I play only Champ courses and some of them are in the same condition. Even with a "Priority" membership that cost $960 a year I paid $42 to play Mallory yesterday and the greens are terrible. Thousands of rounds of golf, leaving the pin in to putt and not taking the pin out to retrieve your ball makes for a damaged hole on the green. There are simply not enough courses for the number of people playing golf and this will only get worse. At some point there will be a breaking point.

This will never be a positive poll.

"Poor" is well under 50%. Based on those "deplorable" threads, one might have expected much higher. (I know "fair" isn't that good, but it definitely beats "deplorable".

In just 12 days, JUST 12 DAYS, there will be thousands and thousands of fewer feet pummeling the golf courses here.

That will be a good start toward recovery. The nine hole courses are booked more consistently and used more than other courses in this country, I would guess.


But we all do love snowbirds, having been that species ourselves, most of us.

Good morning. It is a beautiful day in The Villages.
__________________

Didn't The Villages just take back golf course management from a subcontractor? We need to give them a chance to improve the courses. I agree that many need to be closed and overhauled. Redfish #8 & #9 greens with their patchwork is a disgrace and unplayable. I'm sure there will be several closures after April 1 or maybe May 1.

What are people complaining about and what specific courses?

Condition of the greens? The quality of sand in the bunkers? Condition of the fairways and tees?

On Longleaf, where we played yesterday, the turf on some of the tees was very hard. When we played Bacall last year. the grass in the rough was too high and it was easy to lose a ball. Truman was great last week.

100% accurate.

The courses have had the same number of rounds played on them for years during "The Season" but a large number have never been in such a poor state as they are now.
I am not whining about pitchmarks, unraked sand etc. those complaints will always be with us, it is just the greens are devoid of grass, crumbling, and basicly neglected.
The problem is simply lack of, or at best, poor maintainance, because if it is not, it is plain neglect, which is nothing less than the management giving the golfers the finger.

I agree with your statement. Never have I seen the greens in such poor shape as this season.

Agreed

I played Truman on Sunday, in the drizzle. First time I've ever played it. I thought it was a great layout. Very pretty. The greens were pretty bad. Maybe because of the rain they did not get mowed, but the grass in the greens was long, and lots of bare spots. It was not uncommon to have a putt bounce 2 or 3 inches in the air.

I've played Pelican a few times, and Bacall and Bogart a few times. Basically, the greens were about as bad as any greens I've ever played on, and I've played public municipal courses my whole life.

This is not a complaint, but an unbiased observation. I have no clue how you could maintain decent greens during the non-growing season, with constant play, all day long, every day. It is what it is. I still enjoy playing them.

I hear a lot of complaints from the crew I play the Championship courses with. No grass in the chipping areas, fairways are sparse. I suggest "preferred lies" everywhere, and quit the bellyaching. Pretty much, they'd rather bellyache.

I hear a lot of complaints from the crew I play the Championship courses with. No grass in the chipping areas, fairways are sparse. I suggest "preferred lies" everywhere, and quit the bellyaching. Pretty much, they'd rather bellyache.

So you are pretty happy to accept crappy maintanance, sub standard conditions, pay $40-$60 bucks a round, play prefered lies, rather than "bellyache?"
Do me a favor!!

Where are you paying 40- 60 a round? You should try after 2
Steve

So according to your logic, I should wait for the Christmas sales before I go shopping!!!

Now that makes absolutely no sense.
Steve