Its Snow-Bird-Time: the Villages wants to show that everything is fine here and for them to come back down!
Its all about the money, soon you'll be able to shake your butt's at the squares while drinking their expensive drinks....

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...when I first saw this, my first thought was>
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They’ve always allowed 3 carts. One just has to stay on the golf cart path.

Adding insult to injury
 

Not meaning to hijack this thread, but has anybody seen the winter rates yet? Come January you will pay more for the privilege of riding with a Covid spreader. Snowbird season has higher rates. I wonder whether Golf Management will goose them up again.

Where did you see the price hike on rates/fees?

He was asking if anyone has seen the new rates.

So, you’re basically saying that they’re punishing us who have good golf etiquette for those that don’t? The timing is VERY SUSPECT! We now have ambassadors who no longer dispense water and rarely give out sand. So, when these ambassadors see bad course behavior, what actions do they take? They may mention it to the individual, but unable to take any actions beyond that. So, what we have are rules that can’t be enforced. There are no consequences to bad course behavior/etiquette.

Also, the opening of the squares is right in line with my thinking, too. Hmmmmmm.....

Boy, they really screwed up the wording in the 2 cart rule. It was NOT intended to require 2 golfers per cart. ONLY two carts on fairway on Championship and Executive par 4 courses. They need to re word this!

You are correct, NO ONE will be forced to ride with someone just like before. BUT only 2 carts on fairway at one time!

Drinking fountains shut down but we can cozy up to each other safely? Seems openings so much at once is reckless to me. Opening recreation centers, music at squares, and buddy up in golf carts too. I thought the Villages was very prudent with the many limitations they put in place. We still have no good coronavirus medicine or vaccines. Seems way too early for increasing exposures for old folks. Hope it works out ok but count me out of these risky activities. All these decisions are being made with no public health review or least none that is made public. I’d have a lot more confidence if they shared the public health recommendations that led to rpthese changes.

You don’t have to participate if you’re not comfortable. STAY HOME

It's all about the money.....not about what makes sense. Nothing has changed since March, people are still getting sick and dying at a rate that exceeds the flu. But I agree, those that aren't comfortable will stay home and those that feel invincible won't....it's all personal choice until a higher power decides that it will take over.

$$$$$$$$$ Its like one of the poster wrote on top, its all about the money. They want to show that the Villages is safe in order the get the Snow Birds down here sooner. $$$$$$$$$

Since the residents own the exec courses and pay for all the upkeep via amenity fees, we have a right to use our courses and stay safe. Contact your CDD supervisor to discuss the cart sharing situation. They can direct the recreation dept as needed.

[QUOTE=swooner;1843339]Residents own the exec courses via their CDD. Amenity fees pay for upkeep. The local CDD supervisors oversee the rec dept.
Golf admin is not really in charge - the residents are in charge.

I talked to the starter at Caine Garden. He said it’s 2 carts allowed on the fairway at the same time. You can still have 4 carts individually but you must watch so only 2 ride the fairway at the same time.

Amen, it's just going back to the way it was, not mandatory to have only 2 cars.

Hmm. So I’ve only lived here three years and play three times per week on “championship” courses. No starter or ambassador has ever told me or playing partners only two carts on the fairway at a time. And prepandemic I have played in a group with one cart with two golfers and two single carts. And from what I’ve seen doesn’t look like many others have been told about that rule as well. So hypothetically, if all for balls wind up at the same general area on the fairway, who gets to ride their cart to the ball?

This is overkill. Course management can easily decide when particular fairways are designated carts on rough only per the condition of the fairways at any point during the day. With the exception of the recent rains, the majority of the fairways are rock hard and not affected by carts. What does affect the quality is the lack of etiquette on the part of those who don’t fill divots, drag their feet on the greens, drive up to greens within ten feet or less, etc.

Sarcasm
 

I believe MSchad was just joking. However, a good friend who use to be an Ambassador told me that he had a couple of new golfers tell him just what MSchad said and they were serious. It’s very believable they are out there.

I understand. The only person I plan to ride with is my wife. The restrictions on activity in Illinois are much more than here in Florida. I was there just a few weeks ago and it was and still is almost a complete lock down to try and stop the COVID 19 and save lives in certain counties. The irony is that many so called snowbirds are likely to be safer to ride with than a neighbor on our same street. Still I agree changes now may be a bad idea.

Be sure to voice your concern by writing to golfinfo@thevillages.com . There is no excuse for removing safety precautions at this stage. An outbreak in The Villages will cause irreparable harm to the community and to the developer's business.

The online news site reported: The most controversial change was the plan to limit golf groups to two carts.


Totally false and stirring the pot.

I would never live in a communty that I felt so strongly about.

NOTE: two carts is not mandatory! Each person can take own cart BUT only 2 can be in the fairway at a time. No safety precautions have been removed! It is a personal choice.

They have updated the message.

Being revisited
 

[QUOTE=Neils;1843456]I hear from a good source that this is being revisited regarding the golf cart riders and also the taking of PVC out of the holes. There has been a “strong outcry” about the changes.

Big Backlash!
 

Friend has talked to both champ & exec managers. Single rider carts will be allowed but not preferred.

Take the PVC out, no problem. Even with the PVC in, you still reached in to get your golf ball.

As far as the rakes in traps, optional.Keep the USGA rule that you can move the ball to an undisturbed area in the trap with no penalty.

As far as the pins, individual choice as to whether you want to pull it or not.

The reason they are doing this is because the grass is going to become dormant in a while so new grass wont grow.

Preferred by who, golfers trying to be safe during a pandemic or the golf course? I heard a discussion about this on WVLG this AM and they are definitely backpedaling because of the feedback the poor decision has generated.

If this is golf policy is true then it should be communicated in the Daily Sun as well as handouts to golfers at every course. Social Distancing is still the practice & I don’t want to ride with a friend much less a stranger during these uncertain times. I may be riding with someone who doesn’t even know their infected. The Villages Health Locations take your temperature & demand mask use as well. Wonder how the courses will handle that. You can’t even get close to the starter shack to confirm registrations or pay a green fee with cash. Wonder if that will be handled different now.

This change, if true should be pushed back on.

We were told by the people working the pro shop at Havana yesterday this entire plan has been shelved and there will be no changes to the number of carts on Monday.

I would rather the grass go dormant than for one person to contract C19 from having to ride with some snowbird they do not know because of a stupid two cart rule.

It doesn’t have to be a snowbird! Plenty of people here are not practicing social distancing and haven’t been for months. Hanging out in big groups, dinner groups at restaurants, large parties at peoples houses, no social distancing and no masks. You could just as easily spread it to your friend or neighbor without knowing you have been infected or before symptoms occur. I’d rather ride with a snowbird since many states have been much more careful than Florida or the Villages have been!
If you think you are being safe because you know the person you’re riding with or it’s a friend or neighbor think again. Many people have not been honest about the activities they have been doing. Villagers are certainly not any safer than snowbirds.