Working out of her Braselton house, Lori Sharp didn't want just to be stuck in a home office. Luckily, making friends in her neighborhood was as easy as picking up a racket.

Sharp, who moved to The Woodlands at Chateau Elan two years ago, is among 14 women in the neighborhood on an Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association team that has reached the playoffs for the past couple of seasons.

"Being at home, the tennis was a great opportunity for me to meet people, " said Sharp, 45, who owns a graphic design business. "That's probably how I met most of the people I know" nearby.

access to activities and relationships are the top reasons buyers are attracted to golf and tennis communities such as Chateau Elan. The residential area is adjacent to the landmark French provincial winery and resort off I-85 on the border of Gwinnett and Barrow counties.

Golf is definitely a focus, with a course quickly coming into view when you enter the gated community, which has four neighborhoods. The newest, The Woodlands, has traditional American architecture in its village section and European-style manor homes on estate lots, priced from the $400,000s to several million dollars.

Lewis Sharp, who moved there two years ago with his wife, Lori, and their 16-year-old daughter, said they chose the community because of the golf course and the opportunity to build a custom home on larger lots than he had found elsewhere in Gwinnett County.

"I'm a big golfer, and with the Chateau Elan Legends course, it gave you an opportunity to play one of the top courses in the state with easy access, " said Lewis Sharp, who plays two or three times a week. "The course is very accessible to get on for tee times."

Other communities the couple considered included golf courses, clubhouses and fitness facilities, but he said they didn't have the breadth of offerings they found at Chateau Elan.

Lewis Sharp also has joined a basketball league that plays on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the community's sports club, which opened last summer and is across the street from their home. In addition to an indoor basketball court, the multimillion-dollar facility has three lighted tennis courts, a pool, an indoor walking track, a gym, fitness programs and two full-time activities directors. Residents pay $95 a month to use the facility.

"It's a place for everybody at the sports club, " he said.

After living in Atlanta for 35 years, Bruce and Karen Springsteen decided their next home would be their last. So their requirements were stringent in moving from Lawrenceville. They wanted a golf course community with child-friendly amenities for their grandkids and plenty of other activities.

Their home on Pinot Noir Way is on the Legends golf course, which they play at least twice a week, including couples' outings on Sundays. The private course, which has a $35,000 initiation fee refundable when residents move or terminate the membership, is one of three courses available to Chateau Elan residents. With a Legends membership, they also can play the resort's Chateau or Woodlands courses, both of which were designed by Denis Griffiths, at a reduced rate.

Springsteen, 64, said his "biggest fear" was that the course, which he joined last year, would be too busy for him to use as often as he likes and that he would have a difficult time becoming part of a foursome. But he didn't need to worry; the Legends limits membership to 200.

"It's a friendly community, " he said. "You've got guys that you could play every day. . . . You can play any time you want to."

Their grandkids love the spiraling slide leading to the popular pool at the sports club, added Springsteen, who has been using the workout facility to rehabilitate an injured knee.

And for the third part of their requirements --- community activities --- the couple and their neighbors, many of whom are empty nesters like the Springsteens, get together for monthly dinners and holiday parties.

"It's a community that you can join in as much as you want, " he said.

Their social calendar also includes taking part in activities at the resort, such as the summertime concert series, August's Vineyard Fest or the Lighting of the Chateau in November.

"We take our golf cart up and watch that from the hill, " he said of the outdoor concerts. "We kind of enjoy being in the neighborhood and participating in what's going on at the inn, too."

Lewis Sharp, 36, agrees that golf and tennis communities such as Chateau Elan offer residents plenty of activities, whether for young families or empty nesters. And that seems to seamlessly build relationships.

"It has really surprised us how friendly the people have been here, " he said. "We expected them to be friendly, but not this friendly."

Their brick two-story home has five bedrooms, a basement, and two decks overlooking a wooded private lot. The open floor plan also includes details such as 18-foot ceilings.

"I was looking for a custom home that I knew I would be living in for the next 10 to 15 years, " said Sharp, who owns a wholesale annuals company, Premier Growers, in Buford. "I was looking for a nice tennis community for my wife as well as a golf community for me."

After not playing tennis for years, but deciding to take up the sport again for exercise and creating friendships, wife Lori now plays tennis 12 months a year, participating in three leagues: ALTA, USTA and K-Swiss.

"It's great to be outside, " she said. "The weather in Atlanta is great. You really can play year-round."

She added that tennis is not as time-consuming as her husband's favorite sport. That doesn't mean Lewis isn't trying to get her out on the golf course. For a recent Valentine's Day, he bought her a set of clubs.

Just in case.

Getting there

From downtown Atlanta, take I-85 north to Exit 126 (Ga. 211) and turn left. Go half a mile, and the sales office is on the left, at the entrance to golf area.

A QUICK LOOK