tee time-free golf?
 

:cus: I live in Ny until I can retire..own in Duval. I come down as often as I can usually when snowbirds are gone. I try to take as much advantage of "free golf" as I can when I'm there. Last time down, I was able to set up 2 tee times daily via the automated phone system, I usually start 7days before I get there..Wonderful..enjoyed it for as long as I was able to spend in my home....Coming down on the 10th and tried to set up 2 tee times and the system will not allow you to set up 2 in one day. I called tee time office and they told me I could do it only if I did it on the computer via the village.net for a fee of $60 a year and they would set it up for my NY service. So now..I am paying additonal $60 internet service to make a tee time for our "Free Lifetime Golf". I'm outraged..I pay me ammenity fees and barely get to use anything because unfortunately can't get down there permanently yet..and when I'm able to be there..this is what I encounter. This is another hidden fee...what else????

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

We live here full time. We have villages.net so don't pay the "extra" fee.
When we travel, both in the US and internationally, we still use our villages.net account.
What more do you need?

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Unless you are here in the winter time when you probably can't get two tee times anyway, most of the time you can just drive up to an executive course and get on. I have been here for two months this summer and for the past two weeks. I play between eighteen and twenty seven holes on the executive courses if the weather is nice every day. I just drive up to the course, see if it looks busy and get on. If it looks crowded I go to the next closest course and get on. I have yet to use the tee time golf system for golfing except for men's day on Tuesdays. Whenever I want to play the championship courses, I call up the course that i want to play in the morning, inquire as to available times and schedule over the phone. Did that yesterday at Havana, played eighteen holes with a threesome starting at 12:30 and another eighteen holes by myself afterwards. The villages.net will never see five dollars a month from me.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Don't you get Villages.net account free if your internet service is with Comcast? I realize this does not help the out of towners. I personally think that the online T time system should be available to all residents no matter where you are in the world. Ive used the phone system and did not like it.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

My husband was concerned about T-times and someone told us last night to make sure we set up T-times over the computer because the phone just doesn't work that well. I guess you go to Lake Sumpter to set up your account! We set up Embarq for our computer so we could get highspeed so does that mean we have to pay for 2 computer providers??

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Hey DD you are up and runnig again. Send me your email add BAMA

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

If you are not a villages.net user OR you do not have Comcast broadband in the Villages, you a=have to pay extra for the Villages Online Tee Time System. Go to https://www.thevillages.net/ and click in the pdf application to see your options. Member Services is $60 a year for the Golf tee Time system. There are also other time frames to purchase.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

The tee time golf system is one of a number of interesting quirks in The Villages. You get the phone tee-time system access for free and have to pay extra for the web access to the tee-time system.

Actually I believe that the phone tee-time system access is paid for with our amenities fees by the VCCDD and SLCDD...it really isn't free.

The interesting thing is that the web access (which is a lot better) should be a lot less expensive to provide because many users can access the web server simultaneously while only one user at a time can access via a phone line. That means that if you want to have a large number of users accessing the system simultaneoulsy via phone, you have to pay for access to a large number of phone lines.

Web access should be a lot cheaper than phone access but for some unknown reason we have to pay extra to get this service.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

I can use the phone t-time service thats provided for by our amenities fees but I choose to pay $5.50 a month for the Villages.net service because its fast and its easy. You can see what times are available at all the courses in the Villages and select what you want, when you want it..Come on guys, Its a great service and its cheap. It makes it convenient for my wife and I to play nearly everyday.... Now if $ 5.50 a month is to tough to handle then maybe its not for you........ITS JUST ANOTHER SERVICE PROVIDED BY ANOTHER SORCE.....

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

I agree fumar :bigthumbsup: If you have comcast cable/internet then there is no 5.00 per month charge. Talk to comcast/internet. ;D

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Thanks for all your input.,, we may try just driving up if we need to. I heard we can make a second tee time on same day if we wait till 3 days before the actual day to see what is available and they will let you chose it. This is also done on the village net..Because we are in NY most of the time (still working full time) we do not have a tv,phone or internet service down there..we just use cell phones and golf alot..who needs more? So we dont have comcast up in NY..I guess we are stuck with this extra charge and thats A FACT!!!

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

FUMAR is correct. It is an additional service from an additional source. With its bells and whistles, the internet Tee Time system is worth the $5 a month if you do not have Comcast broadband package. Instead of punching in all of the member number numbers when you want a tee time you can set up a template and it is 1, 2, 3.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

I have comcast broadband. Does that mean I don't need to re-activate my villages.net account to get to the tee time scheduler? Doing it by phone is a real pain.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

If you have comcast internet then you get villages. net included. Which would give you access to online t-time system.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Wonderful! I can't wait until March when we get there. I'm very jealous of the people who are renting our place before we even get to use it (but thankful also!) Since our renters will also use our internet connection, can they use the villages.net account too? Somehow I remember needing to log in for the tee times.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

All you would have to do is call Comcast customer service and explain it to them and they will set you up. Make sure you give them the Golf IDs of all the members in your house that would use the system so they can get village.net IDs for them. I am not sure about reactivating your old IDs. That would be a villages.net issue.

