Originally Posted by kansasr (Post 2294287)

What seems to be more missing in these discussions is the pressure put on the executive courses when the increased January rates on the championship courses go into effect. In my case, I go from playing mostly championship to mostly executive, until the rates go down again and I can play 9 in the wave

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe (Post 2294218)

Just like horseback riding, croquet, and tennis, some activities just fade away after a few generations.

Golf is one of those.

Originally Posted by BrianL99 (Post 2294312)

It's lasted about 125 years in the USA and doubt it's going anywhere, fast.

What a lot of folks aren't realizing, is golf is being over-taken by "virtual golf". There's now a virtual professional golf tour. Why waste 100's of acres, when a computer can create the perfect golf course?

Originally Posted by kansasr (Post 2294287)

What seems to be more missing in these discussions is the pressure put on the executive courses when the increased January rates on the championship courses go into effect.

Originally Posted by rsimpson (Post 2294298)

You are correct - the continual price increases in greens fees for Champs (already too high) puts even more strain on the Execs.

Here's a controversial idea - if you cannot hit a golf ball more than 60-70 yards (or you whiff more that 5 times in 9 holes) play the Pitch-and-Putts. Then stick to the Level 1's for a while. Yikes....

Originally Posted by natjos (Post 2293940)

Well I have finally experienced the difficulty getting a Tee time that others have complained about. It has everything to do with the golfers in all of the new developments coming north because of the lack of courses in the south. I have been here for 10 years and have never been constantly shut out of getting a time. I went on 6 days before and asked for a starting time within a four hour spread. I had 4 points at the time. Didn't get any of the three days requested. I think that groups are forming leagues down south and rotating request so that there are request with only 1 or 2 points. I have golfed with people who are traveling an hour by cart to get to the north end to golf. My reason for owning in the Villages is quickly fading.

Originally Posted by Parteeinga (Post 2294337)

I do not have any issue riding the hour in the golf cart from my house to play the northern most courses.

Originally Posted by TheWarriors (Post 2294230)

I couldn’t do that to Women playing. I’m sure 99% of women playing don’t want an unfamiliar man joining them.

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki (Post 2294196)

When the area south of 44 and the turnpike was being planned, golf participation was declining, until 2020.
From 2010 to 2019, participation dropped from 26.12 million to 24.3 million - almost 10%. In 2022, it was 25.6 million, almost recovered to 2010 level (back to 2011 level). No one could have predicted that.

Golf participation US 2022 | Statista

Originally Posted by TheWarriors (Post 2294230)

I couldn’t do that to Women playing. I’m sure 99% of women playing don’t want an unfamiliar man joining them.

Originally Posted by Velvet (Post 2294366)

We often have only 7 of us playing and so one group of 3 gets a lone guy nearly every time. It works out fine. The guy starts at his tee, we wait, then drive to our tee. Guy might finish first and then waits for each of us, sometimes giving helpful comments or making jokes. I mean he has three considerate and funny ladies to entertain him!

Originally Posted by GizmoWhiskers (Post 2294103)

The fourth generation developers don't care about tee times. They want to sell houses and build paying Championship courses open to the public. They don't care about aesthetics, they want to pack the houses in. No beautiful mvp Golf cart paths out that way majority are diamond lanes. They couldn't replicate a gorgeous treed in mvp golf path and come out $$ on top. They are putting in practically no trees and real plant, just palms (now deamed weeds in parts of FL) and scrub bushes. 140,000 people (?) And a permanently closed gorgeous movie theater in Brownwood. The list goes on and on that shows the newest areas are lacking what used to be excellent above the standard industry draws for picking T V.

They are doing the bare minimum to keep T V "lifestyle" appearance.

A dream stays alive when there is a vision... the magic fairy dust is blowing away in the dust bowl surrounding the temporary "new" center of T V. The next one is being planned already.

There is definity a honeymoon season living in T V and the further south one goes the quicker that ends.
It is possible to have too much of a good thing.

They aren't keeping up with free golf demand any longer. But hey at least there is disc golf now in the Hogeye Preserve, so tee up, that'll fix the lack of golf courses being built.