Alavia
08-19-2022, 12:00 PM
Ran across this summary in "Club & Resort Business magazine" of course expansion south of the Turnpike.
"Southern Oaks Golf Club was opened in November 2021 with the first championship 18-hole course built in the huge age-restricted community in central Florida in seven years, to try to keep up with new demand created by a home-building surge.
Plans for future additions at the south end, which already has five executive courses, call for three more championship courses, six executive layouts, three pitch-and-putts, a putting course, and a southern branch of The Villages Golf Academy.
The expansion will take the overall golf-hole count at The Villages, which has over 120,000 residents and 50 golf courses and sees over 2 million rounds played each year, to more than 800."
The Villages— the huge age-restricted community in central Florida that has over 120,000 residents and 50 golf courses and sees over 2 million rounds played each year—is now enjoying expansion at the southern end of its property that began with the opening of a new Southern Oaks Golf Club and a championship 18-hole course near the end of 2021, The Villages Daily Sun reported, as the first championship-course addition in the community since its Belle Glade Country Club opened in 2014.
And there are plans for future golf-course additions at its south end, which also includes five executive courses, that will bring the overall count in The Villages to more than 800 holes of golf, the Daily Sun reported.
In the coming years, the Daily Sun reported, the south end is set to add three more championship courses, six executive layouts, three pitch-and-putts, another putting course and a southern branch of The Villages Golf Academy.
For 2022, though, the focus in that part of the community will be on the short game, the Daily Sun reported. The Richmond Pitch & Putt, located at the foot of the Water Lily Bridge, is targeted for a summer opening. That will be followed by the Mickylee Pitch & Putt and Jubilee Putting Course, slated for early November as The Villages pushes farther southeast.
Once those ribbons are cut, course architect Kenny Ezell told the Daily Sun, “We’re going to cross the bridge [to the other side of Florida’s Turnpike] and start working our way as quickly as we can to build all these golf courses.”
The Laurel Oak executive course will be first in that line, the Daily Sun reported, just south of the coming Southern Oaks Bridge. That layout will be complemented by another pitch-and-putt named Live Oak.
Just south of Live Oak Pitch & Putt is the planned Woodlands Golf Club, an 18-hole layout that will meander among several stands of old-growth oak trees, the Daily Sun reported.
“We’ve been able to preserve those,” said Ezell. “In fact, we moved a few holes around to be able to put a little park in for the residents to be able to enjoy. It’s a little bit different than anything we’ve done.”
Not quite four months after Southern Oaks Golf Club opened, Tyler Krager, the club’s head PGA professional, acknowledged to the Daily Sun that he’s still getting accustomed to the rhythms of what is now The Villages’ southernmost golf offering.
“That’s something we’ve been talking about around here a little bit,” Krager said. “On [some days], we’re packed. But then you get some lighter days. It’s a little confusing in a sense — hey, where did everybody go?
“We have a lot of players who have become regulars,” Krager down. “Those individuals are living down in the area and had to drive across [State Road] 44 for the past year or two. Now they have a home course.”
When the Ladies Village Cup began planning for this spring’s event, the Daily Sun noted, slots filled quickly to stock the new Southern Oaks roster.
Even so, there are still windows where tee times at Southern Oaks can be had, the Daily Sun reported. Krager anticipates a second surge is coming once the community’s new Sawgrass Grove complex opens its doors. Central to the complex is McGrady’s Restaurant & Pub and an outdoor entertainment stage, and Southern Oaks’ golf shop will also be located there.
“We know The Villages is more than just golf,” Krager said. “It’s the lifestyle. What we’re accustomed to is as we come off the 18th green, we can go to the ‘19th hole’ and have a drink or a bite to eat.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Dave Sarinsky, another new resident in the Village of Citrus Grove, the Daily Sunreported.
“I’m anxious for any of those [amenities] to open,” he said. “There’s no place to have a drink with friends when you’re done. That’s part of the beauty of golf.”
In the meantime, it remains full steam ahead on the south’s five existing executive courses, the Daily Sunreported. “I’m looking forward to see more courses to open up,” Bob Youngbauer, of the Village of Bradford, said while waiting to tee off at the Red Fox/Gray Fox starter shack.
Southern Oaks, in fact, doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent on demand for executive play at the south end, the Daily Sun reported.
“A lot of people play the executives, for various reasons,” said Steve Shepard, of the Village of St. Catherine.
Though plenty of executive golfers have begun to tee it up at Southern Oaks, Krager noted, others have simply become accustomed to playing the shorter layouts.
“I think it’s a geographic thing — ‘I live here, I work here, so I’m just going to play around here,’” he said. “You’ve got Red Fox, Gray Fox, Lowlands. Now we’re opening their eyes to other options.”
At the rate new homes are going up in the south, though, any void from golfers taking play to Southern Oaks is filled quickly, the Daily Sun reported.
“Houses are going up fast,” said Krager. “Any loss from the executives is being replenished by new Villagers.”
...
