I played with friends the other day. The distances aren't any longer than at Marsh Bend, so I don't see the need for more clubs. There are more holes that carry longer water, so you might want to bring extra balls. Those that do carry that water do have alternate spots to tee off from but they are sometimes hard to see from the "first" tees (unlike Marsh Bend, they don't have markers sticking out of the ground). I agree that the signage to the next holes is a bit less obvious and it is definitely a longer walk between holes for a number of them. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy Marsh Bend. Both are great ways to work on your short game.
As I have seen on Marsh Bend, I saw some groups with absolutely new-to-the-game beginners playing on Richmond. Sure, these courses are way shorter than the Executive courses, but the greens are generally smaller and the fairways substantially narrower than the Executive courses I've played. I don't see these as "beginner" courses. If you want wide fairways, beginners might even want to try the Championship courses, though they'd have to pay more to play and would have to hit a LOT of fairway shots. I'd rather see them stick with the level 1 Executive courses like Sarasota. I think they would be less intimidated by the game. And I want more people to enjoy this past time, not less. At some point, a generation of folks is going to move into The Villages who has little or no interest in this great game. Not sure what we'll use the space for. It's so important for water management that we have to keep it but what else takes that much pasture? Hey, maybe they'll extend the "Villages Grown" concept to raising cattle, as this land was once used for! I ought to start a rumor to that effect...
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