Are there NOT enough golf courses here?
 

Just witnessed an elderly gent hitting golf balls into the lake at the corner of Homeland and Canal Streets in Village of Bonita. The ducks used more common sense than this man as they headed to the other end of the lake. As did the other fellow fishing, too.

Smart guy. He had actually figured out a way he would have the luxury of playing ready golf, Far too many slow golfers here

IMO there are more than enough golf courses here's. i think at last count around 650 holes. It's the big sale free golf! Which is not really free. The villages have several recreational activities equal to golf, it not just about golf. the guy was hitting golf ball into retention pond probably with the floating golf balls he got from the range. He probably didn't want spend few bucks at the driving range.

If there were enough golf courses, people could get tee times during high season. I struggle to get a foursome in during November!

I have never failed to obtain a tee time on a championship course and only a few times was I denied a tee time on an executive course, this is with 4-8 Village residents requests, no guests. This is over the past 8 winters

but, but you can golf free the rest of your life on your retirement pension:D and wait til they connect Fenney with the rest of TV

Two Advil. That's what I do. I don't drink.

Still not sure why OP is so upset over this. If he didn't cause you or anyone else any harm, who cares if he hits his throwaway balls into a lake? And why is it even anyone's business?
Yes, I know there are the hand-wringing, sky is falling folks who sit around and dream of things that COULD happen, I just don't have time for it.

Was he testing to see if the balls were water seekers some stores seem to be selling me?

I disagree. During high season,it is sometime hard to get a tee time on executive golf courses no matter what time you play.

He’s being facetious [emoji6]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea and lightly joking too;)

I would guess that there are many of us, who have been living here 10 years or more, now understand how the native Americans felt.

Here they were with plenty of buffalo to hunt, open land as far as the eye could see, quiet nights, fresh air to breathe and bluebirds that dominated the skies. then first came the ships, then the covered wagons and buffalo, open space bluebirds fresh air began to disappear.

NIMBY has been a ubiquitous refrain since the beginning of time.

Cést la vie

I agree. It is not even really the high season yet, and tee times are not readily available in prime times if you're trying to do it with a reservation instead of a request. I looked yesterday to make a tee time for 4 people between 8:30 and 12:30, centrally located exec course for Wednesday, and there were zero tee times period. This morning, for Wednesday there a couple way down by Lopez at 7:29, then nothing until another one by Lopez at 1:11. You can get tee times if you are willing to have a huge window, say 8 hours, and can drive long distances. Definitely need to put in a request ahead of time.

Just wait until high season plus another 24,000 homes and only one more championship course. There may be more, but current plans only show one more championship course.

If you build it, they will come. there will be AT LEAST 2 more Championship courses plus the one currently in the planing stages.

There are other things happening too, although I wouldn't rule out another 18 hole course. The other things that are happening when new fresh healthy folks move in are that some golfers are heading out to play with St. Peter and others are having a bit of trouble getting around and playing golf as often as they age.

I am so sorry to be tiresome, but I do think that those who plan have factored in and considered all aspects of the larger population. I will wait and see and hope to be vindicated in my belief in their good planning.

During high season, especially the first two weeks in January with the arrival of cabin fevered, half frozen Northerners who want to get OUT in the sun and play golf, then some people may be forced to ask for a broader window, and be prepared to drive farther to play, especially with groups. But the computer makes it as fair as it can considering how many times you played last week against those who ask.

What did you base your opinion other than 650 holes? You must certainly be aware that the number of golfers and number of starting times and number of daylight hours are also factors. Do you have any information on those numbers?

Where did you see plans for more than one championship course? I have reviewed every planning document available and could find only one. Please provide the information as to where that is shown. I certainly hope you are correct, but I was not able to find that.

I have done the requests for our group for the last 5-6 years. Seems to me that with all things being equal ( points , window , etc ) that it has gotten a lot more difficult getting a t time this year. Too many golfers ? Not enough courses ? Perhaps a combo of both ?

