[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by JoMar

I belonged to both private and semi private courses. Every semi private course I belonged to had club storage, locker and shower facilities, food services and special tournaments i.e., member guest tournaments, that actually shut down the course and membership fees that eliminate green fees. The Champ courses offer none of that. The food service is owned and managed by someone else. If you want to call it semi private that's ok, but the reality is the Champs are public courses with a discount card for people that are residents of The Villages.

Nope. Reality=semi-private. Just do the typical on-line search. You will see.

And tomweb...here is the link to the TV statement...second paragraph...

Golf The Villages

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by JoMar

I belonged to both private and semi private courses. Every semi private course I belonged to had club storage, locker and shower facilities, food services and special tournaments i.e., member guest tournaments, that actually shut down the course and membership fees that eliminate green fees. The Champ courses offer none of that. The food service is owned and managed by someone else. If you want to call it semi private that's ok, but the reality is the Champs are public courses with a discount card for people that are residents of The Villages.

Sorry, but just because someone says the Earth is flat does not change the DEFINITION of a spheroid.

I've belonged to a private club for 30 years, we have a board of governors and membership meetings with voting.
There are many semi-private clubs in the area, they are all OWNED by some entity or person, and the "members" get no say or vote whatsoever. Some have lockers and showers, some don't. Some have club storage, some have tournaments like a member-guest

Are you a priority member? If so, you must believe you are wasting your money to get the same product the general public gets
If not, good luck with peak season tee times vis a vis the MEMBERS of these SEMI-PRIVATE CLUBS. Oh, and no swimming or tennis for you, as you pay the full resident price for golf

That being said, we can agree to disagree, and just enjoy golf year round

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Sorry, but just because someone says the Earth is flat does not change the DEFINITION of a spheroid.

I've belonged to a private club for 30 years, we have a board of governors and membership meetings with voting.
There are many semi-private clubs in the area, they are all OWNED by some entity or person, and the "members" get no say or vote whatsoever. Some have lockers and showers, some don't. Some have club storage, some have tournaments like a member-guest

Are you a priority member? If so, you must believe you are wasting your money to get the same product the general public gets
If not, good luck with peak season tee times vis a vis the MEMBERS of these SEMI-PRIVATE CLUBS. Oh, and no swimming or tennis for you, as you pay the full resident price for golf

That being said, we can agree to disagree, and just enjoy golf year round

It's a prepaid discount card that costs $550.

If half the time it saves you $10 and the other half $15 you need to play [550/12.50] 44 times a year to break even. If you play Evens Prairie all year round your golf bill for 44 rounds would be 11x31 11x37 11x26 11x31 = 1375 + 550= 1925

If you play twice a week your total golf bill is 104 - 44 =60 rounds at an average of 31 =1800/yr plus 1925

So for $3725 you play twice a week.

It's not for me at this time. If I was tearing up the execs I might think differently. I want to play 9 holes or more in the afternoon after the wave.

When is the wave? Playing in the summer is practically free at 5pm.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by tomwed

It's a prepaid discount card that costs $550.

If half the time it saves you $10 and the other half $15 you need to play [550/12.50] 44 times a year to break even. If you play Evens Prairie all year round your golf bill for 44 rounds would be 11x31 11x37 11x26 11x31 = 1375 + 550= 1925

If you play twice a week your total golf bill is 104 - 44 =60 rounds at an average of 31 =1800/yr plus 1925

So for $3725 you play twice a week.

It's not for me at this time. If I was tearing up the execs I might think differently. I want to play 9 holes or more in the afternoon after the wave.

When is the wave? Playing in the summer is practically free at 5pm.

Great analysis, but I'm not sure I get the point. Golf is expensive?
I was imply siding with those who believe the championship courses are semi-private, and cited a published definition to support that claim.

As far as the cost, I play 2x/week for 24 weeks out of the year and pay far more per year, so TV golf is a huge bargain for me, even after paying greens fees and priority membership

As far as "tearing up" the execs goes, it's not that easy. Par threes generally play to a higher scoring average than 4's and 5's, and much more if looking at strokes/yard

[tomwed]

I was trying to decide for myself if I wanted to play the champs and what it would cost. I thought I would share the numbers.

I think maybe this deserves a new discussion. But I was wondering if I could either have:
unlimited exec golf
or 2 rounds a week at a championship course which would I want?

I don't know.

