Ballantrae in Port St. Lucie: A 2026 Guide to Golf and Yacht Club Living on the River
Quick answer: Ballantrae Golf & Yacht Club is a 24-hour guard-gated community of about 430 to 450 homes on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie. It has a Jack Nicklaus Signature course (the Santa Lucia River Club), a 67-slip marina with river-to-ocean access, and club membership that is optional and non-equity with no initiation. Recent listings ran from roughly the low $300,000s to about $2.5 million.
Ballantrae is the community people mean when they say they want golf and a boat in Port St. Lucie without paying for a country club in Stuart or Palm City. It's older than the Tradition-area developments, it sits on real water, and the club setup is unusually easy to live with. You can join for golf, join for social only, or not join at all.
The community at a glance
| Location | Southeast Port St. Lucie (St. Lucie County), on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. From I-95 take exit 118 (Gatlin Blvd) east; from US 1 it's Westmoreland Ave, about three miles north of the Roosevelt Bridge |
|---|---|
| Homes | About 430 to 450 across 15 named neighborhoods: attached villas from around 1,000 sq ft up to 5,000+ sq ft estates. First homes 1993, most built early 2000s |
| Gate | 24-hour manned |
| Golf | Santa Lucia River Club at Ballantrae, Jack Nicklaus Signature, par 72, opened 1993. Private, but membership is optional for residents and open to non-residents |
| Marina | 67 slips, 35 to 50 feet, concrete docks with power and water, many with lifts. North Fork to the South Fork, the inlet and the ocean |
| Typical prices | Roughly $315,000 to $2.6 million on recent listings (approximate) |
The golf, and how the club works
The course is the reason Ballantrae exists. Nicklaus designed it, it opened in 1993, and it plays about 6,971 yards from the back tees. The club calls it newly updated but doesn't say what was done, so ask when you tour.
The membership structure is the part I'd point out to anyone comparing golf communities on the Treasure Coast. The Santa Lucia River Club is non-equity. Its own site says no initiation, no minimums and no assessments. A third-party page lists annual dues in the range of $10,500 for a golf family and $8,500 for a golf single, with social memberships around $2,000 to $2,500, plus tax. Those figures are undated, so confirm them with the club, but the shape of the deal is what matters: you're paying a yearly fee, not buying in. If you decide golf isn't for you in three years, you stop paying. Compare that with the equity clubs in Stuart and Palm City in the golf communities guide, where the buy-in can run well into five figures.
The marina
Sixty-seven wet slips, 35 to 50 feet, with concrete docks, electric and fresh water, and lifts on a lot of them. The slips are owned by homeowners and run by the Ballantrae Yacht Club, according to the community's marina page, though other brokers describe the marina as privately owned. Either way, slips come up for sale or rent separately from the homes. Some homes on the river have their own docks.
From the docks you're on the North Fork, which runs to the South Fork, the St. Lucie Inlet and open water in one direction, or west through the locks to Lake Okeechobee and the Gulf in the other. Bridge clearance and depth on the run out aren't published on the community site, so if you have a tall boat, ask before you fall in love with a slip.
Homes, HOA fees and what to watch
Because Ballantrae has 15 sub-neighborhoods with their own documents, there's no single HOA fee. There is an HOA fee, and it varies a lot by neighborhood because some sub-associations bundle more services than others. The fee generally covers cable, common areas, lawn care, an on-site manager and the gate. When you look at a specific house, ask for that neighborhood's budget, not the community-wide range.
Prices are wide too, which is normal for a community with 1,000-square-foot villas and 6,000-square-foot riverfront estates in the same gate. Recent snapshots ran from the low $300,000s to about $2.4 to $2.6 million. Redfin estimates on individual homes nearby ran from about $600,000 to $1.8 million, but those are estimates, not sales.
Two more things. Pets are limited to two in most of the neighborhoods. And because you're on the river, flood zone varies house by house. Redfin showed one Ballantrae listing with a Flood Factor of 6 out of 10. That's property-specific, not a community verdict, but pull the flood zone and get an insurance quote before you write the offer.
Who buys here
Boaters first, golfers second, and people who like the idea of both without a mandatory club bill. It's all ages. The location is convenient to US 1, the Roosevelt Bridge into Stuart, and Jensen Beach and Hutchinson Island for the beach. If you've been looking at Tesoro for the golf and wishing it had water, or at Harbour Ridge and wishing it was closer to Port St. Lucie, Ballantrae is the middle answer.
Questions buyers ask about Ballantrae
Do you have to join the club to live in Ballantrae?
No. The Santa Lucia River Club is optional for residents and open to non-residents. It's non-equity with no initiation according to the club, so you pay annual dues for golf or social membership only if you want them.
How many boat slips does Ballantrae have?
Sixty-seven wet slips, 35 to 50 feet, with concrete docks, power, water and lifts on many. Slips are bought or rented separately from homes. Some riverfront homes have private docks.
What are the HOA fees at Ballantrae?
It depends on the neighborhood. Ballantrae has 15 sub-associations, and the HOA fee varies by neighborhood. Cable, lawn care, the gate and an on-site manager are typically included. Get the budget for the specific neighborhood.
Is Ballantrae a 55+ community?
No, Ballantrae is all ages with no age restriction.
Talk with William. William can pull current Ballantrae listings and slip availability, get the right neighborhood's HOA budget, and set up a tour of the club and marina. Call or text (772) 800-2274 or send a message.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, fees and club rules change; confirm current details with the club and association. William Merchant, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Gold. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated.
