Summerset

Summerset is a 1,000-acre master-planned 55+ gated golf community in Brentwood, California, set along the eastern foothills of Mount Diablo about 45 minutes from Oakland and an hour from San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. Developed over roughly eleven years between 1994 and 2005 by multiple builders, the community grew into four distinct, separately-HOA-governed neighborhoods wrapped around the 27-hole Brentwood Golf Club: Summerset I (471 homes, entered via Central Avenue and the original phase), Summerset II (also called Palms, 431–440 homes, built 1998–2000), Summerset III (Vista, 464 homes, entered from Fairview Drive onto Baldwin Drive), and Summerset IV (Orchards, 647 homes, the final phase started in 2002). All homes are single-story — a deliberate age-in-place feature — and range from roughly 964 to 2,652 square feet, with two to three bedrooms, two to three baths, and one- to three-car garages. Summerset II offers both single-family and duplex floor plans; Summerset IV Orchards has eight models spanning 1,283 to 2,571 sq ft. Many homes back directly onto the Brentwood Golf Course, with others enjoying vineyard or open-space views. The 27-hole championship golf course was designed by Ted Robinson and operates as a semi-private club. Each of the four neighborhoods maintains its own clubhouse and amenity package, so residents effectively get both a neighborhood-scale community and access to the larger Summerset footprint. Amenities across the phases include outdoor pools and spas, fitness centers, aerobics and dance studios, billiards and card rooms, craft rooms, lighted tennis courts, pickleball, bocce ball courts, walking trails, and private parks. Summerset IV's Lodge is a standout, featuring two swimming pools, a spa, a Grand Ballroom with full kitchen and bar, a coffee room, TV lounge, and covered picnic areas across nearly four acres of landscaped grounds. Social life is a defining feature. A full-time activities director plans events, and residents choose from dozens of clubs and groups covering cards, bridge, bunco, canasta, bingo, billiards, book club, Bible study, bocce, bowling, aerobics, water aerobics, strength training, pickleball, quilting, painting, writing, singing, sewing, arts and crafts, travel, cars, and singles groups. Dinner dances, day trips, concerts, art shows, and workshops round out the calendar. The Brentwood Golf Club's Nines restaurant and bar gives residents a casual on-site dining spot with golf course views. Location is a genuine asset. Downtown Brentwood is minutes away with its historic shopping district, Saturday farmers' market (March–November), and the Streets of Brentwood retail center with an AMC movie theater, restaurants, and shops. The surrounding landscape is agricultural — vineyards, orchards, and parklands — while the Delta offers nearby water recreation and Livermore wine country is a short drive southwest. BART service from Pittsburg/Antioch connects residents to the broader Bay Area without a car.