PGA Tour Event in The Villages?
 

Would you be excited if The Villages built a PGA Caliber course (and maintained it) BUT, there would be a PGA event hosted here every year?

Yes - I could airbnb my house for a week and make a fortune while I go on vacation.

Tax free, the Augusta exemption (google it, its a thing)

Yes i did know that. Also the average rent during the tournament is $1000+ a night. During tournament week 50000+ people infiltrate Augusta.

We're in the money - we're in the money. Oh happy days will be in The Villages again.

Would have to be champions tour.
 

Never happen. Did the LPGA ever play at Nancy Lopez course ?

Agree, for it to happen, first a course would need to built for it, what we have are too short.
And, the course would need to be maintained, VERY NICELY. The PGA makes sure of it.

Greens fees, for us for the other 50 weeks, would be in the hundreds of dollars.

With recent posts on many Championship courses I doubt any will meet the minimum standards of the PGA.

The infrastructure of The Villages could not support crowds coming to a professional tournament.

Well, I think we all agree, a PGA caliber course does not exist yet, so if a new one was to built, the infrastructure could come with it. Mainly parking and space on the course for hospitality tents.

Also, would need a real club house and lockers for the players.

YEARS ago, when we first purchased our lot for future building, THAT was a major advertising line... that when the "new" Arnold Palmer course was finished, the V's WOULD be hosting major PGA tournaments. You know how that went, I think we had ONE LPGA event, a senior tour stop, once. Not much done on it in the last 20 years, so don't count on much in the future. Florida offers a LOT of appropriate courses to the PGA and LPGA.

Not sure who you mean when you say The Villages? The Developer or the Districts. The Developer builds houses not golf courses….the districts are you and me…..sorry “I’m out!”

I wouldn't rent my house to strangers and I wouldn't want the traffic and crowds. Mark me down as a definite NO.

The Developer builds/built all the golf courses. The Developer retains ownership of all the championship courses. The Developer turns over the executive courses to the districts over time.

$8M - $12M to build a course.

$3M/year to maintain it.

$8M - $12M from a Title Sponsor.

All in a demographic that's the antithesis of the PGA Tour's target.

Not likely.

The Villages Open, Presented by AARP

Yes, I knew that.

LIV tour playing at Orange County national in March. Close enough

Orlando | LIV Golf

For all the reasons already mentioned, not a chance in heck it will ever happen.

???

If I must,
The Developer is in the business of building houses, with golf courses as an amenity……kinda like building rec centers.
For them to jump into building a professional golf course is a joke.

Yes, from what I understand the golf courses were secondary to serving as a water management plan during hurricanes etc. absolutely ingenious, in my opinion. Win, win both ways.

Oh nice try - are the houses of professional golf course quality ? FYI - My opinion is our rec centers are world class - second to none.

The LPGA Tour had an event at Tierra Del Sol golf course a few years back. I think it was only one year but that's pretty common for that tour.

People think there is traffic now…

A lot of work, money, people and fun. In a prior life I worked on a course that hosted a LPGA tournament every year. The crowds were crazy as was the traffic etc. Could be fun to have one though.

NO WAY. Crazy uptick in amenities fee just to over-maintain a golf course year round for one weekend. :grumpy:

Probably not, the course would be a Championship course (it would have to be a new course, nothing that’s built would suffice), so the Developer would own it.

The greens fees on that course would be in the hundreds of dollars.

They could build the new course right next to the Costco!

No place for all the parking

NO!!!!! enough traffic and people

Let’s maintain the courses already here.

None of your amenity fee goes toward the building/maintenance/upkeep of the championship courses.

?
 

Do you mean like would I pay a annual subsidy to get it NO I can drive to plenty in FL

NO !!! We don’t need to add to the already horrendous congestion in this area !

Can't see it. Don't want it. Didn't move here to have to put up with 10's to 100's of thousands of tourists clogging up everything from circles to restaurants to bars to amenities over the course of a couple of weeks a year. Any discussion is even a non-starter for me (and I play golf, even have attended PGA tournaments).

would a LPGA event be a better fit ?
a bit smaller ... but provide a very positive spotlight on our great community here.
just my thought.:ho:

Yes, Walgreens sponsored a Senior LPGA event (I don't even know if their is still such an organization) at Lopez, but apparently it was a one-off. The National "Shoot Your Age" Tournament was held at Palmer back in 2005 or 2006, I think, and it featured Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Otherwise, I don't think these courses would qualify to hold a "Hooters Tour" event.

"...Senior LPGA event (I don't even know if their is still such an organization)..."


There is at the amateur level at least, which actually held their 2022 Open Championship in a place - which is a long ways from here. lol

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/ho...r.html#!latest

U.S. Senior Women's Amateur
Anchorage Golf Course, Anchorage, Alaska
JULY 30 - AUGUST 4, 2022

I would rather have a LIV event.

Local Tour Sites
 

Innisbrook and the Copperhead coarse have had a major tour event every year north of Clearwater . They are land locked and have figured it out

Don’t need any more non- villagers ripping up the place