[QUOTE=tomwed;982697]Free golf, Separate Checks are What's Expected, Most Club Dues are $10/yr
How can you beat that?

No one really knows what you are worth. The have's and the have not's share the same facilities. It's not like home where the have's play the $100 courses or join the $5k country clubs and the have not's golf after 3pm on the cheap.

This is one of the real attractions of TV IMO. THERE ARE NO "exclusive" clubs as there are in most places. Tom references $5k country clubs, but these days many CCs in the country cost that much annually while requiring $50k or more in initial fees or stock. Often times those clubs offer advantages for members in business as well as advantages for their children in lessons and access. Some people join those clubs simply for the snob appeal. In TV everyone that goes to Lopez, or Palmer or any other CC, or Katie Belles/Cattle Baron as a resident is a member in good standing and the person getting by on Social Security is indistinguishable from the person drawing on a huge trust fund, or a retired CEO. In a post two or three years ago I rhapsodized about the "rich" lifestyle in TV, where one can attend live concerts, enjoy dancing nightly at three outdoor venues as well as KBs, be a member of more than a dozen country clubs, have exclusive privileges at thirty or so beautiful executive golf courses, dozens of pools and on and on, all on a modest retirement budget. I think I have visited, played, and dined with people from the historic side as well as some from the finest Premier villages, I just don't know which were which.

People that promote class envy are "classless People".

This is the great melting pot! It is the triumph of the American Dream. It is the culmination of years of struggle (financially, physically and emotionally).

When someone starts out by saying "I used to be a big deal.......
they are living in the past.

Dare I come and live in the Villages? Of course you should! Often I hear "I should have come years ago". Come for the weather! Come for the golf, swimming recreational facilities. Come for the seasonal merriment.

I can almost hear Johnny Mathis singing "It's beginning to look like a ....Beatlemaniac Christmas

Seabreeze Rec Center 12/19/14
6-9 pm

To my previous post I would add that TV is made up entirely of people from somewhere else. In some residents previous communities they were known as, the owner of the hardware store, the insurance salesperson, the school principal, the town council or school board member, the firefighter, the parents of the high school football star, the parents of the juvenile delinquent......................you get the picture. In TV those same folks are just Jim and Mary who came here from Pennsylvania. Like I said the first time my wife and I went to one of the Town Squares - I feel like a freshman in college again!

Your comment about getting old has me LOL. Age is just a number. Attitude is ALL the difference between you being accepted or not, regardless of where you live. Based upon your writings included herein you’ll fit in very nicely. As has already been said, by far, most people are accepting of all others. The snobs aren’t worthy of your concern or time. The truth is I haven’t met any of them yet, but I’m sure there’re a few hiding out somewhere. Just get yourself down here ASAP and start living.

Hey Ted. I really didn't mean old in a physical way, but more of a work mental way. My GOD's gift is I remember everything I've done on computers and I was there when computers started. I love working on the hardware and software aspect. After a while you grow into a position where it's all meeting, responsibilities, and enforcing policies. That crap is not fun. I want to get back to working on the systems, because I think those challenges are what kept me happy and engaged.

Amee. I've love to work on you system. That's what fun is for me. Since my specialty is in network security now, I've given classes at my church on how to protect yourself, especially in wireless. Too many people just have X-company come in an set it up. Yeah, No, That's not the end of it. They care less about your security and more on your monthly bill. I really try to help alot of people with that. We are in a different world now and should protect our information. Ok, done with the sales pitch. LOL

I agree with the sentiment that folks are folks and most folks are humble or at least act humble. However I do not agree that one can't see the difference between the have and have nots that live here because you can, by where the live, what they drive, where they eat, where they travel to, what they wear and the fact that they do this on a continuum. Many will play down their wealth

I also don't buy into this we are all one big happy family, money draws money
power draws power

[QUOTE=gratefulparrot;983082]Hey Ted. I really didn't mean old in a physical way, but more of a work mental way. My GOD's gift is I remember everything I've done on computers and I was there when computers started. I love working on the hardware and software aspect. After a while you grow into a position where it's all meeting, responsibilities, and enforcing policies. That crap is not fun. I want to get back to working on the systems, because I think those challenges are what kept me happy and engaged.

