thank you for the information :BigApplause:- i will call and send email. maybe enough of us may help - it a lot better then arguing about bent grass compared to blue etc.

I worked for a large corporation. It was so large that they had an internal market so they did not need to go outside to look for cnadidates to fill jobs.

The Villages has an internal market, residents, plenty of them who play golf.
Residents can vote with their feet. Apparnetly the vast majority are satisfied. My wife just took up golf. I took her to Baseline. She made comment that the rough at Baseline was better than the fairways in The Villages. This from a newbie

Rubicon,you hit the nail on the head. The Villages has a captive audience and I think an audience that for the most part doesn't care about the conditions because many know nothing else.

Lack of Watering
 

I agree that the course conditions are not good. I play both executive and championship courses and neither are in good shape. The tee boxes are so hard you cannot hardly put a tee in the ground and the fairways are like the cart path. I love living here but hope there will be changes in the way the courses are taken care of. I know we are suppose to get over 50 inches of rain a year and that we have had a lack of rain which would help so much. I am wondering if they are using all the water up on the new courses as they are being watered almost everyday and there may be some restrictions on how much water maybe used for golf courses. A few years back I gave up golf for a while do to the conditions at that time as well. I maybe getting back to that feeling soon.

My complaints have mainly been with the championship courses. I have found the Executive courses to be in better shape, generally, than they used to be. Perhaps because of the resident committees. And the Executive golf is free, so I wouldn't expect the conditions for free golf to be as good as golf courses where you pay to play. Sadly, that is not the case. I played Southern Star yesterday, and with the exceptions of a few bad greens, the course was in better shape than Cane Garden was last week.

Cane Garden has been bad for almost 2 years. You would think that those responsible would try something else. But they just keep doing the same old stuff and Cane,a great layout,continues to suffer. We need the golf administrators to enter the 21st century. What are they afraid of?

Randy,
They get a temporary increase in the allocation for a newly sprigged golf course. I think it's only for 30 days or so. They still have to pay extra for the water, but won't get fined for exceeding the allocation. So they don't need to steal water from the other courses for the ones in construction.

g
 

:highfive:You will find the off campus courses are very accommodating. If you go to Stone Crest for example you can play 18 with cart for u der 30 dollars . yes it's a mile north of the villages . It overlooks the villages.
About a mile east of Brownwood there is a country course named Continential. For a little over $17 (tax ) you will find a 18 hole course once frequented by Micky Mantle (his club was stuck in a tree off the 18th hole)
the day we were there the main broke and part of the fairway was roped off .
The people couldn't have been more accommodating or apologetic. The Pro drove out personally to give us a rain check. so 36 holes for 17 dollars is not too shabby.

Totally agree. :BigApplause:

Previous posting
 

I recently posted my comments about the Villages championship courses being the most expensive with a radius of 25 miles. You would have thought I had called Mother Theresa nasty names, I was attacked severly and one replier suggested that I should move from the Villages. Golf course conditions in the Villages are generally poorer compared to the off campus courses. I also find the Golf Administration Staff to be much less cordial and helpful than the off campus courses administrators. We recently played Harbor Hills and Ocala Gold, the pro shop people (especially the pro at Harbor Hills) at both fascilities were more polite and helpful than we usually find in the Villages. You were instantly made to feel that they were happy you came to play their course. Nice way to start a gound of golf. As to the course conditions here in the Villages, I have watched the golf maintainence people do their thing in the Villages for years. What I have observed is the Villages maintenance people seem to be only reactive to problems as they arise. One does not have to be very intelligent to know that being reactive doesn't get the job done, what is necessary, especially with golf courses, you must be proactive. This means, preventing the problem, not always having to try to cure the problem...,

That's a good observation. I can't speak for the championship courses, but last meeting of the exec group it was announced that they have developed a ten year plan for maintenance and refurbishment of the executive courses. This should reduce the inefficiency of reacting to problems by anticipating and heading them off. I think they had enough data from years back to set up time frames for reworking turf and irrigation as well as seasonal issues that have recurred. Since most of the same people are involved with the big courses, I would hope similar plans are being prepared if not already done. The work on Tierra may indicate it has been done.

FORE!!!!!!!!

Getting things improved here is VERY, VERY, Very, very, very, hard to do.

Because very few things need improving.

Now if "THEY" could teach me to hit a one iron as well as I do my six, you would have my attention. If "they" could make my paints capture the beauty of Shrandell's photographs, I would listen. If "they" were someone ANY of us have met we could thank them in person for continuing to improve this place as they go along. After all, the overwhelming percentage of all of The Villages was NOT here just 12 years ago.

I think "they" do very well trying to please us all.

Not that things can't be improved, but not much comes to my mind right now.

Our courses here are used and abused by a lot of rookie golfers and the water allowed to maintain the courses is not unlimited as it was on our courses in Ohio. We also have a lot of carts with handicapped stickers allowed to run up near the greens and that is necessary but not as frequently seen as in other areas. It also is much, much, much, less expensive, and that in itself is very nice...and there is just not ONE course to cuss on. We can spoil our good walk on 12 Championship and 30? executive courses.

Sand your divots and rake the traps.

Gracie, who LOVES it here

Its amazing one day people slam the villages for closing TDS and The Oaks to replace the greens and to do work. The next day they slam the villages for poor conditions. AND yes the cost is less off campus, BUT it is not always better. I played Harbor Hills 3 weeks ago, AWFUL! The staff were overly nice. but the course was VERY VERY bad. We, the golfers here need to understand that are conditions are caused by several factors. Lack of water and the amount of play. We complain when the courses are closed for maintenance or complain when they aerate the fairways and green. We can not have it both ways. Also the prices and conditions are SOMETIMES better off campus because they do not get the amount of play the Village’s courses get. There were over 3 million rounds of golf played in the Villages last year. And the last time I checked the Twilght golf deal after 5 is better then anywhere esle. I am not saying it is perfect here or anyone should not state the obvious when the conditions are not up to stantards But, ranting and raving is not the way, GET on the review committes, become active.

I agree.

I do think they need to let the grass grow a little higher. I think it would benefit everyone. The way it is now it actually slows play down because errant balls get into the 'rough' and keep right on rolling into trouble thus causing players to look (too long!) for their ball.

PS: It's 'RYDER' cup. Typo I'm sure.