BTW: have you tried to sign into the Villages.net since you closed your account? It might still be there. Doubt it but worth a shot.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Using your internet connection only gives them access to the internet.

Unless the renters use your golf id numbers, it wouldn't work. Your villages.net sign-on ties in the golf ids assigned to that residence. They would also have access to your villages.net mail account and I doubt if you would want that!!

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

zcaveman -- That makes sense. Thanks for the information.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

I contacted Comcast to setup broadband service for when I arrive in Nov 2007, so what I am reading is that to call them and setup your account with thevillages.net?

Or should I have gone through the offices at TV instead of directly with comcast?

Having rented many times we have an established Village ID.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

I think you have to deal directly with Comcast.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

I am confused as to tee times. I will be moving to the villages as soon as my house is sold, I feel like SteveFrom Ny.. Same story, realtor set price too high, have dropped price a little but need new realtor. As for tee time, my brother will be wanting to play golf every day 18 holes. Will this be possible.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Sure during the months of July and August.

No just kidding the system runs by points over a set period of time. The more you play the harder it gets to play the exact course and time, or you can apply for a Premium tee time. Its an annual fee that allows you to get a time sooner than others can request (like a week ahead), so that when they require a time and they have less points than you don't get bumped into your spot because it was already awarded to you. At the same time you get points added should you not show up to play. This is what I remeber from going to the Savanah Ctr a couple years ago for classes.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Not exactly correct. The premium tee time you refer to is actually a priority membership and is only applicable on the championship courses.

Here is a writeup I sent out to my groups:

What are points? Points are used to provide golf tee times to all players on an equitable basis. Without the points system, some golfers would use up all of the tee times and some golfer would never get to play - especially in the busy months. The Golf Office provides the rules that determine points and their application in the Tee Time system.

How are points calculated? Every time you play golf in the Villages you are charged a point or a percentage of a point. If you make a request and the reservation falls outside of your scheduled time by an hour or more you will only be charged .8 or .9 points. If you make a reservation you are charged a full point. If you cancel a tee time more that 24 hours before playing, you are charged a full point (regardless of the .8 or .9 you would have been charged if you had played). If you cancel a tee time within 24 hours of the scheduled tee time, you are charged two points. If you do not show up, you are charged three points. If you get a replacement to play for you, you will also be charged three points. The one and two point charges are also enforced if you substitute a player within the above mentioned periods.

The purpose of points is to make sure that everyone has a chance to play. The additional "fines" are to make sure you are not abusing the system.

The points are assessed separately by championship and executive course play. Points are assessed for the current seven day periods.

How do points work? Whenever you put in a request for a tee time, the total number of points in your group is a factor in the scheduling. For example, there are four people in your group and between the four of you, your group has a total of 10 points. The total number of points (10) is divided by the number of players (4) and you have a group total of 2.5 points. Now let's say that there are six groups vying for a tee time. The tee time system puts the six groups in order by the group point number. If there are two teams with less than 2.5 points one of them would get the tee time over you. If there are two teams with more than 2.5 points then you would get the tee time before them. If there is another team with 2.5 points, the system "randomly" picks one of the two teams to be next.

AARRG!! What to do!!!

How do you work with the point assessment? To work with the point assessment, you need to set a large enough "window" to give you a sufficient number of tee time slots to negate the point assessment. During a one hour period, there are seven tee times on any one course (60 minutes divided by tee times scheduled 8 minutes apart). If you have a four hour window on one course, you have 28 chances of getting a tee time on that course. If you add five more courses to the mix, you now have 140 chances of getting a tee time. Remember that you still have 2.5 points in your group and you are competing against a multitude of people requesting a tee time.

As you can see, by selecting more courses and making a larger window, you improve your chances of getting a requested tee time.

If the courses are closed for inclement weather or frost, etc, no one scheduled for a tee time during that period will be assessed a point.

Hope this helps.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

zcaveman, Thanks for that excellant explanation of the point system. i was a little worried about being able to play. This system seems to make things equitable, is it used for both the Championship and executive courses?

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Yes - points are for both exec and championship courses. But on the championship courses, the priority membership comes into play. If you have a priority membership ($675 for four courses of your choice but don't quote me on the price since it goes up occasionally) and you have three other players that are priority, you go ahead of a mixed priority/non-priority group if you have the same point total.

