Most history related clubs are free
 

I know the Civil War Study Group and the World War II club are free and raise funds by 50/50 and donated book sales for scholarships and other related expenses. There are
many more similar groups here. Something for everyone; come and enjoy!

A membership is not required to pay the Championship courses you pay a greens fee to play.

I was surprised when one of the pickleball club I joined was charging us a fee for playing on courts that are free to reserve, but found out they use the funds for things like prizes for tournaments. It's $5, so not a big deal.

Yoy can learn a lot by reading the comments on the talk of the villages.
 

Look for transparency in their comments

This is NOT true.

Championship course require a greens fee every time you play, you can pay an annual fee for some benefits.
Executive courses require a trail fee - Or you cna pay an annual fee an not pay trail fee
You can buy a membership to use the country club pools
The clubs vary - there are thousands of the them. Some charge a fee, some do not. If they do, it’s not a lot ($5/$10/$15) and they use the money to pay for stuff (food, prizes, etc).

Executive courses require trail fee….ONLY…..if using a cart.

you do not have to pay a membership fee to use Championship courses. You pay the non-Resident greens fee unless you are a Resident then the greens fees are less. If you pay for
A “discount membership” then your greens fees are less. You have to play several times per week for the priority membership fee to be worth the investment.

You're not required to have a membership to play the Championship courses. Although there are green fees. You can optionally purchase an Enhanced Membership on a 6 month or annual basis. It provided priority reservations and discounted green fees for you and your guests at the Championship courses.

The list of clubs can be found online and there is a phone number or email address for each one so you can reach out to the leader directly to ask about any fees for the ones you might consider joining. I personally belong to four clubs - two charge $20pp per year and two charge $10pp per year. This works out to $1 to $2 per meeting which is really very nominal. I have also taken "Classes" through the enrichment academy in things like Yoga, Ballet, Jewelry and Photography. These were about $60 for 6 or so classes, so about $10 per session which is still way less then you would find a weekly class for elsewhere. There are plenty of non-fee offerings each week too. I suggest that you ask your salesperson to mail you a Thursday Daily Sun newspaper activity supplement and you can see an example of a weekly offering. If there is a "club" meeting listed that week the contact info in usually in the back of that newspaper too and you can contact them to ask about any fees if that is a club that interests you. To answer your original question the fees might go for things like coffee/tea setup at the meetings or a guest speaker. A common thing for new residents is to sign up for too many clubs and then just not be able to do it all and scale back. I hope that is helpful to you.

golf
 

Executive golf free walking $4 if on your golf cart Champion 73-95 - but many courses nearby for 40-60. You have to be a renter here to have access to everything

We probably did sign up for a few more clubs than needed but at $ 20 a year per couple for most clubs no big deal to drop out after some time if you find other activities more of interest

If you are referring to the numerous groups organized for/by residents, some require small fees to cover costs. For example a painting group might ask for $10-$15 to cover the group leader's supplies. If you are referring to the "country clubs" they are open to the public and not actual clubs. Some have facilities that you may have to pay an annual fee to use, such as the pool, but you should inquire directly. This forum is not always the best for accurate info. Best of luck.

I don't know if most of the clubs have an annual dues. I lead one club and belong to several others and do not charge a fee for my club nor do I pay any fees for the others. The clubs are run by volunteer leaders.
When I first moved here it was explained that there were, at that time, almost 2,000 resident activity clubs. I was told that there was a club for almost anything that you're interested in and if there is not one, you can start one. So, I started The Beatlemaniacs of The Villages. I lead the club and do whatever work is necessary as a volunteer. We sometimes have special events and club members volunteer for certain jobs.
We no real expenses but some clubs do. We have a weebly website that a member volunteers to handle. Some clubs need equipment and a website that costs money so they have dues.
We sell tee shirts and make a small profit that is used to offset the cost of the occasional special events that we run and to other small costs that come along.
We also produce and promote events by other artists and raise money for a charity.
All of our musicians are volunteers and participate simply for the joy of learning and playing Beatles music. Many of them are in bands that play in and around The Villages and get paid. The club also provides a way for them to promote their appearances.
Pretty much every club that I've belonged to operates this way. As I said, a few do have some small dues requirement because they have expenses,

i can only speak of my exp. with a club. we paid 10$, 5$ pp. that includes: access to the activity, & the folks who ran the club provided popcorn & sodas, coffee. it was good for 1 year. one day i put $5 in the donation tub, -it was seen as an act of glory, but to me was no big deal. i had to convince them WHY i gave that much, lol

They can be anywhere from zero to …???

I belong to a leather group, no fees. Yoga class, zero. Gun club is $25 a year membership and you can buy raffle tickets to win a gun or other prizes at each meeting. Glass fusion, you have to take a training class before you join that costs around $90. Wood shop has an initiation fee of $200 and yearly dues of $75 plus a safety class required. Most classes and clubs are organized and run by generous Villagers who volunteer their time and talents but for those that entail supplies or other costs to operate there may be small fees. Best course of action is to go in the Villages app, find classes or clubs that interest you and call or email the contact person to ask.