[FG111]

Greetings -

Although I have been living in The Villages for the past year, there is an area of confusion which I seek advise regarding The Village Golf Courses...

What entity owns, controls and maintains the golf courses ?
Are all villagers permitted to use the gold courses ?
Can people from outside the Villages use the golf courses ?
Who pays for the golf courses as the fee charged can't support the operations of the golf courses ?
Are villages residents permitted to walk on the sidewalks along the
golf courses during the day / night ?
Can anyone drive their golf cart on the golf course path if they are not golfing ?
What advantage is the golf courses for the average Villager who doesn't play golf ?
Are my tax dollars in anyway supporting the golf courses in any manner?


Thanks

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by FG111

Greetings -

Although I have been living in The Villages for the past year, there is an area of confusion which I seek advise regarding The Village Golf Courses...

What entity owns, controls and maintains the golf courses ?
Are all villagers permitted to use the gold courses ?
Can people from outside the Villages use the golf courses ?
Who pays for the golf courses as the fee charged can't support the operations of the golf courses ?
Are villages residents permitted to walk on the sidewalks along the
golf courses during the day / night ?
Can anyone drive their golf cart on the golf course path if they are not golfing ?
What advantage is the golf courses for the average Villager who doesn't play golf ?
Are my tax dollars in anyway supporting the golf courses in any manner?


Thanks

I wouldn’t walk on the golf carts paths, you might get hit with a golf ball; but I would feel safe walking down the middle of the fairway.

Popping the popcorn to read the responses to this thread.

Originally Posted by FG111

Greetings -

Although I have been living in The Villages for the past year, there is an area of confusion which I seek advise regarding The Village Golf Courses...

What entity owns, controls and maintains the golf courses ?
Are all villagers permitted to use the gold courses ?
Can people from outside the Villages use the golf courses ?
Who pays for the golf courses as the fee charged can't support the operations of the golf courses ?
Are villages residents permitted to walk on the sidewalks along the
golf courses during the day / night ?
Can anyone drive their golf cart on the golf course path if they are not golfing ?
What advantage is the golf courses for the average Villager who doesn't play golf ?
Are my tax dollars in anyway supporting the golf courses in any manner?


Thanks

1. You cant drive on the cart path if not golfing
2. Amenities fees help cover executive course expenses
and help maintain other rec facilities like the pool which non golfers can use
3. Courses close at sundown burt sometimes night golf
for clubs.
4. Only The Villages residents or their guests can use the executive golf courses. Outsiders can for a fee golf on the championship courses.

[John_W]

Guests of a resident can play the championship courses. Those guests cannot live in Marion, Lake or Sumter County unless I believe they are immediate family. So a friend from Lake County could not play as your guest. From Orange county would be OK for example. We have friends from Jacksonville Duval County play this past August. The summer afternoon rate for us as residents at that time was $36, They paid about $45 as the guest rate.

Currently because we are in the high season, rates increased January 1st to May 30th and residents who are not priority members pay $64 for a round of golf, and there is no afternoon discount, a guest would be about $74. I do not know the guest rate for an executive courses because I do not play them.

You and your guests would do better rate wise playing off campus at somewhere like Stonecrest for example. Unlike TV, Stonecrest allows outsiders who are not residents or even guests come and play their course. Same can said for Arlington Ridge, Spruce Creek, Stone Creek and most all the other retirement communities. That's what's nice about TV courses, very few outsiders on our courses.

Golf courses are off limits to outsiders walking on the golf cart paths, riding a bicycle or driving a golf cart. There is an ambassador on every nine at the championship courses and the executive courses and if they spot a tresspasser, they would tell them to exit the property.

I do not know what a gold course is, did you mean golf course. Yes, all residents can play unless you've been banned for some reason. I have read about residents being banned from the squares and from pools, but not the golf course. If you're a beginner, take lessons, watch golf on TV, watch videos on youtube.com, and play only at the executive courses for at least a year. Spend as much time as possible at the driving range.

Advantages of a golf courses to non-golfers. Probably your property value is higher, a golfer would rather buy in a community with courses than a community without. As a resident open green spaces provide scenic beauty rather than mile after mile of more houses. Golf courses have club houses, which have unique dining restaurants and entertainment.

