Priority Golf Membership
 

Priority membership for 1 person - all courses is $740/year.

Do you feel it is worth becoming a priority member?

If so - WHY?

If not - WHY NOT?

It depends totally on the number of times you intend to play. If you are a frequent player, say 3 or 4 times a week or more, it would not take long to use up $740, especially in the winter.

i can only speak for myself but I found after 6 years of priority I was wasting my money. Stop and think of how many rounds of golf you could play with an additional $4800.

Priority is good if you play at least 66 times a year. Priority is good if other members of your group are also priority members but it mean little if your the only one holding priority.

Priority operates as

priority-priority
priority-guests
priority-resident
resident-guests.

In retrospect it was a poor economic decision by me, for me.

Most of my friends golf off campus most of the time. Many rsidents I know do not play the championship courses in the winter because of competitive rates.

It all depends on how much you play. For us it was a good decision. My wife is also priority, the difference in cost between a single and a couple was about $200...and if she wasn't priority it would have still cost $106 for trail fees for her on the Exec courses.

I was putting aside the difference in greens fees between priority and non-priority each time we play. Since we both play at least 2x per week, we pretty much saved the whole $900 in the 8 months we have had it.

The added plus is tee times during the busy season.

Off site courses tend to be cheaper, since many add lunch or breakfast to get the business. But you have to get there by car.

I too looked at the expense vs. benefits and could not come close to a payoff. Maybe it's just the "prestige" of having it. Remember it doesn't give you any other privileges like their pools, tennis, etc. That too is extra. Maybe someone could enlighten me too on why it should be purchased even for ONE course!

Priority Membership
 

We have the priority membership. It includes all the Country Club pools and trail fees on the exec courses. It is well worth it for my husband because he plays the championship courses 3 times a week year round and he gets good tee times on the courses he wants to play. He plays with a group of 12 and everyone has priority membership.

Maybe my math is wrong, but no brainer for us?
 

Being a priority member was a no brainer for us. I knew my wife and I both wanted to play golf on champisonship courses and we would also play on executives. This is not a discussion about whether being a priority is better than playing off campus. This about playing in TV and is priority worth it?

To clear one item up, this membership does include access to country club pools. One of our favorites is Mallory. Here is MY math, maybe flawed, if so I am sure I will hear it....

My wife and I both play championship courses.

Cost for priority, all clubs: $925, this costs includes trail fee which we would buy for $141.25. We would buy the trail fee regardless....

So actual cost for priority is: $784 (rounded).

It is a savings of $15 per round during high season from 1/1 - 4/30.
There are about 17 weeks during this high season.

How many rounds do I need to break even during this time?
$784 / 15 = 52 rounds.

How many rounds per week is that during high season?
52 / 17 = 3.

My wife and each play twice a week. I have already more than justified my priority membership and am only looking at high season. We play all fall also....

And I get pools with happy hour and I get preferred tee times and I get mens day and I get tournaments......

I think that is right, hope it helps...

OK. So you paid $925 per year for a couple? Or $820 for a single with pool privileges?
At $5.00 less per round summer rates and I THINK $10 winter rates, plus you have better tee times, maybe it's worth it if you play that much golf with others that have the same membership on all courses. Usually not the case though.
78 rounds at $5 off = $390 saved
78 rounds at $10 off = $780 saved
Savings is $1170 less $925, or $245 plus better tee times! That's good :)

It's $5.00, $10.00 and $15.00

I do believe that priority membership does give you access to the pools like Orange Blossom, Hacienda, Nancy Lopez etc. Without priority membership you are not able to go or take your guests to these pools.

Yes that's true. IF you have a couples membership. Based on the fee schedules if you have a singles it is $80 more per year. I am not sure how that works with guests.

Priority membership
 

A couple of other benefits for priority membership. It allows you to play mens/ladies day on championship courses and you can sign up for tournaments before non-priority members. Not a big deal, but also provides a discount for your GHIN membership.

My guests are priority, they are priority guests which allows them to use CC pools.

One thing that surprised me when I first came here is that a priority GUEST will get a tee time at a championship course BEFORE a resident. Since I am a priority member, it seems fair now :evil6:

Being a Priority member is not the Issue. The question was it worth the money. Are here to penny pinch or have fun. If it is a question of money you retired to the wrong place. Real Estate is higher here than anywhere else, but you get everything. Most of us are here to play and have a good time doing what we want and spending money helps us enjoy it. So the math does not matter. Baloney or filet mignon

All good comments - thank you!

I did learn something. I didn't realize the trail fees were included in the cost of the priority membership! Gotta learn to read the fine print.

For a single this brings the cost down to about $600.

In my book, that sounds like a great deal - for me, of course.

Thanks for the input.

Priority Golf
 

For ten years I and my wife were priority golfers. About six years ago I became disillusioned with the priority program.We found that even with priority membership it was getting more and more difficult to get tee times.The final straw was when I conducted a personal survey of the geen fees in the area. I did my survey in March, (high season). I collected the green fee cost for 23 local golf courses. I was astonished when I concluded that for a resident, the six most expensive courses within 25 miles were those in the Villages. I just feel that we as Residents, that we who support the Villages in so many ways, primarily golf, should be given something in return for this support. I know some will comment that in Chicago Illinois the green fees are double what they are in the Villages. First the golfing season in Chicago only lasts 7 months at best. Basically the courses up north must develop income in seven months what the Villages develop in 12 months. And lastly, what the courses in California, Maine or wherever charge has no revelancy to what the Villages area courses charge. Like apples and oranges. I play in the Villages during the summer low cost season and outside the Villages the remainder of the year.

