Bill and Kathy McAllister weren't looking for a country club membership. They weren't even looking for a house in Florida.
In 2012, the Ontario couple decided to take a spontaneous road trip from St. Petersburg, where they'd been staying. A friend offered her empty beach house in New Smyrna Beach as a landing spot.
"We hopped in the car, and I was thinking maybe Key West," Bill recalls. Instead, that friend's invitation brought them here.
What happened next surprised everyone, including themselves.
Within days, they'd discovered a furnished estate home in Sugar Mill. Nine days later, they owned it.
"We just went through the phone book and got a real estate woman," Kathy laughs. "We phoned the banker Sunday and said we bought a house. Then we had to phone the family up north and go, 'We're not coming home yet.'"
The house came first. The club membership took a little more consideration.
"I've never been a member of a country club," Bill admits. "I was nervous."
Bill ran the numbers. The investment felt significant. But then came an invitation that changed everything: "Go golf with Jerry and Ed—they're out there now."
That impromptu round became the turning point.
"When we went back inside and had a beer, got introduced to people, it was the membership and the people that made me say, 'Yeah, I'd really like to have a go at this.'"
Twelve years later, the McAllisters' spontaneous decision has become their greatest investment.
"We bought the house before we even thought about joining the country club. I only planned on keeping the house for a year, and now here we are. We fell in love with the people and the place."
October 20th to April 20th. Those dates define the McAllisters' year, marking their transition from Ontario winters to Florida sunshine.
In Ontario it's quieter—time with grandchildren, summer golf at the local course, backyard barbecues with neighbors. The McAllisters created a life rich with golf rounds, social events, and impromptu gatherings through the friendships they've cultivated in Florida.
"It's nice to jump in your golf cart and go golfing or have dinner without having to worry about anything," Kathy adds.
Kathy noted that both Sugar Mill and Ontario offer different, yet complementary, realities. Each world serves its purpose: neighbors who become friends, activities that never feel like obligations, and an authentic social life.
Missing family back home is the hardest part of the snowbird lifestyle. The McAllisters feel it too. But they’ve built a second family that makes the distance easier to bear.
"It's an enclosed space, so you tend to see more people more often," Kathy explains. "Somebody's driving by, 'hey you want to go for a coffee, jump in the cart let's go.'"
The McAllisters discovered that family isn't always about blood relations. After a few years at Sugar Mill, they started a Christmas tradition.
"We cooked Christmas dinner, and we had people for dinner—just people we know from Sugar Mill. Some people had no place to go," Kathy shares. "They weren't going to family or anything. So, we had them all come in for dinner, which was great."
Every Thursday, their dinner group gathers. Every April, before heading north, they host their famous "clean out the fridge" party.
"We'll have people come over to the house and eat everything that's been in our fridge and freezer so we don't have to throw it out," Kathy laughs.
When the McAllisters return each October, they're not starting over. They're coming home to friends who've been counting the days until their return.
"Bang for the buck, I can't think of a better place to be," Bill says.
The McAllisters understand the hesitation. They've been there—calculating costs, wondering about fit, questioning whether a country club membership makes sense for snowbirds who split their time between two homes.
Kathy encourages prospective members to make the next step. She notes that there aren't many other places that combine golf with a strong social aspect—and that have many people openly welcoming you to their group.
"When people visit, they just join us at our table and they're in it as if they were part of the group the whole time," Bill reflects.
The McAllisters bought a house in nine days. They joined Sugar Mill shortly after. Some might call it impulsive. They call it the best decision they ever made.