Tax dollars do not support privately owned golf courses, they're no different than any other business. Do tax dollars support Publix? The Villages uses the golf courses as a revenue source. It's not cheap to play golf. Besides the green fees I mentioned in the above rates, if you decide to be a Priority Member which include some benefits, that's $780 a year at one time. The championship courses are owned by TV and they contract the maintenance to outside parties.

[ctmurray]

Originally Posted by FG111

Greetings -

Although I have been living in The Villages for the past year, there is an area of confusion which I seek advise regarding The Village Golf Courses...

What entity owns, controls and maintains the golf courses ?
Are all villagers permitted to use the gold courses ?
Can people from outside the Villages use the golf courses ?
Who pays for the golf courses as the fee charged can't support the operations of the golf courses ?
Are villages residents permitted to walk on the sidewalks along the
golf courses during the day / night ?
Can anyone drive their golf cart on the golf course path if they are not golfing ?
What advantage is the golf courses for the average Villager who doesn't play golf ?
Are my tax dollars in anyway supporting the golf courses in any manner?


Thanks

The executive golf courses are owned by the AAC north of 466 and PWAC south. The championship courses are owned by the developer.

Yes all villagers are allowed to play both executive and championship.

On executive courses you need a guess pass for a non-villager to play. You get these from the large Rec centers. There is a fee to play for the guest (I have forgotten how much).

The executive courses are funded from your amenity fee, and this is why they are restricted to villagers. The Championship courses are funded from their fees to play.

You are not allowed to walk along the golf cart path if you are not playing. There are a few championship courses where a pedestrian multimodal path runs along side the course. I don't think there is a police force to stop you, but it is dangerous and will **** off the golfers.

Same with driving on the golf course cart path if you are not playing.

If you don't play golf, the courses provide open areas and beautiful views. Otherwise they would have crammed in many more houses. The courses also are the "flood" zone in your neighborhood, designed to capture the rain from hurricanes. And this was proven to be useful for a recent hurricane (forgot the name, September 2016 I think).

Your amenity fee is supporting the executive courses as mentioned. Do you consider this a tax?

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by ctmurray

The executive golf courses are owned by the AAC north of 466 and PWAC south. The championship courses are owned by the developer.

Yes all villagers are allowed to play both executive and championship.

On executive courses you need a guess pass for a non-villager to play. You get these from the large Rec centers. There is a fee to play for the guest (I have forgotten how much).

The executive courses are funded from your amenity fee, and this is why they are restricted to villagers. The Championship courses are funded from their fees to play.

You are not allowed to walk along the golf cart path if you are not playing. There are a few championship courses where a pedestrian multimodal path runs along side the course. I don't think there is a police force to stop you, but it is dangerous and will **** off the golfers.

Same with driving on the golf course cart path if you are not playing.

If you don't play golf, the courses provide open areas and beautiful views. Otherwise they would have crammed in many more houses. The courses also are the "flood" zone in your neighborhood, designed to capture the rain from hurricanes. And this was proven to be useful for a recent hurricane (forgot the name, September 2016 I think).

Your amenity fee is supporting the executive courses as mentioned. Do you consider this a tax?

Hurricane Irma, early Sept. 2017

[pqrstar]

Go to Golf The Villages

There is a wealth of information about both Executive and Championship golfing.

[bilcon]

Walking on golf courses is not allowed. If you are on them when closed, you are trespassing. I have seen people walking at night.Do they have any idea of the critters that come out at night. Some people have no common sense. Gators, coyotes, and even bobcats, and once in a while a black bear.

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by bilcon

Walking on golf courses is not allowed. If you are on them when closed, you are trespassing. I have seen people walking at night.Do they have any idea of the critters that come out at night. Some people have no common sense. Gators, coyotes, and even bobcats, and once in a while a black bear.

Fortunately all of the wildlife you mentioned restrict themselves to the golf courses, and never visit the neighborhoods.

[FG111]

Originally Posted by bilcon

Walking on golf courses is not allowed. If you are on them when closed, you are trespassing. I have seen people walking at night.Do they have any idea of the critters that come out at night. Some people have no common sense. Gators, coyotes, and even bobcats, and once in a while a black bear.