I can readily identify with your position. I was in real estate for 41 years. There was a short time that I was a minor partner in a growing and successful firm (after owning my own for a miserable 1.5 years). I quickly got tired of training, managing and taking the responsibilities for others' results. I couldn't wait to get back to simply "working the streets", which is where I was for the last 20 plus years. Good luck in returning to "your roots". :) Oh, and get your bod down here.

Individuality makes life interesting . Life styles here in TV means that everyone can find their niche,just takes time and patience . The words ; quaint,stylish,McMansion , elegant,homey,cottage-like ,can be used to describe many of our homes here. The old saying" Never judge a book by its cover" applies to the facade of our homes. I hope you take all the above posts comments into consideration when you move to TV? Your job skills might be needed at the high school, hospital, or within T V 's vast organizational networks. Good luck !

Please hurry down. Now that I have read you more, I can understand you better. You will fit right in.


And you will love it.

Wellll.... yes it sort of is.

The country club green fees are fairly expensive and people who cannot afford to play on them play on the par three courses for free. I was told when I came here that there were 30 odd "Executive Courses". These are actually nine hole par three courses. The definition of executive course that I learned was simply a shorter course with par threes, fours and fives. What they call executive courses here are actually nine hole par threes with in some cases one or two very short par fours. This is the free golf for life that is advertised.

The "championship" courses, (another term that is often misused) have a green fee of somewhere around $50.00. Not bad in today's world, but if someone wants to play full sized golf every day, that $350 a week or over $18,000 per year. That's dues for some of the finest most expensive private country clubs in the world and a lot of money to play public golf courses. Albeit very good public golf courses.

I no longer play golf because of physical issues, but I have friends who play down here and go outside The Villages when they want to play full size courses. I find that kind of sad.

What surprises me down here is that there are no full size golf courses that offer golf for an annual dues like back home. What they call country clubs here, (another misused and deceptive term) are actually just restaurants located near the "championship" golf courses. Again, these restaurants are open to the general public. You don't even have to be a Villages resident to eat in them.

Where I come from, championship golf courses are 7,000 yards long and have usually had some kind of national championship or PGA tour event played on them. A country club is usually a private, member's only club where one pays an annual dues and possibly an initiation fee for the privilege of playing unlimited golf. None of that seems to exist around here.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I love The Villages and if I played golf, I'd be happy playing the free golf courses and maybe one of the championship courses once or twice a month. But, to me this is one of the few things that is not as advertised.

Getting back to the post that I quoted; there are a lot of people that cannot afford to play the championship courses and play the executive courses all the time. It's not a case where everyone has equal golf opportunities. If you don;t have a lot of money, you are not going to play with the wealthy people on the championship courses. If you are, it might be once is a while.

Wow! Seriously? I'm not sure how I would have handled myself in that situation. That is disturbing that someone would do that; hope your husband doesn't play with those pr**ks anymore.

I'm glad y'all have learned to overlook those "entitled" few and have met some nice people. We moved in Thanksgiving week and we have met a LOT of super nice people and a few that were NOT SO NICE. Those, I will smile at in my own little way and in about 10 seconds they'll realize how entitled they are not.

Security Specialist? I heard Sony is hiring.

Village courses are close to the courses where you came from.

Belle Glade 6992
Bonifay 7090
Cane Garden 7000
Evans Prairie 7052
Glenview 6843
Hacienda Hills 6446
Havana 7070
Lopez Legacy 6906
Mallory Hill 6984
Orange Blossom 6213
Palmer Legends 7180
Tierra del Sol 6800

Living in The Villages is not a cure for stupid or arrogance.