This should be for the executive courses. I personally beleive all of the championship are in and good.

Differentiate??? It's called handicap index. I guarantee you the course rating is about 5-6 shots higher from 7200 than it is from 5500. Then, when you play El Campion or Black Bear, the slope is higher as well. So when a Villager who shoots 80 from the white tees here goes and plays the championship tees at Bethpage Black (rating about 77.5, slope 155) he can expect to shoot about 106

In the "real world" of golf, there is a spectrum of players from top touring pros to complete hacks. In the "real world of TV", just look at the course records for the low side, and on the easiest execs for complete beginners.

None of them are going to be in the "Sunday final pairing", but that doesn't mean there aren't those that play a little more serious towards attainable goals. As far as the "social golfers" go, just take care of the course, respect the etiquette and keep up. Since they are mostly on the execs, I won't see them anyway.

Course Ratings
 

I agree that the ratings are 4-6 shots too high.......the result being the handicaps here don't travel well............

The major factor of a course rating is length..........in the old days it was the only factor........
Now they have a formula for secondary factors, width of fairways, type of rough, hazards, slope of greens, speed of greens

A rating team, usually 3-4 persons, walk each hole individually and give that hole a rating based on length and secondary factors, once done they all discuss their notes and come to a conclusion for each hole. That conclusion, and their notes, are submitted to the State Golf Association for another review and a rating is established.

Once submitted to the State Golf Association is when it becomes political. They compare different course ratings and the courses they hold in high esteem will stay with a higher rating even though a team determined otherwise. Sad fact.

I had a course rated in Massachusetts, very high, but when it came back it was lowered. I was told it was lowered because it would be rated harder than The Country Club in Brookline. Politics at the State level.

With the length of the courses in TV, with the very wide fairways, with the bunkers in the fairway really out of play, with the green side bunkers being minimal and not severe, and the greens being fairly flat with little or no slopes and the green speed usually being medium, the course should be rated lower. Again I would say 4-5 shots.

With all that being said, the courses at TV are ideal for its users. You can boast of a low handicap, BUT, don't take it out of the bubble, you will be slaughtered.

Again I say, great courses for this population.

Nice post, but unfortunately it is backwards. If, as stated, you feel TV courses are easy and should be rated 4-5 shots lower, which would put them about 61-62, then everyone's handicap index would be INFLATED by 4-5 shots. Outside the bubble, TV golfers would have a huge advantage, especially since our courses tend to have a low slope as well.

The championship courses in The Villages are designed with 2 objectives in mind:
1) Drain the water from the housing areas
2) Make it play as fast and easy as possible to maximize profits

That's why most of the Championship courses all look alike.

Really??? So why did they bother hiring golf course architects. Why pay Arnold Palmer, Nancy Lopez, Hubert Green and John Mahaffey to design courses. They could have just planted some flags in a low-lying cow meadow to drain water and "speed play". Full disclosure---are you even a golfer---not play golf, but a golfer????

What else do we have to complain about?

If you think that AP,NL,HG,and JM fully designed these golf courses than you must believe in Bigfoot and the Lockness Monster.
They have companies that do that and they review.............it aint the same

No kidding. If you believe those companies come cheap, YOU must believe in Bigfoot as well. Remember that poster's premise that I was responding to---drainage and fast play to make excessive profits. I doubt you agree with that.

A few hard-core complainers here are never lacking something to be unhappy about. Seems like they live to be miserable. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

:boom:

Bottom Line, the golf courses cater beautifully to the clientele

Nearly all The Villages courses are designed by the same design firm - Clifton, Ezell and Clifton. Including the Palmer and Lopez courses. Look up their website and you will see just about every Villages course listed.
And Yes I am a real golfer, playing since my teen years. And I play real courses.

Handicaps
 

Actually, with a course rating that is too high, the handicaps are deflated and thats why, as writers have noted, they don't travel well. With a lower rating handicaps will go up but would be truer. Downside is you won't be able to brag you are a 5 handicap when your actually a 9.

Slope ratings on golf courses won't make up for the fact that your course rating is too high. :wave::wave: It takes a difference of 10 points on a course slope to move the needle by 1 stroke
You are again slaughtered. Sorry, don't bet outside the bubble...........

Very true in so many ways.

:eclipsee_gold_cup: