Everything you want in a club. Nothing you don’t. Burlingame Country Club membership offers something rare in today’s world: a place where luxury meets authenticity, where families create lasting memories, and where every day brings new opportunities for connection to nature, to each other, and to the timeless rhythms of mountain living.
Championship Golf in Sapphire Valley
Tom Jackson’s creative vision plays out masterfully across Burlingame’s 18-hole championship golf course, where elevations range between 3,000 to 3,500 feet. The course weaves through natural terrain of mountains, vistas, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and old growth forests, creating one of the most inspiring golf experiences you’ll discover in Western North Carolina.
Members enjoy unrestricted access to the course throughout the season, with tee time privileges that let you play when your schedule allows. The golf experience extends beyond the fairways with men’s golf leagues, Wednesday mixed golf events, and tournaments that bring the community together while challenging your skills.
Professional instruction is available from accomplished staff, including insights from guest instructors. The pro shop carries quality equipment and apparel, while the practice facilities give you space to refine your short game and driving before heading to the first tee.
Lawn Sports: Tennis, Pickleball, and Croquet
Country. Club. We’re pretty good at both. Burlingame’s lawn sports facilities offer four Har-Tru tennis courts, four premier pickleball courts, and a meticulously manicured regulation-size croquet lawn. Each sport has its own following within the membership, creating multiple entry points for competition and social connection.
Tennis Excellence
The tennis program includes lessons with a full-time professional, interclub championships, and various tournaments throughout the season. Members play four times a week, participate in organized events, and enjoy the social aspects that come with a vibrant tennis community. The Har-Tru surface provides excellent playing conditions while being easier on joints than hard courts.
Pickleball for All Ages
Pickleball brings together members of all ages and skill levels. The four courts accommodate friendly competitions, organized tournaments, and interclub play. Professional instruction helps beginners learn the game while experienced players refine technique. The sport’s accessibility makes it perfect for families and for players who want strategic competition without intense physical demands.
Croquet: Strategy Meets Social
The regulation croquet lawn hosts both six-wicket sequential play and golf croquet, offering strategic depth for serious players and accessible fun for newcomers. Burlingame Country Club ranks among the top master-planned communities with USCA regulation croquet lawns. Members enjoy interclub play, take lessons, compete in tournaments, and gather for casual matches against the backdrop of majestic mountains.
Dining Experiences Throughout the Clubhouse
Club life revolves around food and beverage. From a quick lunch at the turn to a multi-course dinner for the wine society, Burlingame’s kitchen operates as a non-stop engine of precision, production, and perfection. Set within the newly renovated Clubhouse complex are six distinct indoor and outdoor dining experiences, each offering panoramic views that transform every meal into an occasion.
The professional team of chefs draws upon cultural inspirations, seasonal ingredients, and organic selections, perfectly paired with wines from the fully stocked cellar. Members establish regular rhythms—Friday night dinners at the bar, Wednesday buffet culinary delights, quick bites after golf or tennis, or special celebrations with family and friends.
Elevation 3042 serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with grab-and-go items and a barista station. The Overlook Lounge provides a relaxed setting for meeting friends with panoramic views of mountains and golf course. The Presidents’ Room offers intimate gatherings for 8 to 14 people, perfect for board retreats, receptions, or private dinners. The outdoor dining deck ranks as one of the most popular venues, where members relax after sports or simply enjoy the mountain air.
Rejuvenate Spa, Wellness, and Fitness Complex
Wellness at Burlingame goes beyond typical fitness center offerings. Surrounded by the mountains of Western North Carolina, the Rejuvenate complex offers a state-of-the-art retreat for body and spirit. After a challenging day on the course or trails, the pool complex welcomes you to dive into relaxation and become part of the Family.
Fitness Facilities and Classes
The fitness center features exercise equipment, free weights, and a variety of classes including stretching, non-impact cardio, strength training, non-impact high-intensity training aqua fitness, yoga, and essential golf and tennis stretching. Members ranging from well-toned athletes to individuals living with challenges and chronic disease speak highly of the professional staff who help people get back in the swing of life.
