WHY THE 4:00 pm GOLF CART CLOSING
 

Perhaps this topic was addressed before, but does anyone know the reason for 4:00 PM golf course closings. I fail to see how a later closing would adversely affect our exposure to COVID-19. During this time of limited activity, this ruling seems somewhat arbitrary. Since we are all still paying our amenity fees and trail fees and golf has been accepted as an approved activity, why close early. The cost to The Villages has already been paid. This limited time is not only a problem with people wanting to play after 4 PM , but ripples through the entire system to deny us promised amenities.
I am generally supportive of The Villages (a great place) but this rule seems faulty. Perhaps The Villages is limited to what the state will allow.

They've lost a bunch of employees who felt it safer to not work during the pandemic. Since the human resources department is in the Villages offices, which are currently closed, they can't conduct interviews to replace these people. In addition, once the pandemic is over, those people will want their jobs back - and rightly so. No one should feel obligated to risk their lives in order to accommodate the entertainment needs of a bunch of self-sufficient able-bodied retired people. The Villages has allowed them to take a leave of absence. That means they get their jobs back when the pandemic is over.

That ALSO means that even if they were to hire people to cover the shifts - those people would need a couple weeks training - for a minimum-wage temp job. But they can't hire them, because they can't train them, because the pandemic has closed all of the departments responsible for hiring and training people.

Since they're short-staffed, something has to give. So they reduced the hours. The golf courses ARE open after 4. But the last tee time is 4PM (or 3:58, depending on the course).

Tee-times are available for 8 hours or more, every day. If you can't manage to find a tee-time at any nearby executive or championship course, then maybe you need to work on your phone-calling skills. The courses up in the northern section of the Villages are not heavily populated lately.

Thanks for your reply. I can accept the logic and trust it came from a learned source. However, your comment regarding the phone calling skills appears a bit critical to one who does scheduling by computer. I am finding that comment to be a totally wrong since very little is available north or south for Wednesday for example, which has been the case lately.

I would have liked them to open later and stay open later. Some people do work and look forward to daylight savings time so they can play after work. It doesn't affect me, but it does affect others.

Totally under stand...My concern is previously we were permitted to walk on after last tee time till dark. Why not now ? I don't quite comprehend that change
Been a number of nice evenings would have loved to play a round with the Ms

Did not see one answer in your supplied list. The question was why the 4PM closure. In response to the new post got an answer whether true or false. That was that some course employees opted not to risk exposure to COVID-9, thus not enough help available to keep open longer.

"Tee time hours are being modified to reflect the current available staffing levels of Executive Golf Operations. Hours will be from 7am through 4pm"

Village Community Development Districts

Read this carefully - IT’S A PERSONNEL ISSUE.

Do people really not know about all the closures that have happened in the last few weeks? Golf remains open with reduced hours, everything else has no hours.

Again I will ask.....what is so hard to understand? It's in the link above
I don't know but I'm pretty sure that would pertain to champ golf also


"Tee time hours are being modified to reflect the current available staffing levels of Executive Golf Operations. Hours will be from 7am through 4pm."

And I believe there is a number to call with further questions.

Steve

Yes, I know this has been discussed previously. Yes, I have read the limited staff explanation. Are not ALL the rec centers closed? What are those folks doing? Could those that choose to take the place of those golf course employees that choose not to work? On a related note; I have noticed that the golf course ambassadors are available to patrol the exec courses at 7:30 ish to ensure there are no walkers on the paths. The two that asked me to leave were actually pretty nice about it. Just following orders.

If we just followed orders and stayed off after 4:00, they wouldn't need to be there, nice or not.

The quote about the tee time is true, but it doesn't answer the question that the poster asked. He wasn't asking about tee times. I get what he's saying but I don't have an answer for him.

Here's his concern:

Previously, people could tee off AFTER the last scheduled tee time, in the evenings, and play until dark if they wanted to.

Now, they must adhere to the schedule, and may not tee off after the last scheduled tee time.

It used to be, if the last available tee time was 6:29 - and the starter left at 6:40...

you could go to the first hole at 7:10 and tee off and play a round if you wanted to.

I don't know if that was an actual permission granted, or if they simply looked the other way and didn't try to enforce any rules about it, or if it was against the rules and people just disregarded the rules and since there wasn't anyone there after hours to enforce it, nothing was ever done to do so.

But that is what I'm getting from this person's post: that he used to be able to play AFTER everyone with a scheduled tee-time was finished, and now he isn't allowed, and he wants to know why.

Unless the rules have changed you can PLAY after 4 p.m. WITHOUT a tee time
 

Yes, it did change.

I've always wondered if that was actually sanctioned, or if they just didn't police it. Maybe they decided to double-down and enforce it due to the virus? I don't know. I am stating no facts, just a conjecture.

Possible silly question alert. I understand and support all the precautions that are being taken. But I will admit the question has occurred to me...

If you don’t touch the flag at all, why is it so different to have the pvc in the hole? On one hand, you’re picking your ball out of a cup which everybody’s ball falls into. On the other hand, your picking your ball up after it hits the pvc which everybody’s ball has hit.

Don’t be too hard on me. I’m just lying here awake having silly thoughts. :)

Ambassadors perform more functions than delivering water and sand to players. They are also there to monitor players to make sure no one is causing damage, using the course as a practice area, or is injured or needs medical assistance. With reduced staff, that function cannot be done for the same hours as before. Yes, they could open a few courses from 10-7 instead of 7-4, however I expect some would simply try to play on closed courses because "they are doing it over there". Much better to have a consistent policy during this time. Yes inconvenient to people who are still working. Yes, inconvenient to people used to playing late. But it's temporary. Don't forget what happened to the pool access by people pushing the boundaries of the restrictions. Those who congregated at the squares and bars early on probably showed the district that there couldn't be much leeway in restrictions.