[bagboy]

IMO, the championship golf courses here are decent, a couple I like better than the rest. The prices are affordable, and depending on the time of year the conditions are good. There are too many factors for me to fairly compare them to the public and private courses in central Ohio and the 100 courses ( I've played 70 or so) in the Myrtle Beach area. Ohio I grew up in, and I lived in Myrtle Beach for 12 years.
You can call our courses country clubs, public or semi private, whatever you wish. But in my experience, they are nice, well maintained and well run facilities. And the price to play regardless of the time of year is extremely reasonable.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by tomwed

I was trying to decide for myself if I wanted to play the champs and what it would cost. I thought I would share the numbers.

I think maybe this deserves a new discussion. But I was wondering if I could either have:
unlimited exec golf
or 2 rounds a week at a championship course which would I want?

I don't know.

The good news is that you can have both!

The only limitations are:
The number of hours of daylight
Your golf budget
Your body's endurance
(and probably your spouse)

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Sorry, but just because someone says the Earth is flat does not change the DEFINITION of a spheroid.

I've belonged to a private club for 30 years, we have a board of governors and membership meetings with voting.
There are many semi-private clubs in the area, they are all OWNED by some entity or person, and the "members" get no say or vote whatsoever. Some have lockers and showers, some don't. Some have club storage, some have tournaments like a member-guest

Are you a priority member? If so, you must believe you are wasting your money to get the same product the general public gets
If not, good luck with peak season tee times vis a vis the MEMBERS of these SEMI-PRIVATE CLUBS. Oh, and no swimming or tennis for you, as you pay the full resident price for golf

That being said, we can agree to disagree, and just enjoy golf year round

I agree that we will disagree......and yes I am a priority member primarily for the tee times since the group I play with are all priority and as you know, if a non priority plays, the tee time rules go to the lowest rank. Not all private clubs are as you stated, a local one, Bay Hill comes to mind. Also, all the clubs owned by Trump are privately owned. Also some semi-private clubs are member owned. There may be a definition out there that someone published but there are no regs so people can call it what they want and run it the way they want. Kinda like TV

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by JoMar

I agree that we will disagree......and yes I am a priority member primarily for the tee times since the group I play with are all priority and as you know, if a non priority plays, the tee time rules go to the lowest rank. Not all private clubs are as you stated, a local one, Bay Hill comes to mind. Also, all the clubs owned by Trump are privately owned. Also some semi-private clubs are member owned. There may be a definition out there that someone published but there are no regs so people can call it what they want and run it the way they want. Kinda like TV

So, in other words, you are getting some of the stated benefits in the definition of a semi-private course by virtue of your preferred tee times, reduced green fees and pool access as a priority member. Great!!!

I'm not so sure Bay Hill or Trump is a good example of a private club---they fit more into the category of resort courses, not truly restricted to members and their guests. I've played Bay Hill and Trump when it was Doral, and frankly, they are not worth the money--and that was in 1977---now Bay Hill is $225.
Of course, you can join Bay Hill. Initiation is $30,000. Dues just under $9,000/ year. Minimum is $1200/year and then they nickel and dime you for club storage, range fees, locker etc. But my favorite is the trail fee if you use your own cart of $2,000/year when cart rental there is $18. You would have to play 111 times/year to break even---But,......if you have a cart there solely for golf, and I do not know if there is any other use there, a $12,000 cart that lasts 10 years adds $1200/year or another 67 rounds. If you add the cost of money, say the same $12,000 invested at 7.2% for 10 years, that's another $12,000 or 67 rounds, bringing the total to 245 rounds to break even.
So my advice is: If anyone has the money and wants to join Bay Hill, after you pay the 30K initiation and 11+K/year dues etc., RENT THEIR CART!!
I love Arnie, but you have to admit as a golf business entrepreneur, he is STILL THE KING.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

So, in other words, you are getting some of the stated benefits in the definition of a semi-private course by virtue of your preferred tee times, reduced green fees and pool access as a priority member. Great!!!

