When it comes to golf, there is no other place in the world that comes close to The Villages. This golfing community brings endless opportunities for recreational play so residents and their guests may enjoy our many courses year-round. In 2022, approximately 2.5 million rounds of golf were played on The Villages Executive Golf Courses alone. With this much bustling activity, it is necessary to have a long-term plan for the sustainability and perpetuity of the golfing experience. The District Executive Golf Maintenance team consistently aims to provide a great golfing experience on all our courses, however, there are some real-world challenges that have caused a small number of courses to be less than desirable this busy season. Of the 36 Executive Golf courses under District ownership, four are currently closed for rest and rehabilitation, one is closed for a drainage improvement project and one (Belmont) is soon to reopen following a full course renovation.
The Executive Golf Courses are a living and breathing landscape, and their anticipated life
expectancies are regularly impacted by evolving conditions. Variables such as weather and traffic may contribute to the need for enhanced revitalization needs. Executive Golf Maintenance focus remains not only on the design preservation and playability of the courses, but also the aesthetics – a value that our residents and guests enjoy about the unique Villages community. While weather patterns play a significant role in course conditions, the primary adverse factor is the age of our courses and the heavy amount of play they receive. Many Executive Courses are aging (15 to 20+ years old) and have never been renovated. With aged greens, organic matter accumulates over time and can become oversaturated soil under the green surfaces during the winter. During the summertime, prolonged sunshine and higher temperatures aid more efficient evaporation – minimizing the condition of the aged greens. Prolonged wet conditions and lack of sun, as we have seen this Winter, severely increase the likelihood of disease pressure and anaerobic conditions on the greens, resulting in turf thinning and turf loss. Of the 36 courses under District purview, ten have been fully renovated in the last decade. Renovations provide an opportunity to refresh courses with improved drainage, new soil profiles and newer turf varieties that are more shade and traffic tolerant. Executive Golf courses which have been fully renovated are in excellent condition today.
While the industry standard for a full renovation is every 20 years, two years ago, Executive Golf Maintenance started to renovate courses on a ten (10) to twelve (12) year timeframe which will include new greens, tees, fairways and bunkers while incorporating the newer turf varieties that are shade, traffic, and drought tolerant. Likewise, numerous, more frequent smaller renovation projects will include bunker sand replenishing and re-grassing tee tops. Improved bunker sand will be used during projects and drainage will be installed in wet areas on the courses. All of this will be a welcome addition to the golf experience, play performance and overall quality of the Executive Golf courses, however it will take time to fully renovate all 36 courses. Executive Golf Course upcoming planned renovations include:
· 2024: Chula Vista, Amberwood, Pimlico and Pelican
· 2025: Walnut Grove, De La Vista, Heron, Bacall and Bonita Pass.
Maintenance is needed 365 days a year on our Executive Golf courses. The Executive Golf Maintenance Department works hand-in-hand with contracted maintenance teams as they execute their daily duties of golf course preparation and general maintenance. The department schedules regular monthly course closures for maintenance to aid with general upkeep, and it is also necessary to close courses periodically for rest and rehabilitation. This gives the maintenance teams time to perform essential cultural practices such as aerification, which relieves soil compaction and provides oxygen to the grass root zone – an important step for turf recovery during and after the busy season of golf, which here in The Villages is all year long. District staff added two Supervisors this fiscal year to the Executive Golf Maintenance Team and we are developing customized agronomy plans for each course, based on turf material, conditions and soil composition. District will direct-purchase fertilizer and other agronomy products to be applied as specified in the agronomy plan, which will give Executive Golf much more control over the quantity, quality and overall application of product on courses as well as save on sales tax through third party purchases. Lastly, District has partnered with PGA Tour who have been instrumental in developing agronomy plans for Executive Golf Courses. This partnership has resulted in sharing of best-practices in regards to course maintenance and agronomy.
With more than 2.5 million annual rounds on Executive Courses, they sustain significant damage and abuse from the heavy use. High amounts of foot and golf car traffic on the Executive Courses produce compacted soils which increase drainage, disease and weed pressures. Golfers can also do their part with helping to maintain the Executive golf courses as well by, taking time to fill the divots and repair ball marks. This not only provides an even playing surface for the players behind, but also helps the grass recover and grow in more quickly. Observe cart directional signs and stakes and avoid driving too close to tees and greens. Additionally, take a few moments to rake out footprints in the bunker; this makes the area more aesthetically pleasing and playable for the remainder of the day. One of the other high priorities for Executive Courses is repairing ball marks every day. When golf balls fall from the sky, they make depression marks on the turf. In turn, these marks make the putting green uneven. Consequently, golfers find themselves misdirecting their putts. A properly repaired ball mark heals completely in 2-3 days, while an unrepaired ball mark takes 15-20 days to heal properly. Predictable slope, speed and putting surfaces is crucial to a good golfing experience. Maintenance crews inspect each green with a “ball mark repair tool” to repair all visible marks. Players sometimes cut the turf during golf strokes or by shuffling their feet. The daily damage caused by divots will depend on the number of rounds played, and we play a lot of rounds of golf annually on our Executive Golf courses. The most critical divots to fix are those located in the primary field of play.
Executive Golf Maintenance has also renewed its focus on environmental stewardship. Through pursuit an Audubon certification for all 36 Executive courses, District is finding ways to improve habitats for local wildlife, preserve native plant areas that require less fertilization, and being good stewards of scarce water resources. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP) is an award-winning education and certification program that helps golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf. The program helps golf officials enhance valuable natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide, improve efficiency and minimize potentially harmful impacts of golf operations. On newly renovated courses, you will see Butterfly Gardens and an increased use of rip-rap and other aesthetic enhancements.
Executive Golf Maintenance understands the golf experience is what drew many residents to the Villages and they are fully committed and working hard to ensure that they deliver the best possible golf experience possible. Executive Golf Maintenance is working tirelessly to improve course conditions, however it will take some time, sunshine and warm weather to fully recover and re-open stressed courses.
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