Not like you to post a silly question (most of the time:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:)

The scenario you describe might be possible but highly improbable. First of all, a ball that has been contaminated has to hit the pipe. Then, a round ball striking a cylindrical pipe make what? about 1 square millimeter of contact for what? 1/4 of a second? Then your ball, making the same limited contact has to pick up the virus, then you have to transfer it to your respiratory system, then you have to get the infection, which comes down to inoculum size and viability. Your chances of dying in such a manner pales by comparison to the risk of driving to the course in your cart.

Not silly, just highly improbably. Higher probability of spit on the greens, fringe, etc., that your ball rolled thru. Definitely don't pick up the cigarette butts left behind by smokers. Caution with the doors on and flush handles in the poopy huts.


:ho:

Actually, not so silly. Made me think. You are touching something that touched something that was touched by something that someone touched - as apposed to touching something that someone touched.

..........and don't forget the wind could carry something that someone touched to someone else, who could pass it on without touching anyone!

Stay well.

Not silly.

If your ball is in the cup, to retrieve it you reach in with your hand. Your hand may be sweaty, or you may have recently coughed into it. You will leave germs inside the cup. The next person (in your foursome or the next) will also reach into the cup to retrieve their ball, and they can pick up your germs as well. And you will receive the germs of everyone who played before you.

With the pvc pipe there is much less chance of germ transfer.

The golf courses are closed after four except for people who had a tee time before 4:00. That has never been the case. I used to go and play nine holes at 7:00 in the summer time. Now, that is not allowed.

The eight hours of tee times has been reduced by 25% from the 12 hours that has always existed. I used to be able to call as a single and get on everywhere this time of year. Now I'll call ten executive courses and get the same answer. "Nothing available. We're completely full all day"

If they're short staffed because of the pandemic, how about having the ambassadors work the starter booth? The ambassadors the least necessary members of the staffs. They do nothing but give out water and sand and they're not giving out water these days.

If that's all you think the ambassadors have to do, by all means please apply for an ambassador job. Good luck.

Oooh. Harsh words for those doing a thankless (see above) and necessary job.

I talked to several sources, I talked to Golf Administration folks, they told me golf on the executives after the last tee time has never been allowed. Technically no one should be on the course after the group with the last tee time finishes on the courses . No one should start on their own . This has always been the official policy, don’t shoot the messenger , this is just what the representative I reached at the Golf Administration said.

I also talked to an ambassador and the starter at one of the executive courses, they basically told me the same thing. They personalized it slightly from their view point… they said “people have been breaking the rules for so long they do not realize they are breaking the rules”.

When asked what the ruling would be after we return to post 4:00 PM golf, they did not say for sure but assumed the official policy we be in place.

I used to be able to go out to eat, see a show at the Sharon, dance at the squares and a bunch of other stuff.....now I'm not allowed, I guess the difference is I know why.

:ohdear: I agree and that poster says he used to work professionally in the Golf Business...... I think anyone with that attitude is an embarrassment to the Golf Industry..... just MHO. :shocked:
Maybe just upset because the O'Dell Recreation Center is closed????

I am attempting to get my wife interested in golf. So I took her on a cart ride on the coarse near our house at around 6 pm. No golfers around, and we were not playing nor did we exit the cart - I was just going to let her see how the holes are set up, tee boxes, etc. We were quickly asked to leave by an ambassador. The next day while I was playing I asked the starter about staffing on the course after 4 pm, as I had read that limited staffing was the reason course hours were reduced. The starter stated the courses are still being staffed until 7 pm even now. The primary reason for closing the courses early is that the courses are busiest during the later hours, and the courses are attempting to reduce the number of players by closing the courses during the busiest time. The starter said there are trolls at the courses every day taking pictures and writing letters attempting to shut down the courses totally - like what occurred with the pools and pickle ball. By shutting down early and reducing the number of players, the courses are hoping to improve the “optics” to maintain operations on a limited basis versus being ordered to shut down the courses totally. This is what I was told by a course employee, and although I am not sure it makes total sense (I am now challenged getting worked in as a single as the courses around me are pretty booked so the courses are still filled with people), I totally believe his statement regarding troll’s attempts to have the courses shut down. Just look at the various letters to the editor in local news and comments within this forum.

I agree with you, that doesn't make sense.

a) Those idiot trolls have been out there with their cameras since day 1 of the shut down

b) As you said, the tee times are full so it is no busier at one time than another

c) the "staffing" until 7 consists of one ambassador chasing off people who don't belong on the course

With 50+ combined champ and exec courses, they need both a starter and ambassador to keep open past 4PM tee times, and they simply don't have enough staff for that

Ticket the trespassers -- theft of services

What I stated Is that I wasn’t sure the course employee statement made total sense.

a) The trolls have been out there, and everything is shut down except golf. So it could make sense to take some action to thwart efforts targeted at golf.

b) The tee times are full now in part due to reduced operating hours. I was able to get worked in as a single easier prior to that.

c) The courses previously didn’t maintain any staffing after the final tee time at 7 to run people off courses until dark. Why waste funds for staffing now to do anything different.

Just clarification.

Well, that was a prickish ding at our Ambassador’s, wasn’t it?

Smack talk from someone that allegedly worked in the golf business.