Villages Golf Polices
 

I have never seen them printed, but, it seems like many are following them.
Rule:
1. If no one is behind you on the golf course you can play as slow as you want
2. Age 65 and older don't have to bend down to fix a ballmark-health issue
3. You don't have to rake a fairway bunker because you take less sand
4. Greenside bunkers are raked after use, BUT, a 2nd or 3rd attempt you don't have
to rake as it will hold up play
5. 4 putting is allowed..if the 5th putt is conceded
6. Balls hit in the water allow a 6 minute looking time as you may help cleaning up
the ponds by finding other balls
7. Putting sand in divots is for under 65--same health issue
8. When the ladies group in front of you is distancing themselves you can complain
to the ambassador that they are playing too fast
9. Divots on the tee box don't have to fixed as people can use a tee
10. Taking 10 minutes to hit your shot is okay as we all want you to be right
11. Taking selfies of each player and the foursome on every other hole is okay,
the group behind waving and jumping up and down are just happy for you.
Taking pictures of gators and birds falls under the same category
12. Mulligans are encouraged as we want you to enjoy your day, even if it takes more than one

As long as everyone follows the same rules, life is good, Happy Thanksgiving
and we are thankful if these are not your habits...........

It all seems reasonable to me.

What? We're not playing in PGA tournaments when we're out there?????

You were making a joke, but sadly there are far too many who play by those rules

Good ones, Left out rolling the ball, even in the fairway. Have to admit, most of my rounds in TV are less than 4 hours even on days when rough is high and we can not find a ball reasonably close to the fairway

I believe you meant policies... I saw Polices and thought this would be a thread about law enforcement :)

Standing around on the 9th hole, deciding where to go for lunch/dinner.

🤣🤣🤣

Golf has rules? How come no one told me!

Don’t forget, now that winter is here. No dress code. I see t-shirts on men and ladies with short shorts with spaghetti straps on the course. When I moved here I wasn’t allowed into a golf shop without a collared shirt. Life is still Good.

100% agree. I fix at least 2 extra ball marks on almost every green. And as far as raking sand traps? Many don't seem to even know what that is. Loved the op's post.

I actually couldn't care less about a dress code. The whole world has gone casual, even church. I'd love to wear a t shirt when I play, I hate polo/golf shirts.

Women can wear whatever they want. At least thats how it seems in the 2 plus years we've been here. Yoga pants and tank tops are common, but again I'm fine with it.

What people wear has no affect on course condition or pace of play.

Live and let live

Many of the things the op listed are what really matter, imo.

Traditional behavior for golf has never been a part of the Villages. They ruin the game just like everything else when gamesmanship is not adhered.

Happy Gilmore changed golf forever. Cigarettes are not allowed, but I can smell marijuana vape pens out there. Not complaining. Weed smells much better than cigarettes.

Respect The Villages, Respect the Starters, Respect the Ambassadors, most people do! Don’t be a Clown!

I’ll just add

13. 65+ you are allowed to take your shag bag to the chipping green and hit 50 balls all over the green and prevent anyone else from using it.
14. On courses where the cart path goes back by the t-box you can pull up to the t-box before the 4some has left the green and completely block the cart path.
15. You can pull up to the t-box before the people you are following are finished and check out their swings. Maybe you can speed them up, everyone always appreciates that.
16. Always try to hit your ball on the green before those you are following have a chance to return to their cart. They might have forgotten that you are behind them.

Having experienced all of these things in my last round of golf, it has me just wondering, is this the new golf etiquette?

OK, then I'll add this:

After leaving the green, get in cart, converse with cart mate, confirm scores with all 4 golfers, write it down, get out of cart, spend 2 minutes putting club away and screwing around in bag, get back in cart, converse some more then drive away.

The list keeps getting better. lol Thanks for the additions, I agree on all of them. Too many players don't care if they're holding people up.

That's always been something I dislike about golf, one slow group can back up the whole course. Especailly when the marshals aren't allowed to tell people to pick up the pace.

I detect a bit of sarcasm in you tone... :)

Thanks
 

sarcasm can be a great teacher........... the main goal is to get folks to revere the golf course, even if their games suck.........care for the course is #1

Brian would say its the difference between the washed and unwashed.........

One golfer in my regular foursome says it best when it comes to getting stuck behind a slow group: How is it fair that we are waiting on every shot, and they are never waiting to hit?

My favorite axiom is: Your place on the course is immediately behind the group ahead of you, NOT immediately ahead of the group behind you. Which is why the times on the scorecard are often a joke. There is no reason a twosome should EVER hold up a foursome, much less take more than the 2:08 allotted for each 9.

The thing about yoga pants..

My wife says, "Just because you CAN wear them, doesn't mean you SHOULD wear them..."

Agree 100%. Yoga pants can be the best thing a woman can wear or the worst thing. lol

Golf Policies
 

Where did you fine these policies?

I suppose the majority of etiquette breaches (and some direct course regulations as well) are because the people at fault are lazy or just don't care, but there ARE instances when the person at fault honestly doesn't know. Yeah, he or she SHOULD know, but...

A couple of instances from the past 3 years or so: A guy in the group ahead of us was pulling his pullcart up to his ball on the green. There was a really slow group ahead so we caught up to them after a couple of holes. I mentioned to the guy with the pullcart that the Ambassadors wouldn't take it too kindly if they saw him doing that. He said he didn't know, and actually thanked me for telling him.

Another time while on Chula Vista we were caught in a rain shower. Nothing much...maybe 5 minutes or so and it was over, but the group ahead of us, (snowbirds, it turned out) after holing out, parked their carts next to the green under a tree and just stayed there. It was a short hole so after wait of maybe 5 minutes I walked on over to them and good-naturedly told them that correct course etiquette would be to move along to the next tee. They were apparently waiting for the group ahead of them to tee off, but said that they didn't know that they were in violation of course etiquette and that they'd be glad to move along. Again, I was thanked for telling them.

A good-natured reminder never hurts.

Another important policy:

At the end of the "official" scheduled day, be sure to delay your game as long as possible. Especially if you're the last ones on the course and are renting a cart. The Ambassador absolutely does /not/ want to go home in time for supper. You get extra bonus points if a) it's raining and you drove through the mud, requiring the Ambassador to clean off the cart before returning it to the garage, and b) it's a holiday and the course closes early JUST to make sure the employees can get home in time for supper.

Triple bonus points if you're finished golfing and are just hanging around with your rented golf cart, and give the Ambassador lip when he asks you to return it.