[Love2Swim]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

There is a HUGE difference between a private country club and a public golf course that is privately owned. Apples and oranges. Heck, when I was 16, I could play Bethpage Black on a weekday for $1.75---much less total than $500 year as well......but.......3 hour waits, 7 hour rounds, and at the time, deplorable conditions. My club in Central NY ran close to $10,000 each year, but......no wait, pristine condition, practice area, tennis courts, clubhouse with social events and restaurant. No comparison.

The Villages golf courses are absolutely NOT in pristine condition, and you generally have 4.5 -5 hour round of golf during the high season. If I play at Mallory for example, the "practice area" is a putting green that doesn't allow chipping, and there is one cage for hitting balls. What a joke. But they get away with charging the big prices because they can. Snowbirds are here, the courses are handy, and people are willing to pay more for convenience. The powers that be know they have a captive audience and they capitalize on that. But you can certainly get a better bang for the buck outside The Villages.

[Love2Swim]

Originally Posted by maistocars

Also, it looks like the season doesn't even start until May, and being in northern NY, likely ends mid-September.

They are open 6 months.

[Love2Swim]

Originally Posted by PoolBrews

You can't compare prices here to prices at home and simply declare it a great deal. That doesn't even make sense. Prices in central Florida are not comparable to prices in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, etc.

You need to compare prices in The Villages to prices at comparable courses just outside the The Villages. When you do that, you realize that it's a really BAD deal.

We can play at good courses outside of The Villages for half of the rate here - and many of those courses are better maintained.

I'm certainly rethinking my priority membership at this point.

Exactly. You get and A+ in finance and economics. Some of these other posters need to go back to school, lol.

[Love2Swim]

Originally Posted by Steve

The golf courses in The Villages are primarily a sales tool. As prospective owners are driven around they see the courses and think "This is golf paradise." They aren't told how the rates have gone up exorbitantly over the years with no end in sight. The high price makes for less play so it's easier to maintain the course. (I know they tout 3 million rounds a year, but that includes executive courses and I think they count every nine as one round, so 18 holes is tabulated as 2 rounds.) I've been here 17 1/2 years and when I moved here golf WAS a bargain. Now, during the low rate times I play here just once a week and outside TV twice a week. In the high rate season it's outside TV 100%. Eagle Ridge, The Links, Plantation at Leesburg, Stonecrest, Silver Springs Shores and more, all within 15-30 minutes of TV at less than half the price--it's a no-brainer!

Good to know!

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Love2Swim

The Villages golf courses are absolutely NOT in pristine condition, and you generally have 4.5 -5 hour round of golf during the high season. If I play at Mallory for example, the "practice area" is a putting green that doesn't allow chipping, and there is one cage for hitting balls. What a joke. But they get away with charging the big prices because they can. Snowbirds are here, the courses are handy, and people are willing to pay more for convenience. The powers that be know they have a captive audience and they capitalize on that. But you can certainly get a better bang for the buck outside The Villages.

Agree with everything except the 4.5-5 hour round. I think 4:25 is the longest I ever played in 8 years here

[Bogie Shooter]

This thread is almost (almost) as much fun to read as a ; thread on dog poop, round a bouts or anything else.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

This thread is almost (almost) as much fun to read as a ; thread on dog poop, round a bouts or anything else.

Yes, and all for a $2.50 rate increase. But let's see if we can tie it all together. A few dollars more for greens fees may keep some people off the courses, which means they exercise less and drive their carts less. This leads to less body heat and less CO2 emissions, which in turn reduce global warming. However, this gives them more time on their keyboards for global warming threads, which uses more electricity, some of which is generated by burning fossil fuels and adds to CO2 which increases global warming. But on the other hand, less golfers reduce the need for new courses, which reduces the number of trees cut down so more CO2 is removed from the atmosphere---unless the land is used to build coal burning power plants to generate the electricity for the EVs and electric golf carts that are being produced to combat global warming.

Guess what----Couldn't tie it all together

[Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Love2Swim

But they get away with charging the big prices because they can. Snowbirds are here, the courses are handy, and people are willing to pay more for convenience. The powers that be know they have a captive audience and they capitalize on that.

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[Kingsport]

With the prices they charge, you’d think they would keep dog walkers off the cart paths!

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

This thread is almost (almost) as much fun to read as a ; thread on dog poop, round a bouts or anything else.

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Yes, and all for a $2.50 rate increase. But let's see if we can tie it all together. A few dollars more for greens fees may keep some people off the courses, which means they exercise less and drive their carts less. This leads to less body heat and less CO2 emissions, which in turn reduce global warming. However, this gives them more time on their keyboards for global warming threads, which uses more electricity, some of which is generated by burning fossil fuels and adds to CO2 which increases global warming. But on the other hand, less golfers reduce the need for new courses, which reduces the number of trees cut down so more CO2 is removed from the atmosphere---unless the land is used to build coal burning power plants to generate the electricity for the EVs and electric golf carts that are being produced to combat global warming.

Guess what----Couldn't tie it all together

Confirmation noted…..

[HoosierPa]

Originally Posted by alwann

Golf Enhancement (aka Priority for 12 months) is going up $40, plus tax. It's beginning to feel like we're paying resort prices to play here.

It is a resort

[NoMo50]

Originally Posted by Flyer

Didn't last years enhanced membership include the trail fee? Not included this year, yet no price decrease. The numbers don't work for me anymore. Will be doing more of my driving outside the villages when need to play championship courses occurs.

Exactly. Not only is the $141.25 trail fee no longer included, they also stripped out the $200 Country Club pool membership. That's $340+ in benefits removed with no decrease in annual fee. One would have to play a lot of championship golf to make this pay off.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by NoMo50

Exactly. Not only is the $141.25 trail fee no longer included, they also stripped out the $200 Country Club pool membership. That's $340+ in benefits removed with no decrease in annual fee. One would have to play a lot of championship golf to make this pay off.

Depends on the member. My husband never plays executive courses, and we have our own pool. Removal of trail fees and priority pools was zero impact.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by JSR22

Depends on the member. My husband never plays executive courses, and we have our own pool. Removal of trail fees and priority pools was zero impact.

Actually, probably a positive impact because he is competing with less priority members for desired tee times.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Actually, probably a positive impact because he is competing with less priority members for desired tee times.

None of the men he plays with gave up their priority. He is in 3 different groups, and they don't get shut out. Only priority members in the 3 groups and no guests.