she says "people want to downsize but they want everything plush."

One of the homes sue helped build was recently purchased by two "seventy-something" residents, Barbara and Alton Draughon, who moved into the Village two months ago. The couple enjoys the easy, non-structured life that "bungalow living" affords them. Barbara adds that for golf lovers, the community helps them "make time for their pastime." the Draughons' stone and hardy board bungalow is perfect for easy maintaining and their peek onto the golf course gives them a surefire reason to sit and relax on their front porch.

Porches offer the perfect spot for
relaxing and greeting neighbors.

For their neighbors a short walk up the way, "sixty-something's" Sue and Jim Welborn, retiring in Chattanooga seemed inevitable. The couple's now-grown children grew up in Chattanooga, before the couple relocated to South Carolina then to Pennsylvania and then back to Chattanooga. They ultimately chose to retire in Chattanooga to be close to their children and grandchildren.

The Village at Hampton Creek was the perfect choice for them. The tight knit community has allowed them to become familiar with their neighbors. They have several retirees surrounding them, including one who is retired from the banking industry, one from Tennessee Valley Authority and Jim himself is retired from Dystar, a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation. "I was in the textile division for 24 years," he adds.

Sue is active in the neighborhood book club which allows her to chat about the southern fiction she immerses herself in on the deck overlooking her courtyard.
For Jim, overlooking a golf course seems like a slice of paradise. He and Sue have lived in their home in the Village since 2001. "We were the seventh house in the neighborhood," sue recalls. Jim adds, "It's a country setting yet you're surrounded by houses. Who could ask for a better front yard than what we have, looking out across the fairway there?"

His and Sue's Charleston-style bungalow is positioned for a direct view of Hole 7. Jim plays golf at least twice a week. Sue says, "We've downsized to a smaller yard, but it means more time for golf."

"It's a community to relax and retire," Jim continues, noting it is not just individuals in their "golden years" who take up residence in the quaint subdivision. "We really have young people with small children all the way through retirement age."

Jim adds, "I wasn't ready to go to a townhouse or a condo." the couple downsized from a 3,500-square-foot home to a more manageable 2,300-square-foot home in the Village. Their lot is 50 feet x 100 feet. "Now I can mow my grass in 30 minutes," he says. Of its demure size, he jokes, "I could probably mow it with scissors." For Jim, he loves how he can still grow his beautiful red roses.

For the Welborns, they agree with Sue Owens in that they have "less square footage but haven't sacrificed quality." they chose all the amenities of their home including colors, brick, floor plan, and lot. The Welborns chose a brick exterior for easy maintenance.

"We love Charleston. It's our favorite city on the east coast," says Jim, explaining why the couple chose a Charleston-style floor plan and why they chose to incorporate a courtyard outside. Their courtyard seems like an authentic slice of Charleston complete with a joggling board for suitors to scoot next to their sweethearts.

The Village home offers an alternative to
townhome or condominium living.

The Welborns' outdoor courtyard, which is adjacent to the street, is a perfect spot for the couple to watch golfers teeing off and neighbors as they stroll along the street. The Welborns note that the diversity of each dwelling helps make the neighborhood distinct from other golf course communities. The homes along the streets boast dramatic kaleidoscopes of styles and architectures with everything from a Cape-Cod/Martha's Vineyard feel to a sophisticated Country French, Charleston and old Williamsburg.

In the Village, alleys in the backs of the homes support access to garages as the community enforces the "no garage in the front of the house" rule.

The Welborns' three children and five grandsons also have plenty of room inside the house for their visits as their charming bungalow boasts three spacious bedrooms and two and a half baths.

The community's mix of retirees, young families and professionals, along with its hard-to-resist amenity package, is what draws families to Hampton Creek, a place that is considered a premiere community in Chattanooga. With homes ranging anywhere from the upper $200,000's to over $600,000, and with the median price being $400,000, it is easy to tell this is a community with high-quality construction and uncompromised amenities.

Hampton Creek's clubhouse and golf course, both private, host numerous events for members or members' guests including weddings, showers, benefits, banquets, and birthday parties. The community further hosts Fourth of July parties and New Year's Eve galas for residents to help draw the community's residents even closer.

And for retirees who enjoy a playful game of Bridge or Bunco, or a relaxing game of golf, the community is ideal. Balthrop adds, "There's a lot said in that word 'community,' and we have a sense of community at Hampton Creek."

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