[Warren Kiefer]

Of 21 local championship type golf courses reviewed in March, the top six most expensive for a Villager to play are all in the Villages?? This is not Harold Schwartz's vision of what he wanted the Villages to be at all.

[gage405]

Simple answer....Greed has taken over.

[memason]

Not sure about the greed .... ???? Fees to play in TV are certainly more modest that I was accustomed to paying up north and certainly a far cry from what I had to pay in Europe, last year.

Not sure...maybe it's just me.

[aln]

I tried Scotsdale in Jan-Mar..... anything close to what we have in Mallory, Cane, Palmer, Lopez or Havana et al was at least $75 and more typically $150 a round.
I tried the barrier islands off South Carolina.... The Ocean Course in 1995 was $300+
In Wisc in the summer a relatively good 'county' course will cost $40-$50 and semi private courses are $60+. The Kohler courses are well in the hundreds.

Four months of prime time here the rates barely rival those prices and after May 1 through Jan 1 it's very reasonable and hopefully this summer like the last couple years you can plan all the 'champ' courses for SIX dollars after 5.

Not to mention Schwartz' idea of free golf is still there all year on the exec courses!

Works for me

Originally Posted by aln

I tried Scotsdale in Jan-Mar..... anything close to what we have in Mallory, Cane, Palmer, Lopez or Havana et al was at least $75 and more typically $150 a round.
I tried the barrier islands off South Carolina.... The Ocean Course in 1995 was $300+
In Wisc in the summer a relatively good 'county' course will cost $40-$50 and semi private courses are $60+. The Kohler courses are well in the hundreds.

Four months of prime time here the rates barely rival those prices and after May 1 through Jan 1 it's very reasonable and hopefully this summer like the last couple years you can plan all the 'champ' courses for SIX dollars after 5.

Not to mention Schwartz' idea of free golf is still there all year on the exec courses!

Works for me

Well said. Anything close to Palmer up in massachusetts or New Hampshire is at least $75...most ovr $100.


gage 405...Simple answer greed has taken over!!


The word greed here really irritates me.I wish I could meet the morse family and personally thank them for affording me the chance to live this lifestyle!Please someone tell me of a place where a guy ,who was middle class all his life, can live the lifestyle afforded me here!

THANK YOU HAROLD SCHWARTZ FOR HAVING THIS VISION & FOR THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY MOVING FORWARD !!!

[golfnut]

Warren, I'd be interested in reading the review, do you have a link....gn

[golf2140]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

Well said. Anything close to Palmer up in massachusetts or New Hampshire is at least $75...most ovr $100.


gage 405...Simple answer greed has taken over!!


The word greed here really irritates me.I wish I could meet the morse family and personally thank them for affording me the chance to live this lifestyle!Please someone tell me of a place where a guy ,who was middle class all his life, can live the lifestyle afforded me here!

THANK YOU HAROLD SCHWARTZ FOR HAVING THIS VISION & FOR THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY MOVING FORWARD !!!

I agree 100%

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Warren Kiefer

Of 21 local championship type golf courses reviewed in March, the top six most expensive for a Villager to play are all in the Villages?? This is not Harold Schwartz's vision of what he wanted the Villages to be at all.

I'd like to read the review too.

Welcome Warren.

You are new here on the forum. Have you lived in The Villages for some time to bring up Harold Schwartz's vision? I am sure he was a good person and a people person, and he had a great plan but his son and grandchildren seem to be the people with the vision that created this place as it exists today.

It is MUCH more expensive to play golf on courses that are comparable back in my home state. Not to mention the HUGE fees to join country clubs and the fact that you have a certain minimum to pay monthly at the country club restaurant and that isn't cheap either.

It is pretty wonderful for someone like us who have had to pay a lot more for golf for a lifetime.

[Ohiogirl]

Don't forget that there is no cart fee to use your cart on the championship courses, and the yearly or semi-annual trail fee for a household on the executive courses is a steal!

[ajdeck]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

Well said. Anything close to Palmer up in massachusetts or New Hampshire is at least $75...most ovr $100.


gage 405...Simple answer greed has taken over!!


The word greed here really irritates me.I wish I could meet the morse family and personally thank them for affording me the chance to live this lifestyle!Please someone tell me of a place where a guy ,who was middle class all his life, can live the lifestyle afforded me here!

THANK YOU HAROLD SCHWARTZ FOR HAVING THIS VISION & FOR THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY MOVING FORWARD !!!

I also agree 100%, don't really see "greed" here.


Thanks also to the family.
aj

[dgammon6]

Ditto Bosoxfan.

[Mikeod]

The championship greens fees are set to make the courses self-sustaining. Remember, there is no initiation fee, no monthly minimum in the dining room/bar, and no trail fee to use your own cart on the course. All those add up.

In SoCal, courses like those here would all be twice what we pay plus a cart fee/trail fee.

I don't see greed either when it comes to the golf fees.

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by Warren Kiefer

Of 21 local championship type golf courses reviewed in March, the top six most expensive for a Villager to play are all in the Villages?? This is not Harold Schwartz's vision of what he wanted the Villages to be at all.

I see this is only your second post---
If you have some more cool aid == those numbers will look different. If you do not have a golf cart then add another $8 ( i think that the rental fee for a golf cart ) to the green fees when playing in the villages. then add another $8b( per month ) for the right to book a tee time online. Then be ready to wait until 12 midnight to book a time, if you want to play in the morning. You have to try and beat the regulars who book for large groups and know the system. I may be wrong on some of these statements as i do not play much golf and am not familiar with the tee time system. It is probably more expensive to play in Hawaii although i have never been there. Maybe its because they dont have frost or a lack of water so there courses are in better shape and charge more. Maybe its more expensive to play in Europe as the American dollar is not worth what the euro is. Maybe it more expensive to play up north as they only have a few months to make money as do to weather. Maybe its more expensive to play at a country club where everyone who is a member make mega bucks and can afford to play at a well manicured course that does not get the traffic that the villages course get

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by Warren Kiefer

Of 21 local championship type golf courses reviewed in March, the top six most expensive for a Villager to play are all in the Villages?? This is not Harold Schwartz's vision of what he wanted the Villages to be at all.

I could not find that article by googling, so if you have a reference I would love to see the details.

Let me preface this by saying I almost exclusively golf at courses inside TV. I love packing a few beverages and a sandwich, putting on my "spikes" in the garage and driving to the course in my golf cart. I truly love being in TV and the golf is a big reason.

That said, it is hard for me to argue that TV courses are not a bit more expensive than other local courses, e.g. Eagle Ridge, Stonecrest, Stone Creek and others folks post about all of the time. To compare costs to anywhere else in the US is apples and oranges for me. As a consumer, I am more than willing to pay that difference for the convenience.

Do I think the higher cost is greed? No. I think it is a price based on supply and demand to maintain the courses for the year. If it was greed the prices would be pushed up until play went down during the winter. As someone that loves the convenience I mentioned above I am not sure where my breaking point for price would be before I went outside. On the other hand here comes May, I can play Palmer after 11 AM for $15'ish (I say ish as I do not remember actual cost)

[actor]

Originally Posted by gage405

Simple answer....Greed has taken over.

you show your bias with a post like that.