[laboutj]

Originally Posted by Laker14

My breakdown: I'm here for 7 months, so I get a 6 month priority membership. My wife doesn't play so it's a single. Costs around $600. I play approximately 2x/ week. Figure $50 per round at the cash register, x approximately 52 rounds. $2600 at the cash register plus the 600 for the priority membership. 6 months of championship golf in TV costs me $3100. or approx. $517/ month.
That's not a steal by any means, especially for the conditions of the courses from October-May.
However, unlike the clubs I once belonged to up north, I don't have to continue to pay the monthly dues during the non-golf seasons. Also, I don't get charged "assessments" when the club decides to fix a worn out sprinkler system, or some clubhouse item. Also, since the bulk of that expense is "pay as you play", if the weather is bad, or I'm not playing for some reason, I'm not paying. At a typical private club you are going to pay your dues, and if you don't play, you still pay. There is no "clubhouse minimum" requiring me to spend a monthly amount of dollars on food and booze.
I could walk away from golf except for the camaraderie with my golf friends. I am fortunate to have been accepted into a group of 12-20 guys, someone else makes the tee times (which is why we are all Priority members), I show up, put in the $5 for the daily game, and we have a few laughs.
If saving money were the only priority, I could definitely do better by going off campus, or better yet, play at the "NOT FREE BUT ALREADY PAID FOR" executive courses.
I don't feel like it's a great bargain, but I feel it's a fair price for the convenience, quality, and variety.

Having the variety of courses is a plus to having the priority membership and playing the championship courses here in the Villages. I had a membership for one year at a private club in Mass. and by the time it got to August I was so sick of playing the same course over and over I vowed not to make that mistake again.