Embarrassing
 

Sarasota golf course is in embarrassing shape. Last time I checked our amenity fees covered the upkeep and maintenance of the executive courses. It looks like they just aerated the fairways so I will give them a pass on that, but the tee boxes and greens are in terrible shape. Hole 6 for example has no distinctive collar around the green, it's just clumps of weeds. Collars are extremely important to the playability and aesthetics of a golf course green, creating definition between the putting surface and the rough. You have to see it to believe it, the aesthetics and maintenance of this course is lacking and whoever is in charge of overseeing this should probably take a ride around the course. The courses look great from the street until you actually get on them and see how badly maintained they are. I know the executive courses are sourced out, maybe that is the problem. The championship courses don't look like this, and maybe that's because the employees are residents of the villages and actually care.

Wow, around 700 holes golf in villages that spends millions on course maintenance. Name one place that has close to 700 holes golf access that can maintain every hole to highest standards? I’ll wait for answer…….

In other words, "settle" for crappy conditions because there are many holes of golf? Makes looking at a private golf course membership look pretty good. Many are here for the golf and don't give a hoot about all the other "busywork" things to do. Golf course conditions matter.

- Sarasota Executive, on Moyer Loop, is South of 466
- Sumter Landing Amenity Division (SLAD), a committee of Sumter Landing CDD, owns and is responsible for amenities in that area
- The contract to perform the work may be run out of "the District," the Village Center CDD
- The Project Wide Advisory Committee (PWAC), while primarily concerned with CDD maintenance, also advises SLAD
- There is an Executive Golf page under districtgov.org

I suggest looking for a POC to contact or register a complaint with on the Executive Golf page and/or attending the next PWAC meeting to provide your comments in person.

Which employees?

Just another excuse. The Executive Courses remain in poor shape in general despite all the hoopla at the recent VHA meeting.

Avid players don't choose to play free golf. Pristine costs $$$. Free requires a modicum of "go along to get along".

Same 3-4 contractors maintain the Exec courses and Championship courses.

Please let me know if you find a private golf course to join, within 45 minutes of The Villages.

O.P.- Your First Post! That's what's Embarrassing, imho.

My least favorite course

Go for it, it takes time to get to every 700 plus hole, then there the mismanagement factor. How long will take you get tired of playing same 18 or 36 holes?

The problem most avid golfers think they are PGA material and can’t stand it when they play substandard and look for excuses? Like poor course conditions. Maybe it lack of discipline, concentration, or skill? In Every sport everybody misses, nobody prefect so don’t expect conditions to be prefect to match your perception of your skill.

I play Executive Golf twice a week at courses north of 44 and I've not played a course in poor shape in at least a year. Where are all these courses in "poor shape"?

Maybe eliminate golf maintenance costs from all amenity fees, and charge enough money per round to have better maintenance than the present way.
That way, the people who golf can decide with their wallet if playing the course is worth it.

In a perfect world, I would agree with you. But there are many avid golfers in The Villages who lack the $$$ funding to pursue a game to which they are addicted. So I guess cow pastures would be their lot? :$:

Yeah, one could do that with all the amenities, pay as you go. Wouldn't that be a smack-down of what The Villages has to offer? One can buy crowded housing almost anywhere but the "amenities" are supposed to be the attraction to TVs.

Just played it last Monday early AM. Had no troubles with the greens on 6 (a very rare par for me). I had lots of trouble on 3, but that's the golfer not the course. I only golf in the early morning but golfers track, divot, and mess up greens with shoes that need retiring all day long. I'm not sure what your expectations are but I would rather have Sarasota open. Then having it down two or more months for green repair, have it be absolutely gorgeous for four weeks, then watch the wear and tear from constant use and abuse spark complaints like yours again. Of course, golf is simple recreation and fun to me - I don't even keep score.

[QUOTE=BrianL99;2441046]Same 3-4 contractors maintain the Exec courses and Championship courses.



Not true, Southern Oaks and Shallow creek are maintained by individuals hired by the Villages

[QUOTE=mdchartier;2441126]That may be true. Developer brought the contractors from TDS & Glenview to Shallow Creek to handle the grow in. It would make sense to use that same crew for SO.

When speaking of Championship golf courses in TV, hardly anyone ever considers SO or SC ... just not on the radar screen.

I played “newly reopened” Pimlico a week and a half ago and the greens looked like tanks had driven over them. El Diablo last week — bare spots and weed wads on greens. Just to name 2 north of 44.

But there are over 700 courses and we should just be satisfied with that and not expect anything more...:MOJE_whot:

45 minutes is a pretty big range. That gets you to Orlando, at least from my part of the villages in the south.

I am a member at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee and I actually can get there is 45 minutes if I step on it things go right. Of course it can also take 80 minutes.

Mangrove, Sweetgum, and Palmetto were all bad until they closed all of them. The starter said they will only keep one of the three open until snowbird season.

Funny you should mention that about tanks. Recently within the past 3 weeks we've played, Hill Top, Briarwood, Churchill, and Mira Mesa. All had what look like 4 separate tank tread marks across the greens. If you had to putt near the tread depressions your ball went which any way it wanted to!

Walnut Grove closed two days after we played it. It was decided by someone the greens and bunkers needed to be tore up and redone. Why. I have no idea. All was good!

There’s a whole big world out there south of 44. Played Truman yesterday. Greens are a lil ruff, to say the least. Thin with bare spots. I don’t care, but you asked.

(Very) Big Dave was temporarily on the mower last week.
Tiny Tim will be back shortly!

Harbor Hills
 

Harbor Hills Country Club offers a Regional Membership that is a great value.

Not private, although it could be. I am surprised that there are not more private country clubs in the area. The closest one I can think of is Golden Ocala. It takes a strong membership with big bucks to keep a private country club going.

Sweetgum, Mangrove, palmetto, turtle mound are currently closed for various renovations. Unfortunantly these are the closest ones to my house. Makes the ones that are farther away harder to get on.

I agree but Briarwood, its sister course, seems to be holding up OK. I've played it a few times in the past few weeks. If Walnut can be ready by January and Briarwood hang in there, we'll have two decent courses when the crowd arrives.