Agree....and it's even better if you are here year round. :clap2:

And also can play on Mens day and Ladies Day tournaments each week.

Men and ladies day
 

Why are the Mens and ladies day limited to ONLY priority members when both are nearly defunct at Orange blossom, Hacenda and Tierra Del Sol. It
is a normal mens day at TDS when only 4 or 5 men sign up for the mens day tourney. For obvious reasons the golf division is perfectly happy to see mens and ladys day go into extinction along with the dodo bird.

My golf group had to split up, priority and non-priority, because we could not get tee times. Stated elsewhere, for the economics to make sense you need to play a minimum of twice a week. When assigning tee times, a priority member is assigned a "1" and a regular member "6". The lower number gets preference. My only objection to the priority membership is inclusion of the executive course trail fee. When I play executives, I walk, so I'm being charged an additional $142 for which I receive no benefit.

:gc: The trail fee also allows you to use your cart on the Championship Courses. Otherwise, you would have to rent a cart at a substantial cost. Of course, obtaining a priority membership (from an economic point) depends on how many rounds you play...... It is fairly easy to figure based on your individual situation. If money is no object then you just pay and enjoy the convenience and benefits of your priority membership regardless of the cost/benefit analysis based on just economics. FORE!

I don't believe that is correct, I'm not a priority member and I use my Yamaha gas cart twice every week on championship courses. I played just yesterday at Glenview teetime 12:36 Fox Run/Stirrup Cup and I only payed the $20 green fees. They do have those white rental carts, they are listed on the rate sheet at $10 per person for 18 holes.

Most of the time I play mostly championship courses and normally after 11am, so the Priority Membership from May 1st to Oct 15th would only save $3 off your round of golf. I really don't see any need for a 12 month memberhip, six months for Oct to April works out best.

Yes, the membership would save your trail fee on the executive courses, but I found when playing executives I usually walk, because riding in a cart for such a short amount of golf makes it feel like I didn't do anything. Plus, it is good exercise, I have a nice Clicgear push cart and the fellow I play golf with uses a small carry bag. For waking or using a push cart there is no trail fee, it's absolutely free golf.

Take out a six month Priority Membership late October, that's what I did last year. If you're a single, I found that if you play a championship twice a week during the peak season you will come out $100 ahead. If you play three times or more a week, that's when it really starts to pay for itself.

I do not understand what this means. Do you have some documentation supporting this statement?

Remember, with the priority membership you can also use the CC pools.
CC pools = Food & beverage at the pools! Just think about sittin' in the sun with a Mallory veggie pizza and an ice cold pitcher.
I vote for the Priority Membership. :thumbup:

Sometimes its nice to play other courses outside The Villages, but I like the idea of leaving my garage in a golf cart, (with a cup of coffee and radio playing) riding to the the course, and meeting all my friends. That alone puts a smile on my face! I think the convenience, of having all these courses, just a golf cart drive is a big plus!!

I know Mens Day @ Havana,Mallory, & Cane each week, draws over 100 to 150 players each week??? Each week its at a different course and format. Theres always one staff worker devoted to just posting scores etc as the cards come in. They do a fantastic job. They do all the posting of scores also to your handicap ghin card.

This is incorrect. Priority membership includes your trail fee for executive courses, not championship courses. You do not need a trail fee nor do you have to rent a cart for championship courses.

I have done this quite a few times...trail fee covers all courses.

Bingo you can usually find tee times on championship courses. The primary impetus is if more than one resident is a priority. If you alone are priority well then priority as to priority tee times diminishes.

I was also put out that priority guests received priority over residents, residents of whom have a heavy financial stake. the reasoning was clear but the practice in my view punitive.

I guess priority cost me $4800 in 6 years. At $40 per round which is high off campus for most courses I could have played 120 times...and many of those courses offer free beakfast/lunch or both

Pools are an additional cost under the priority program.

I like filet better than baloney too but it doesn't necessiate spending anymore for the filet than I need to. Who knows I mean actually live longer than predicted in my retirement plan and I want to be able to eat filet until the day I die and not forced to eat baloney..althought there is nothing wrong with baloney

Couple of years ago I started playing off property, in the winter, twice a month and then twice a month on property. Most I have payed off property is $41 and I have found the courses in better condition than in TV. During the summer months, with the lower rates, I will play 18 once a week and then nine championship maybe three times a week. Doubt I will ever get a priority membership. Rates here in TV are higher than most in our general area and I suspect folks in charge believe they have a "captive audience". If folks want to pay the extra that is fine, I prefer to split my time.
In case you have not seen it yet the new rate sheet already shows a $1 increase on most of the championship courses for next winter.

I recall a statement made by a high official for the golf division. That statement was "we are not a profit oriented company" when I heard this said, I knew it was a lot of BS.. I would guess that the Villages courses have many more rounds of golf played on a yearly basis, so why are they the most expensive ??? I probably just asked a dumb question, right ??? But remember GMS is not a profit oriented company.. Really confuses me , how about you ??? I heard an Villages Old Timer say the other day, If Harold Schwartz was still alive and in charge, green fees on the championship courses would probably be around $15.00...