New to Town / Please Describe all the Country Clubs in the Villages
 

Hi Villages Veterans,

Can someone please help tell me what to expect/atmosphere/general vibe of the 9 country clubs in the Villages?

-For each one is it just a golf course and restaurant/golf supplies shop?

-Do some of them have a good 'hangout scene?'

-Which are known for having an 'older crowd/feel' vs a 'younger crowd/feel' for the Villages?

-I've heard some of them have pools as well/assuming these are nicer than the rec center pools with some shading, etc? Do people actually use them or are they often as empty as the rec centers?

-Thank you for your help!!!

Dear Jimmy,
That's a pretty tall order when we don't know anything about each other. The only way to really get the feel for someplace is to actually go there and experience it for yourself. We have friends that have completely different opinions on places than we do.
Besides, exploration is half the fun of getting to know TV. Check the activity guide that comes in the paper (Daily Sun). You will find there is something (actually many things) for nearly everyone.
Welcome!

What they call country clubs in The Villages are just restaurants that are open to the public. They are not even close to being country clubs. Access to the golf courses is a different matter, but there are no "country clubs" in The Villages.

If you are referring to Championship Golf Courses there are currently 14 courses open for play. Ten are 27 holes and the other four (Orange Blossom, Tierra Del Sol, Southern Oaks, and Shallow Creek) are 18 holes. The three courses with a more traditional Country Club feel (a combination of golf, dinning, and practice facilities where you can hit balls), are Palmer, Lopez, and Glenview. Orange Blossom, Mallory Hills, Havana, Cane Garden, Bonifay, Evans Prairie, and Belle Glade all have a clubhouse with decent dinning facilities as well. The other four courses are kind of unique. Tierra Del Sol has dinning, but a it’s more like pub food. Tierra also has a small theatre that has occasional plays and the pool there is an adult pool open to all residents and guests 30 years or older. Hacienda Hills has no dinning, clubhouse, or pool (they were all torn down and replaced with Villas), just a stand alone pro shop. Southern Oaks is very strange, the pro shop is across the street and is part of the Sawgrass Grove scene. There is no dinning, unless you go across the street to Sawgrass Grove where the dinning options are basically pub food. Shallow Creek has a strange pro shop, with restrooms accessible only from outside, and Boosters restaurant is adjacent, which is basically pub food. Some of the Country Clubs have pools requiring a membership and are not open to Villages Residents unless they pay for the membership. I have never been a member and used these pools so I can’t speak for the experience. Off the top of my head I think that Orange Blossom, Glenview, Lopez, Cane Garden, Malloy Hills, and Evans Praire have member only pools. I think at least a couple (I know Glenview does) also have members only tennis facilities.
Hope that helps.

When I think of a country club, I think of a building where I can visit, watch TV, play cards, read a book, or meet with other dues paying members for a private meeting. What The Villages calls a country club is just a restaurant, that is open to the public, no dues required, and you sit at a table or at the bar, and you order food or drinks. If you don't order food or drinks, they will throw you out. This is a restaurant and they should call it what it is: a "RESTAURANT". The restaurant owner and manager have nothing to do with the golf course or the pro shop.