Palmer
 

Palmer sucks right now. Greens in the worst condition. Used to rely on this course to provide an enjoyable round, but not today and certainly not in the near future. What happened?!

It’s called maintenance… sanded greens and fairways. All was worked in, rolled and smooth. Our group of 24 played it twice last week and had no real complaints. I can just imagine conditions if this maintenance didn’t take place.

Perhaps the “FREE CHRISTMAS DAY GOLF” I’m sure more than half the partakers Monday were not golfers (who know how to fill divots, repair ball marks, rake traps, and keep club carts off the green). I played there last week and it was dusted (for maintenance) so they can keep it in playing condition all year. If you think dusting is “crap”, you need stay home and watch PGA golf on TV.

Lots of bare spots on the greens (Riley > Cherry). Also greens not rolling smooth at all. Been playing Palmer for 3 years now (Riley always a favorite) and never seen it like this. One fairway on Cherry had tire tracks of dead grass as if some kind of chemical had been spilled from a maintenance vehicle. I checked for a maintenance schedule online and can only find one for aerification. I’ll definitely wait awhile before playing there again.

I'm curious myself how many partook of that freebie. The weather was cool and wet. I didn't see that many out but I live next to El Diablo and El Santiago and the holes visible by the road, the bunkers and greens had tire marks as well as ruts along the cart path.

We played Hacienda in the afternoon and did not wait at all to get on. As an aside greens there were in great shape. Not as good as Glenview though

Agreed....Played there yesterday....we all were disappointed in the greens. Won't be going back until I hear conditions improved.

We took advantage of the free golf on Christmas day and yes - we often golf other days.

I told my wife some ******* will complain about the course(s) next week due to the use by the impure. Bingo.

Played Orange Blossom yesterday, Dec. 27th, and greens and fairways were in perfect shape. Can’t complain about bunkers because by the afternoon people haven’t raked them enough to be perfect. Cheapest golf course and always in good shape.

This is why they sand greens.


Why golf courses put sand on greens (and why you could sand your yard)

Actually, the play was pretty light compared to previous years on Evans. And among those that chose to play, there appeared to be less "beginners". There were some kids out, but not many. Of course, as usual, and not just on Christmas Day, a large percentage of those that I saw come by did not rake traps or fill divots. But overall, I'd say the annual "Christmas Carnage" was less than 25% of previous years.

PS: Yes, in previous years the course ARE in bad shape for a week or so after Christmas. Sorry to be the ****** that tells the truth:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Golf course conditions in The Villages tend to be very inconsistent. Thanks for the heads up about Palmer.

The regulars on TOTV will remember that I posted that I played Laurel Valley the first morning it opened, and I gave it 3 weeks before it looked like the rest of our courses. Much to my chagrin, I was correct. Taking care of the course is EVERYONE'S responsibility.

Christmas free golf had nothing to do with the present conditions of Palmer. The bare spots on the greens don't happen that quickly. Glenview, Lopez etc don't have that situation.

Last year I was so excited to finally be at my home to play on Christmas Day. Temp was in 30s and Havana was wide open. Only played 5 holes because my balls got frozen. Looking forward to joining the crowd next Christmas. Happy New Year!

Palmer greens
 

Laurel valley greens are only about 6 months out from being replaced and have not matured. They are going to be firm and fast. Not enough growth to soften them yet. I would agree however that when we played there the greens on riley, were cut too short and not in the best condition.

In that specific case, agree. But no one can deny that the courses after Christmas golf take about 3x the damage of any other day.

And remember they just renovated Riley earlier in the year.

Winter.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Sounds like TV is going down hill, what gives with golf courses?

Don't believe everything you read on TOTV (except my posts :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:).
Played Southern Oaks a few days ago and the greens were not only immaculate, but running 10-10 1/2----almost unheard of here in TV.

Are the fairways still running 7 to 9? :sigh:

Pretty much. But it's nice to hit drives 290-300.

The fact it seems to be less this year is good news. We played Bacall yesterday and found only the usual number of ball marks but a few unfortunate deep pitch marks on the greens which I don't understand how that happened?

Perhaps, but executive courses aren't the problem , they're free anyway. The "Christmas Carnage" comes once a year when championship courses are free. Then, all sorts of "non- or semi-golfers" show up with no idea of the etiquette of course care and a swing that would make many of us want to poke our eyes out. The resulting damage is variable, but it usually takes about 2 weeks for the courses to recover. This year, as previously stated, was better.

Nothing that would interest a non resident……..

Ohiobuckeye
 

Golfing Eagles thanks for his correction, I just wanted to here them explain why, so you’re right don’t believe everything you hear.

Palmer isn’t officially open right now. The flags aren’t in the holes and,it doesn’t appear on the reservation system. It’s still being renovated.

No idea what you're talking about. I just checked and all 3 nines are open on line.

Likely confusing Palmer for Belmont.

It’s called maintenance - the greens and fairways were sanded and rolled. But that doesnt fit the complainer’s agenda.
OP didn’t mention the maintenance aspect.

When friends used to ask about The Villages, I used to send them here - I don’t anymore, it’s not a representation of life in the villages.

Really? That's like confusing golf with pickleball :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Palmer Conditions
 

I agree - we were there yesterday - horrible greens, weeds, bare tee boxes. The SLOW group in front of us parked in front of the green (not handicapped) and our first nine round was 2:45 - never saw the ambassador.

Given that Riley's Greens are barely a year old, I suspect they're diseased. There's hardly any grass on most of them and considering the new strain of Bermuda they used, I don't believe the cooler weather would cause the current, abysmal conditions.

Laurel Valley Greens are embarrassingly bad, for Greens that are less than 3 months old. In my opinion, the renovation work that was done on Laurel Valley, was woefully sub-par.

I don't play Cherry Hill, so I don't have a clue about conditions over there. It's not much of a golf course to begin with.

Tierra del sol and Lopez have significantly better greens. I think that's attributable to a different maintenance team up there. Normally, I'd suggest it has to do with the different water management permit they function under, but I don't think that's the issue this year ... ponds seem to be full, everywhere.

Played Palmer in the past week, the greens were an embarrassment to the game of golf. I'm sure Arnold would not be very happy with these conditions.
The Village Championship is scheduled for next month. One can only hope that the tournament is moved to another course with decent greens.

The Greens are awful at Palmer.

I was told last week, that large percentage of the maintenance crews have been re-deployed to the South to work on new course construction. Even Glenview's Greens have deteriorated over the last week or two.

Not disputing the fact you were told that but I don’t believe it is true that they were redeployed. The company that is building the courses have their own maintenance crews.

That's what I would have thought, too.

I was told by someone who worked at Glenview, that the contractor who was formerly responsible for Glenview (& TDS) maintenance, was "moved down south to help with construction of the new courses" and the contractor who handles Palmer, added Glenview (& a couple of others) to their portfolio.

Admittedly, I surely don't know the true facts. When it comes to golf course maintenance and management, I've always found the "facts" to be elusive, at best.

Hmmmm, sounds strange but anything’s possible I guess.

Riley Grove greens nearly brand new. They are terrible, almost mud very little grass. Didn't take them long to mess them up. Incompetent, cheap, ignorant, that's what we get.