I'm not so sure Bay Hill or Trump is a good example of a private club---they fit more into the category of resort courses, not truly restricted to members and their guests. I've played Bay Hill and Trump when it was Doral, and frankly, they are not worth the money--and that was in 1977---now Bay Hill is $225.
Of course, you can join Bay Hill. Initiation is $30,000. Dues just under $9,000/ year. Minimum is $1200/year and then they nickel and dime you for club storage, range fees, locker etc. But my favorite is the trail fee if you use your own cart of $2,000/year when cart rental there is $18. You would have to play 111 times/year to break even---But,......if you have a cart there solely for golf, and I do not know if there is any other use there, a $12,000 cart that lasts 10 years adds $1200/year or another 67 rounds. If you add the cost of money, say the same $12,000 invested at 7.2% for 10 years, that's another $12,000 or 67 rounds, bringing the total to 245 rounds to break even.
So my advice is: If anyone has the money and wants to join Bay Hill, after you pay the 30K initiation and 11+K/year dues etc., RENT THEIR CART!!
I love Arnie, but you have to admit as a golf business entrepreneur, he is STILL THE KING.

And you tip the guy that puts your clubs in the cart and later wipes them down and puts them in your trunk. You can't not tip. It will ruin your reputation, plus clubhouse drinks and food. I think I would cry if I got a hole in one. You need to wear great golf outfits too.
I do feel like a millionaire down here golfing in a country club type of atmosphere not a public course back home.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by tomwed

And you tip the guy that puts your clubs in the cart and later wipes them down and puts them in your trunk. You can't not tip. It will ruin your reputation, plus clubhouse drinks and food. I think I would cry if I got a hole in one. You need to wear great golf outfits too.
I do feel like a millionaire down here golfing in a country club not a public course back home.

I suppose there is always hole in one insurance. Plus tip the towel guy in the locker room, the beverage cart girl, your caddy. Some places have forecaddies so don't forget to tip them also. Tip the waitress and the bartender as usual, and if you want to sneak in without a tee time, don't forget to grease the starter. There may be a parking attendant as well, and if you stay there, the doorman and the bellhop, as well as the maid. But maybe their cart paths have stripes!

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

So, in other words, you are getting some of the stated benefits in the definition of a semi-private course by virtue of your preferred tee times, reduced green fees and pool access as a priority member. Great!!!

I'm not so sure Bay Hill or Trump is a good example of a private club---they fit more into the category of resort courses, not truly restricted to members and their guests. I've played Bay Hill and Trump when it was Doral, and frankly, they are not worth the money--and that was in 1977---now Bay Hill is $225.
Of course, you can join Bay Hill. Initiation is $30,000. Dues just under $9,000/ year. Minimum is $1200/year and then they nickel and dime you for club storage, range fees, locker etc. But my favorite is the trail fee if you use your own cart of $2,000/year when cart rental there is $18. You would have to play 111 times/year to break even---But,......if you have a cart there solely for golf, and I do not know if there is any other use there, a $12,000 cart that lasts 10 years adds $1200/year or another 67 rounds. If you add the cost of money, say the same $12,000 invested at 7.2% for 10 years, that's another $12,000 or 67 rounds, bringing the total to 245 rounds to break even.
So my advice is: If anyone has the money and wants to join Bay Hill, after you pay the 30K initiation and 11+K/year dues etc., RENT THEIR CART!!
I love Arnie, but you have to admit as a golf business entrepreneur, he is STILL THE KING.

I don't disagree, my point was that semi private can mean many things and have different structures, as can private courses so it really doesn't matter if you call these courses public or semi private. I prefer public with a discount card as you saw and if you play champs twice a week it pays for itself. I don't use the pool, too many public pools close by. For what we pay, and the amount of play the courses get I think it's a pretty great place for golf, even in season.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by JoMar

I don't disagree, my point was that semi private can mean many things and have different structures, as can private courses so it really doesn't matter if you call these courses public or semi private. I prefer public with a discount card as you saw and if you play champs twice a week it pays for itself. I don't use the pool, too many public pools close by. For what we pay, and the amount of play the courses get I think it's a pretty great place for golf, even in season.

As was posted above, 100 rounds in TV with priority membership will cost you about $4,000/ year or $40/round
Bay Hill, about $130/round, plus the 30K initiation, which divided over say 10 years brings you to $160/round, plus tips
The course is somewhat better, but not 4x better
There is also probably a tee time issue there, and remember you won't get to play for 3-4 weeks at all in March-April as they prepare for and play their pro tournament

[karostay]

Originally Posted by emanzione

Just wondering why the rates on the Championship Golf Courses continue to go up year after year after year. With the amount of CONTINOUS play they receive , they should be making enough suitable income already. I do not see other Championship Courses in the area doing the same...just the villages....can someone explain ?.

Yup- Cause they can
Their sand box their rules if you want to play your going to pay

[graciegirl]

....