Palmer, particularly the (2) nines the King designed (supposedly), is the absolute wrong design for The Villages.

Huge, slope-face bunkers, designed to funnel the balls back towards the center of the bunkers (making the shot easier), but leading to a situation that it's difficult (& time-consuming) for older folks to rake their entry and exit foot prints.

I played in a group last year. On the 4th hole on Laurel Valley, bunker on the right-side, 30+ yards from the green ... lost a guy in the bunker.

He was not in optimal health or condition and carried way too much weight above his waist. He slipped on the side slope of the bunker, rolled down to the center (him, not his ball). Took us about 20 minutes to get him out of the bunker. Finally got him out, by "rolling" him towards the lower edge, dragging him out and then "levering" him upright. I wish I had video, but I didn't want to be "one of those", that standby watching & filming the travails of unfortunate circumstances. Would have garnered 1,000,000 views on YouTube.

I'm not defending those who don't rake bunkers, but the Palmer design leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, for this type of golf environment.

A recent article in The Villages magazine stated the closure of Cherry Hills for the same renovation that Laurel and Riley Grove had done.

If he was that frail, perhaps you could have raked the bunker for him????? Or someone else in the foursome??? 20 minutes to get him out---could have called 911 quicker.

I have heard that some of the greens have a disease. The product that treats it is not effective until soil temperatures are warmer.
Soil science is ever changing.

I played Laurel valley on Monday it was in great condition

Regarding the steep slope of some of the bunkers and the difficulty in raking entry and exit footprints: What I have noticed everywhere I have played over my many years of golf is people don't know how to enter and exit a bunker. Regardless of where your ball is in the bunker you should always enter from the LOW side. Too many people enter from the spot nearest to their ball and if it's a steep slope they either leave massive deep footprints or "slide" down to their ball. Then they try to climb that same steep slope to get out. Entering from the LOW side you walk in, hit your shot and walk out the same way you went in, raking your footprints as you leave (I hope!).

That hole has 12 bunkers on it I tell everybody if you just avoid the bunkers it was well played

He didn't fall from "raking", he fell from making a shot.

Try standing on the side slope on that bunker and making a shot. Someone who's been playing for for a long time could do it, but that doesn't represent the typical TV golfer.

OK. Got it

It’s long way to top, many peons must go before head chopped off. Why there are many layers of supervision and management. 30/70 rule.

Ya, but then where would they bring the poor guy? He would be better off being left in the bunker!

He was a nice guy. About 5'10". Weighed at least 280. 250 lbs, above the waist. Just not built for climbing a steep bunker slope.

It was funny, but it wasn't. It took the other 3 guys in the group, plus a Ambassador, to roll him to the bottom (low side of course), to get him out. 2 guys with golf clubs to pull him up, with one guy behind him, pushing up.

It was definitely a 3 Stooges type moment ... & it wasn't Larry or Moe in the bunker.

I failed to ask and so did others-----Was he OK???

As OK as one can be, after making a triple bogey.

He kind of lucked out. For the rest of the round, if he hit it in a bunker, someone would go get it for him, toss it out & it only cost him 1 stroke. USGA investigated his posted score, but no one talked.

He quit after 9, I haven't seen him since.

Hopefully, if turf disease, they just treat all the courses for it, since people will just track it from one course to another.