I stand corrected only 630 from the 2017 new comers guide. I'm guessing couple course was complete in January 2017.

Sorry use poor golfer's can't play 36 holes day. I use to get free court time at tennis club. Same problem you had to call to reserve the courts time. There were other playing the game also. So, I couldn't play every evening. I didn't whine about it.

Just now 4:15PM and looked at open tee times for Thursday. From 8 - 3 there were 27 open tee times. on the Executive courses. There were more before and after this window.
If you want to play you can play........................

I'm sure there are plenty of tee times. Some people only want certain courses and certain windows of time. I'll be back in the bubble playing tomorrow. Yeah!

No problem.... it's 648 I believe.

I agree. Then they should not come on here and whine.

So, OP, are you complaining about the elderly man hitting golf balls into the pond or are you complaining about too many golf courses here? He's on the back nine of life, let him enjoy time while he can. And I speak for all avid golfers here, there is never enough golf courses.

My thought is why would someone clutter up the lake with golf balls? Like all the sytrofoam foam cups and plastic bottles floating in the Baltimore Inner Harbor that someone else has to clean up.

Yes, but where were they located? If you live up near Feeny you're not going to go all the way down to Lopez to play. And were they for foursomes, or just openings for singles? The reality is, the Villages is now so large and driving distances so great, you have to factor that in when making a tee time. And to DonH57 who said something about Villagers wanting certain windows of time, of course we do! We all have very busy, active lives, with dentist and doctor appointments, clubs we belong to, and so on. Everyone I know puts in a window. I personally think if you put in a window of 3-4 hours for a foursome on an executive course, and list about dozen possible courses you would play at, and can't get a tee time, then there is a problem. And that scenario does happen during the high season.

Seems to me many have misinterpreted the OP’s intentions with this thread. I think the concern was practicing golf in an inappropriate place.

However, in keeping with the new direction of the thread, the situation is not as dire as portrayed. The system works as it should. The fewer points you accumulate each week, the better your chance of snagging a tee time at your desired course(s) and your desired time. And vice versa. It is designed to “spread the wealth” and not have people crowded out by those who play more frequently. Yes, in the high season, you have to use a larger window of time (like six hours) and a larger number of courses in your request. Nowhere is anyone guaranteed they can play every day where they want to. And adding a guest to a request will also diminish the chance of getting a time, since the courses are there for residents, first and foremost.

Yes, I agree some do have busy lifestyles, some so much you would think they were still driving the clock for a paycheck. As for me I don't rush for nobody or anything anymore. I'm done with that crap. Everyone has their needs and wants.

It'snot a question of whining, the question was posed, "Are there not enough golf courses?". Your response was to state the number of holes. We are told that we can play "Free Golf" every day for the rest of our lives. The question of "Free Golf" notwithstanding, (we all know it's not actually free) are there enough golf courses to meet the demand so that the developer's promise can be met?

Questions need to be asked such as: What is the specific guarantee of this free golf? Is it nine holes a day, eighteen holes per day, unlimited golf 365 days a year? How many golfers are there in The Villages? How many want to play each Day? How many courses are there? How many starting times are there? How many hours of daylight do we have? All of these questions need to be answered in order to determine how many golf courses are necessary?

As far as supply and demand, it's a simple math problem once the terms of the contract are specified.

I usually sign up as a single and have never gotten denied access to an executive course. I have been part of a foursome that has been denied so I went and signed as a single and got on somewhere. As far as these people that run huge groups, they are not being denied golf. In fact, if I were running things, no one would be allowed to sign up with more than a foursome. But that's me. I'm not a big fan of groups of golfers or leagues. But that's another whole subject.

As far as I'm concerned, I get to play my "free" golf and can play at least nine holes every day and eighteen most of the days. I may not be able the play the exact course that I want or the exact time that I want or with the people I'd prefer to play with. But as far as I'm concerned, the developer has fulfilled its side of the contract.