The link was flagged for spam and not permitted(?)
clubandresortbusiness.com
the-villages-plans-course-expansion-boom-at-its-southern-end
"Southern Oaks Golf Club was opened in November 2021 with the first championship 18-hole course built in the huge age-restricted community in central Florida in seven years, to try to keep up with new demand created by a home-building surge.
Plans for future additions at the south end, which already has five executive courses, call for three more championship courses, six executive layouts, three pitch-and-putts, a putting course, and a southern branch of The Villages Golf Academy.
The expansion will take the overall golf-hole count at The Villages, which has over 120,000 residents and 50 golf courses and sees over 2 million rounds played each year, to more than 800."
The Villages— the huge age-restricted community in central Florida that has over 120,000 residents and 50 golf courses and sees over 2 million rounds played each year—is now enjoying expansion at the southern end of its property that began with the opening of a new Southern Oaks Golf Club and a championship 18-hole course near the end of 2021, The Villages Daily Sun reported, as the first championship-course addition in the community since its Belle Glade Country Club opened in 2014.
And there are plans for future golf-course additions at its south end, which also includes five executive courses, that will bring the overall count in The Villages to more than 800 holes of golf, the Daily Sun reported.
In the coming years, the Daily Sun reported, the south end is set to add three more championship courses, six executive layouts, three pitch-and-putts, another putting course and a southern branch of The Villages Golf Academy.
For 2022, though, the focus in that part of the community will be on the short game, the Daily Sun reported. The Richmond Pitch & Putt, located at the foot of the Water Lily Bridge, is targeted for a summer opening. That will be followed by the Mickylee Pitch & Putt and Jubilee Putting Course, slated for early November as The Villages pushes farther southeast.
Once those ribbons are cut, course architect Kenny Ezell told the Daily Sun, “We’re going to cross the bridge [to the other side of Florida’s Turnpike] and start working our way as quickly as we can to build all these golf courses.”
The Laurel Oak executive course will be first in that line, the Daily Sun reported, just south of the coming Southern Oaks Bridge. That layout will be complemented by another pitch-and-putt named Live Oak.
Just south of Live Oak Pitch & Putt is the planned Woodlands Golf Club, an 18-hole layout that will meander among several stands of old-growth oak trees, the Daily Sun reported.
“We’ve been able to preserve those,” said Ezell. “In fact, we moved a few holes around to be able to put a little park in for the residents to be able to enjoy. It’s a little bit different than anything we’ve done.”
Not quite four months after Southern Oaks Golf Club opened, Tyler Krager, the club’s head PGA professional, acknowledged to the Daily Sun that he’s still getting accustomed to the rhythms of what is now The Villages’ southernmost golf offering.
“That’s something we’ve been talking about around here a little bit,” Krager said. “On [some days], we’re packed. But then you get some lighter days. It’s a little confusing in a sense — hey, where did everybody go?
“We have a lot of players who have become regulars,” Krager down. “Those individuals are living down in the area and had to drive across [State Road] 44 for the past year or two. Now they have a home course.”
When the Ladies Village Cup began planning for this spring’s event, the Daily Sun noted, slots filled quickly to stock the new Southern Oaks roster.
Even so, there are still windows where tee times at Southern Oaks can be had, the Daily Sun reported. Krager anticipates a second surge is coming once the community’s new Sawgrass Grove complex opens its doors. Central to the complex is McGrady’s Restaurant & Pub and an outdoor entertainment stage, and Southern Oaks’ golf shop will also be located there.
“We know The Villages is more than just golf,” Krager said. “It’s the lifestyle. What we’re accustomed to is as we come off the 18th green, we can go to the ‘19th hole’ and have a drink or a bite to eat.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Dave Sarinsky, another new resident in the Village of Citrus Grove, the Daily Sunreported.
“I’m anxious for any of those [amenities] to open,” he said. “There’s no place to have a drink with friends when you’re done. That’s part of the beauty of golf.”
In the meantime, it remains full steam ahead on the south’s five existing executive courses, the Daily Sunreported. “I’m looking forward to see more courses to open up,” Bob Youngbauer, of the Village of Bradford, said while waiting to tee off at the Red Fox/Gray Fox starter shack.
Southern Oaks, in fact, doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent on demand for executive play at the south end, the Daily Sun reported.
“A lot of people play the executives, for various reasons,” said Steve Shepard, of the Village of St. Catherine.
Though plenty of executive golfers have begun to tee it up at Southern Oaks, Krager noted, others have simply become accustomed to playing the shorter layouts.
“I think it’s a geographic thing — ‘I live here, I work here, so I’m just going to play around here,’” he said. “You’ve got Red Fox, Gray Fox, Lowlands. Now we’re opening their eyes to other options.”
At the rate new homes are going up in the south, though, any void from golfers taking play to Southern Oaks is filled quickly, the Daily Sun reported.
“Houses are going up fast,” said Krager. “Any loss from the executives is being replenished by new Villagers.”
...
The link was flagged for spam and not permitted(?)
clubandresortbusiness.com
the-villages-plans-course-expansion-boom-at-its-southern-end