I honestly thank you for your reply, but with your mentality, I might as well just hide under my bed for the rest of my life.
Nothing happens only at night which doesn't happen during the day time.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by bilcon
...I have seen people walking at night. Do they have any idea of the critters that come out at night. Some people have no common sense. Gators, coyotes, and even bobcats, and once in a while a black bear.

Originally Posted by FG111

I honestly thank you for your reply, but with your mentality, I might as well just hide under my bed for the rest of my life.
Nothing happens only at night which doesn't happen during the day time.

He does have somewhat of a point. I played Belle Glade off Moyer Loop two weeks ago and on the Tequesta nine there is a lot of water, there's two almost island greens. On that nine holes I saw 5 gators, and one had to be over 10' long laying on the bank. It was just behind the green and down the hill, so someone standing on the green wouldn't even see it even though they could probably only be 25' away. If I can see all this during day, imagine what happens at night. In a normal day in TV, you almost never see gators, so you can get a false sense of security. Wildlife is going to more attracted to these areas.

[JerryLBell]

Originally Posted by FG111

What advantage is the golf courses for the average Villager who doesn't play golf ?

One huge advantage of all the golf courses is the role they (along with all the water retention ponds) play in water management. If the courses were all replaced with houses and streets, The Villages would flood like crazy during every hurricane that passed over or nearby. Before a forecasted hurricane happens, you'll see lots of the course closed and getting watered like crazy from water pumped out of retention ponds, nearly emptying many of those ponds. That water soaks down through all that grass and turf and mostly back down into the aquifer. When the major rains come, so much water hits at once that it can't soak in and runs off into lower areas. Golf courses are generally lower than streets and houses here and water retention ponds are lower yet so you'll see some really, really full ponds after a day or so. Then those will go down with evaporation and normal levels of watering. If we didn't have golf courses, we'd have to have essentially the same areas left as empty fields. At least now, those fields are prettied up, maintained and played on by folks who are afflicted with the golfing disease (and I count myself among them).

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by FG111

Greetings -

Although I have been living in The Villages for the past year, there is an area of confusion which I seek advise regarding The Village Golf Courses...

What entity owns, controls and maintains the golf courses ?
Are all villagers permitted to use the gold courses ?
Can people from outside the Villages use the golf courses ?
Who pays for the golf courses as the fee charged can't support the operations of the golf courses ?
Are villages residents permitted to walk on the sidewalks along the
golf courses during the day / night ?
Can anyone drive their golf cart on the golf course path if they are not golfing ?
What advantage is the golf courses for the average Villager who doesn't play golf ?
Are my tax dollars in anyway supporting the golf courses in any manner?



Thanks

As a non-golfer, I can answer these two questions:

When I first moved here to Mallory Square, I turned onto the golf course path just inside the Mallory gate near the golf course. I was told right away by someone on the course that I had to turn around and leave. I was not allowed on the golf course path. He knew right away I had made a wrong turn.

The advantage I have, being a non-golfer, is to have the beautiful open views everywhere I look as I drive around this beautiful community of ours. Another advantage I have, as a non-golfer, is the peace of mind that flood waters will be absorbed by the golf courses. The system that was developed here in The Villages is an amazing feat for the storm water to drain onto the golf courses and keep our internal streets from flooding.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by ctmurray

The executive golf courses are owned by the AAC north of 466 and PWAC south. The championship courses are owned by the developer.

Yes all villagers are allowed to play both executive and championship.

On executive courses you need a guess pass for a non-villager to play. You get these from the large Rec centers. There is a fee to play for the guest (I have forgotten how much).

The executive courses are funded from your amenity fee, and this is why they are restricted to villagers. The Championship courses are funded from their fees to play.

You are not allowed to walk along the golf cart path if you are not playing. There are a few championship courses where a pedestrian multimodal path runs along side the course. I don't think there is a police force to stop you, but it is dangerous and will **** off the golfers.

Same with driving on the golf course cart path if you are not playing.

If you don't play golf, the courses provide open areas and beautiful views. Otherwise they would have crammed in many more houses. The courses also are the "flood" zone in your neighborhood, designed to capture the rain from hurricanes. And this was proven to be useful for a recent hurricane (forgot the name, September 2016 I think).

Your amenity fee is supporting the executive courses as mentioned. Do you consider this a tax?

Hurricane Irma.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Hurricane Irma.

Wish I had said that. Oh, wait, I did post #6