They were all foursomes.
Size of the villages.......just more whining. What, you want 10 executive courses within 10 minutes of your house?
You say there is a problem....your solution is?

Here we go again that ubiquitous conundrum called
"expectations". The Developer DID PROMISE YOU A ROSE GARDEN. Did the Developer deliver? The developer sold "exclusivity" and called it "lifestyle" Did the Developer deliver?

Are some residents too demanding?
Are some residents too easily satisfied?
Are some residents...................................

Beginning at this time of the year and ending the end of March, all over Florida the crowding and the waiting and the complaining begins. Our population swells as a State and we are forced to see that our home is in a vacation destination. People in West Palm and Jacksonville and over in the panhandle do not have the same choices in tee times that they had before and they are bummed.

Poor them. They don't have a developer to kick.

It is not peak season on the panhandle. Their high season is summer.

mr. Bogie, we mostly agree, the the OP IMO was whining about somebody hitting golf ball not on the course. IMO golf is not free, big chunk of my amenities pays for the upkeep. I could whine about not enough track and field when I see runners running down the roads and paths. But, IMO none of my business just like the guy hitting the balls not on my property. But, some would say it is our property cause the bonds paid for it?????:boom:

IMO at this time there are enough golf courses. Maybe it's challenging to get tee time in the high season, but what's not challenge in the high season? But, can we agree when enough is enough? Now that apartments may be coming in few years? I also think in 10 years brownwood will be center of th villages as long as boomers keep coming? I also think the free golf is sales gimmick to suck us in and it works very well.

NO one said there were apartments. NO ONE OFFICIAL said that at all. I am guessing they are buildings for Memory Care and Assisted Living. You know, the HOME we all dread going to?

The guarantee of free golf does not state which courses you can play or when you can play or who you play with. I will often travel to the other end of The Villages to play a course. The fact that you want to play at a specific time with specific people on a limited list of courses is your problem. The Villages is still offering you the opportunity to play golf pretty much every day.

I didn't come here for the free golf. Due to some injuries and physical restrictions, I had given up on playing golf at that time. If I'm not mistaken, less than half of the residents play golf so I don't think that everyone is getting "sucked in".

I'm very happy with the lifestyle here. I really wouldn't want to live anywhere else whether I played golf or not.

I could care less if The Villages keeps growing. It's not really going to have huge impact on current residents as long as more rec centers, shops and golf courses are built, and they will be. People in Fenny are not going to be dining Spanish Springs are restaurant very often. And I don't go to Brownwood very often.

The developer has always built infrastructure at a rate matching the home building.

I haven't heard that apartments are coming, but so what? Maybe I'll take one of those apartments when I get older and don't want to maintain a house.

I don't think that it's too crowded here. It does get a bit busy in the winter, but it's only crowded to people who have never lived in a big city, or even a small city. Go visit some cities of 150,000 people and you'll understand crowded. Go visit some cities of a million or more and you'll really understand crowded and traffic.

We have a great life here. My only wish is that we were closer to a good beach and a major highway. A half hour to get to the turnpike is a pain and having to drive two hours to go to the beach is inconvenient. I would have loved it if The Villages was built in Sarasota or Clearwater. But then, of course, homes would be twice as expensive.
Also, the golf courses, for the most part, should be in better condition. I'll never understand how The Villages does everything so well except golf. The common areas are well maintained, Flowers and mulching are beautifully done. The squares, rec centers, pools and tennis courts are superb. But the golf courses are poorly designed, poorly maintained and poorly managed. I'm probably a bit more critical than most people when it comes to golf courses as I spent 40 years of my life working at and managing golf courses so I think that most people are very happy with what they get.

But I have very few complaints about what has been offered and what has been delivered. If my only complaint in life is that the golf courses should be in better condition, I have a pretty great life.