Another thing about priority memberships, is that you can play in the championship men's/ladies day tournaments on Tues/Wed respectively and you can play in the other tournaments that they offer in the Villages. Of course you have to have a handicap (5 scores I think) on the championship courses but the handicap system is cheaper for priority players.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

zcaveman, do you have a priority membership? I have talked to both sides of this. It seems that you have to play a lot of golf to get your money's worth, and perhaps the only advantage is the t times and getting to play in some of the tournaments. If you do not have a membership do you find that you have trouble playing the championship vs the executives? Can't you still play in the tournaments at the executive courses without the priority membership? Thanks for all your help.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

On executive courses, Men's day is on Tuesdays and is a 4 man scramble format. No priority membership is required. Same thing for women on Weds. Always a lot of fun, and a great way to meet other villagers. You might win some money for closest to the pin, or 1st or 2nd place. You can sign up on your computer.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

No - I am not a priority member. I don't play that much on the championship courses. Lots of people have priority memberships and do not play enough to satisfy the difference in cost of the membership plus the decrease in the cost of golf on the various courses and are very happy with it. Remember that the executive trail fee is included with the priority membership (for the member holding the membership). You have to sit down with a pencil and paper and the current golf fee schedule and plan out how much golf you would play and do you want to get in the various tournaments to see if it is advantageous to you.

As mentioned by pgilson, the executive tournaments are Tues/Wed for men and ladies respectively. It is a first come, first serve sign-up. If you sign up early you are in. Otherwise you are standby. No point considerations - although you do get 1 point for playing that day. Really a great way to meet new friends.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Today I spoke with comcast and also with the villages.net and here was the reply I got.
According to the villages.net you have to go through comcast to setup the high-speed service to get free access to there site and allowing you to get onto Tee-time-golf and make times. However according to Comcast the password and site ID you must get from the villages.net. After calling the villages.net they claim you need to have this setup by Comcast.

Has anyone person done the setup and how did they do it. Since my cable won't be installed until the day after arriving down for 10 days, I wanted this setup prior to arrival to make tee-times. I would hate to think that I would need to get connected first to gain access.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

We paid for a priority membership the first year we were here but we stopped. We figured out that you have to play 18 holes on the Championship courses at least 3 times a week to make your money back. I work full-time and the husband works 20 hours a week so it just wasn't cost-effective.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Gingersmom,

I hear what you are saying and it is a personal choice by your availability but i've run the numbers and my math is different:

Cost for couples priority membership for all 4 clubs for 12 months = $925

Average Cost savings for priority member vs resident member on all clubs is $10 ($5 in summer, $10 in fall and $15 in winter)

That is a total of $20 per couple per 18 holes.

$925 / $20 = 46.25 / 52 weeks = .9 times a week to break even.

so if you golf once a week for the year (52 times) you get above even. More than that and you make out $20 per 18. It's not 3 times per week.

For 6 months the math is a little closer

$740 / $20 = 37 / 26 weeks = 1.4 times a week to break even.

I don't live there but I is there something else I'm missing? I'm interested in buying a priority membership since I plan on playing about 3 times per week when I get down there.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

We have paid the $60 a year since we moved here in July 2005. Joe likes to use the internet site for tee times and I like having the additional email account in the event my outlook is not working.

For priority membership, right now the fees are going up to the Winter/snow bird rates. Being a priority member you save a few bucks at the Championship courses but not a whole lot.

Since I am on the priority for pools, we can also use the pools that are connected to the championship courses, something not authorized for Village residents.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Fraggy,

From the website it looks like the savings are $10 in fall, $15 in winter and $5 in summer. Correct?

If so then my calculations as to use would be correct.

Can anyone verify my math?

Thanks,

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Russ, if you factor in that the priority membership also includes the trail fee for the executive courses, (@$140.00), then the break even point would be even better. That assumes that those who would play championship golf would also take to the executive courses.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Remember if it is a single person priority membership, the executive trail fee is only for the owner of the priority pass. Anyone else in the residence has to putchase a separate Executive trail fees for $105.93 a year. Go to www.thevillages.net and at the bottom on the right hand side is the trails fee pdf.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

Ok. But the priority membership still pays for itself if you are a golfer. Who knows, when i get there i may play pickleball all the time and give up golf. Ok that's not going to happen but i may only play golf 3 days a week.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

zcaveman, So if you purchase a couples priority membership, you still have to purchase a trail card for one of the couple. I just assumed it covered a couple if that is what you purchased. If you purchased a single priority membership, I can see needing a trail fee for the spouse. I am still debating buying a priority membership. My wife is just learning and she is much more comfortable on the executives. Buying a priority just for myself means it takes a lot longer to break even. Thanks for your help.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

If you purchased a couples priority membership, both of you would be covered on the executive trails fees and it would allow your wife to play on the championship courses at the priority rate. Also, as a couples priority membership, you get the country club pools.

Re: tee time-free golf?
 

We got our thevillages.net account this week through Comcast. Very simple to do but you must go to the Comcast office in person, give them your username and password of your thevillages.net account and they take care of the rest. Very simple...but you must have high speed internet to get this savings. You no longer have to pay the $5 a month to thevillages.net. Yearly savings of $60.