If you don't want to get a golf cart I feel you are missing a major part of the lifestyle. If I didn't have a golf cart I would reconsider my decision to move to the villages. We have been here amost seven years and I would not consider living nhere without one. We use the car about 50 miles per month and the cart all other times.

2 carts, one car. Probably put 7,000 miles on the two carts last year and 3,000 miles on the car. So, yep, the carts are a must have. It's my "convertible". As someone said, it is one of the neatest, unique things about The Villages lifestyle and you can pickup a nice used cart for $3K.

rent one for a week and then decide

Need one? Definitely not. Will it increase your enjoyment of TV's lifestyle? I think so.

As far as safety issues, when we moved here my wife had similar concerns. We bought her a GEM, it has seat belts, doors, windshield wipers, and upgraded brakes. It's street legal so you can take it on the street, on the multi-modal paths, and/or on the golf course. She absolutely loves it, and more importantly, she feels safe. Of course there are risks, but you could say the same for walking, riding your bike, or eating at some restaurants. For me, it is all about enjoying my time that i still have on this planet.

That's what I like about this forum - answers - and good ones.
Similar opinions and food for thought!
I am a golfer but was wondering if this was something that I HAD to do right away. I imagine we will, but like to hear the thoughts of the folks who actually live here.

Thank you - keep em coming !

That's good to know, cappyjon. I may cave eventually. It's early days yet for us.

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

golf carts
 

I meet some guys every Saturday at Panera.All but one drive a golf cart to get there.We see our buddy driving his car around and round looking for a parking place and then parking in a distant lot and being ten minutes late.Give me a cart anyday.

They are fun. We don't Golf and right now it's set up a new home time. Not a priority. I get along just fine with our Prius. My cart is a shopping cart.

We made a decision Cart or Landscape? Cart or landscape Hmmmm just got in from watering the palms.

A Cart will come later.

My wife and I take our car almost everywhere unless we are trying to kill time or if one of us has the SUV and the other needs to get somewhere in TV which is not very seldom but happens from time to time. So for us the cart is in place of a second car. My wife can go to play bingo and I am able to go to the rec center or rent a movie at SweetBays however I am waiting for a bicycle to be delivered which will be used for much of the same uses while providing me with the exercise I need to keep losing weight. Given a choice we will choose the SUV over the cart unless we are just going a few blocks to the pool/mail. We rather drive without sweating/shivering, listen to the radio, parking without concern over whether it will rain or not (zip up the sunbrella or not) and feel much safer than driving in a cart.

So no you do not need a cart but they make an inexpensive second means of transportation for those times when you and your spouse have different plans for the day.

Well, you can't get to the first tee in an SUV! :spoken:

Well . . . you CAN but I think they would frown on that !

Fun on the cart
 

I don't think a golf cart is a necessity but as other posters have said it's half the fun of getting from point A to point B. We personally like going on the cart trails (safer in our opinion) than the designated cart strips along the side of the road. It's also fun just to roam around in different villages looking at homes and such. We went from a two car home where we used to live to a one car and two cart home here. Seems to work for us. By the way, we don't golf either!!!

I had the same question before moving here. My biggest concern was would I be able to drive around at only 20 mph since I'm usually a sort of a spirited driver or rider on my motorcycle. Now it's my favorite mode of transportation and I put 4,000 miles a year on mine. The one big advantage is finding parking.

I have never paled my car 10 minutes from my destination, even during snow bird season. I think you may be exaggerating a little. 2-3 minutes tops and that was during a major event. If there ate no car spots nearby, there are also no cart spots either.