Spa Services
The spa offers personalized services including private coaching, therapeutic massages, and Bellanina Facelift Facial massages. Service providers garner rave reviews from clients who appreciate the professional yet personalized approach. Wellness isn’t just about fitness—it’s about finding balance in a setting where nature itself seems to breathe alongside you.
Beyond the Green: Outdoor Adventures
From the flicker of a rainbow breaking the water’s surface during a morning of fly fishing to miles of hiking trails that beckon explorers to discover hidden waterfalls and breathtaking viewpoints, Burlingame offers adventures that remind members why they chose these mountains as home.
The property includes parks, hiking trails, trout waters, and fishing ponds managed by the Burlingame Property Owners’ Association. The Friends of Miller Park and Friends of Burlingame Hiking Trails help maintain these natural amenities for current and future generations. A dog park welcomes four-legged family members to enjoy the outdoor setting.
Clean air, marvelous climate, and beautiful scenery draw today’s members to this corner of North Carolina much as these attributes appealed to adventurous pioneers of the 18th and 19th centuries. The elevation of approximately 3,000 feet provides comfortable summers and stunning seasonal changes throughout the year.
A Community That Balances Exclusivity with Warmth
With over 600 members who share a passion for mountain living and outdoor adventure, Burlingame has cultivated something special. Members don’t just share amenities—they share memories, traditions, and a deep appreciation for the natural beauty surrounding them in Sapphire Valley. From seasonal celebrations to impromptu gatherings on the Outdoor Dining Deck, life at Burlingame centers on connection.
Member testimonials reveal the authentic experience: “Friends introduced us to Burlingame and we are still pinching ourselves at having found such a warm, welcoming, unpretentious and FUN place to meet new friends, eat great food and RELAX in the beautiful North Carolina mountains.”
Another member shares: “The first season at BCC has been a wonderful experience—men’s golf, the Wednesday mixed golf event, tennis four times a week, the fitness center 5-6 days a week, and Bridge three days a week. The highlight is our regular seat at the bar for dinner every Friday night when we are in town and the Wednesday buffet culinary delights—we never had a meal we did not enjoy.”
Historical Roots Dating to the Late 1800s
Burlingame’s rich history traces back to the late 1800s when the cool, clean air and beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains drew travelers to Western North Carolina. The area that became known as “America’s Switzerland” hosted grand hotels including the 500-room Toxaway Inn, which welcomed guests arriving by train.
The property evolved through ownership changes, starting as Sapphire Lakes in 1973 before being renamed Burlingame in 2005. Members completed the transition to member ownership between 2009 and 2010, creating the community-focused structure that exists today.
Purposefully Built for Family and Friends
Located at about 3,000 feet elevation in Sapphire Valley, just minutes from Cashiers and Lake Toxaway, Burlingame was purposefully built in a mountain forest for family and friends. The community presents amenities celebrating and paying homage to the beauty of nature, respect for the land, and a strong sense of stewardship for future generations.
The Burlingame Property Owners’ Association works for its 600+ members to maintain roads, parks, trails, and landscaping of common areas. The BPOA also provides architectural guidance, security, member services, and coordinates activities including the Friends of Miller Park and Friends of Burlingame Hiking Trails.
Your Private Adventure Starts Here
Life at Burlingame means waking up to mountain views, choosing between golf, tennis, pickleball, or croquet for the morning, enjoying lunch with friends at one of six dining venues, perhaps a therapeutic massage or fitness class in the afternoon, and gathering for dinner as the sun sets over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
It means your children learning to fly fish in pristine mountain waters, your family hiking to hidden waterfalls, and creating traditions that span generations. It means neighbors who become friends, seasonal celebrations that mark the passage of time, and a community that values both activity and relaxation, challenge and comfort, luxury and authenticity.
Where Luxury Meets Authenticity
Your mountain haven awaits in the heart of Sapphire Valley. Contact us today to schedule your personal tour and experience firsthand why members call Burlingame “The Best of Times.” Discover a place where every day brings new opportunities for joy, challenge, and connection—to nature, to each other, and to the timeless rhythms of mountain living.
Whether you’re seeking a permanent residence, a vacation retreat, or an investment in one of Western North Carolina’s most desirable locations, Burlingame Country Club offers exceptional opportunities to become part of a community that balances all the amenities you want with none of the pretension you don’t.