New golfer - where and when to golf

[Luv2travel]

We are just moving in to The Villages and just starting to play golf. We will be taking lessons but we play a little now. We would like to know where is the best place to play and time of day for a couple of slow players. Also, can anyone recommend where and from whom to get golf instructions. We will be moving into the Creek Side area near Lake Sumter Landing. Thanks for your help.

[BowleesCreekYachtClub]

I would suggest you go to the Palmer Academy and take the "New to Golf" course. It is a 5 day course for about $250 but you can get a 20% discount coupon at the new villagers orientation meeting - you should have all of this information when you close on your house. The New to Golf program will tell you everything you need to know to get around the executive golf courses as a new player. We found it to be invaluable and neither of us had touched a golf club before.

[dwbevan]

My husband and I took the New to Golf program last week - we are "Brand Spankin" new golfers with one round at Turtle Mound (Level 1) under our belt and would LOVE to match up with other new to golf people looking to learn the game, but also laugh and have fun. Let me know by PM if your are interested and after the holidays when we return, perhaps we can play.

[downeaster]

We are just moving in to The Villages and just starting to play golf. We will be taking lessons but we play a little now. We would like to know where is the best place to play and time of day for a couple of slow players. Also, can anyone recommend where and from whom to get golf instructions. We will be moving into the Creek Side area near Lake Sumter Landing. Thanks for your help.

My comments apply to executive courses.

Selecting a place and time of day to play this time of year is difficult. I am not certain there is a good time for slow players.

My suggestion, don't be a slow player. Don't use a golf course to practice. Go to a range for that.

Play "ready golf". Don't waste time deciding who has honors. The one who is ready tees off first. The one who can't decide which club to use tees off latter.

Play six strokes maximum. After you have hit it six times pick it up and move on.

Don't be macho and play from the back tees if you can't reasonably reach the green. Play from the forward tees until you are comfortable. (I played from the back tees until I could no longer reach the green unless it was a short hole. I now play from the mid tees and may soon move up to the front tees).

I play mostly with experienced (not necessarily good) players. It not unusual for one of us to remind the others that we must pick up the pace of play.

Preparing to hit is not the place to hurry. There are plenty of situations where you can pick up the pace of play but not when you are standing over a tricky ten foot putt.

At one time there was a "good golf" seminar. Check to see if it is still available. It was a great source of info on basic rules and protocol.

Last, but not least, have fun.

[Taj44]

We are just moving in to The Villages and just starting to play golf. We will be taking lessons but we play a little now. We would like to know where is the best place to play and time of day for a couple of slow players. Also, can anyone recommend where and from whom to get golf instructions. We will be moving into the Creek Side area near Lake Sumter Landing. Thanks for your help.

First of all, welcome to the Villages, and welcome to a great place to play golf! As Downeaster said, please don't be a slow player. You don't have to be a good golfer to keep up the pace. Its just a question of doing some courteous things to keep things moving along.

One additional thing I would add is the use of a golf cart. If you and your spouse Sally are riding together, if you drive to your ball and are getting ready to hit, Sally should be looking ahead, seeing where her ball is and assessing her shot and be ready to hit when you then go to her ball. If her ball is not too far away, she can take her club and walk over to her ball while you are hitting. That little habit will shave some time off your golf round. The other thing is leave the cart on the side or back of the green when you are chipping and/or puttng, so you can hop in and ride quickly away without holding up the group behind you. Wait until you get to the next tee before writing down your score. It moves things along a little faster.

Lastly, as dwbevan mentioned, there are levels of difficulty on the Executive courses, level one being easy, and level four being difficult. When you make your reservations, only put in for the easy courses until your skills improve. There is a listing of the courses and their levels of difficulty in the front pages of The Villages telephone directory, or you can find the info at http://golfthevillages.com/championship-golf/

Good luck and have fun!