Talk of The Villages Florida - “”free golf” ain’t so free

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- - “”free golf” ain’t so free (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/free-golf-aint-so-free-332078/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by alwann (Post 2096359)

You'd better have good health insurance. Walking many of the execs., especially in the summer, is an invitation for a heart attack or heat stroke. The execs are not routed with older golfer in mind. Walk the championship courses? Maybe if you're a tri-athlete. I wonder if this was poor course design or marketing strategy.

I’m 79, not in the best of health, but walk the execs in the Fall, Winter & Spring, even though I pay my trail fees. I haven’t seen anyone walk the championship courses, but many are laid out through neighborhoods to have as many “golf view” expensive lots available and sometimes there’s a very long walk from green to the next tee. Good planning by the developer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna (Post 2096283)

After paying the required Amenity Fee, add the Trail Fees of about $144 a year and the free golf ain’t so free. If you play two rounds every weekend the “free golf” costs you almost $24 per round on the Executive courses.

You must have forgotten about:
The pools
The rec centers
Pickle ball and tennis courts
The upkeep of the squares and when your driving on the cart paths or roads…..do you think the flowers are donated to the villages each time they are replaced?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgreen3 (Post 2096376)

The Villages Kahuna's math is correct using an amenity fee of $172 a month, and a monthly fee of $12 (144 divided by 12).

If you extrapolate, if you play once a year, the cost is $144 + 170x12 which equals over $2000 for that one round :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2096478)

How about the third option that most Villagers take: Pay the amenity and trail fees and enjoy your golf.

Now for some remedial math:

Cost of maintaining a golf course, according to the CSGA, varies from $80,000 to close to $ 2 million/year depending on location and the course. The average is $500,000/year for a full 18 hole championship course in very good condition, or $250,000 for a 9 hole course. Our 9 hole exec courses are less than 1/2 of the length of nine holes on those courses, but the most expensive parts of a course to maintain are bunkers and greens, so let's go high and say it costs $200,000/ year to maintain each of our execs. So, 44 execs x $200,000/year = $8.8 million/year.

On the income side-----approx. 65,000 homes in TV paying about $170/MONTH amenity fees: 65,000 x 170 x 12 = $ 132.6 million/year. 8.8/132.6 = 6.6% of the amenity fee going to golf (far from 100%). We can debate these numbers a little, but they are certainly well in the ballpark, so I doubt more than 10% of the amenity fee goes for exec golf.

So.....$170/month x 6.6% = $11.22/month or $134.64/year, then add $144 trail fee (if using cart) for $278.86/year divided by 104 rounds = $2.68/round , or only $1.29/round if walking and playing twice a week-----this is the real cost of "free" golf, far from $24/round. Play 4x/ week and those costs go to $1.34 and $0.65 respectively.

(mike drop):1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Thank you. Maybe a class in the Enrichment Academy is needed for some. I'm amused by all of the "new math" that's been displayed.

Why do we pay a trail fee when the residents own the exec courses? Where does the trail fee really go or should I say "whose pocket".

For all the whiners: I am still waiting to meet the person whose sales agent held a gun to their head while signing their closing documents. If you walk around with a Virginia ham under each arm, would you complain that you have no bread?

I am an expert on posting crap, but this thread is a master class!:ho:

Quote:

Originally Posted by alwann (Post 2096359)

I think it was well thought out. It is all about pace of play. If they had even 20% of the people walking it would mean x% of tee times they would loose. On the championship courses that means revenue. So yes they want people riding.

What's the phone number for Mensa?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna (Post 2096283)

Are you using Common Core math???

That's why I play golf every day. I get my money's worth.

You forgot to add in the fee to get a tee time every month .

I never understand all of the complaining on here about the cost of everything. When you were moving here I would assume a developer sales agent or an MLS agent explained the fee structure to you. You made an informed decision because you liked what you heard and saw. Why are you complaining now. Enjoy what you have and live the rest of your life happy. Complaining and thinking about all of this, just wastes what time we all have left.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna (Post 2096283)

The error of your thinking is that you pay the Amenity fee whether you play golf or sit at home in your recliner, also it covers many other amenities. Nice try at stirring the pot but on this one you missed the mark.

The amenity fees compared to hmo fees charged at most condos and other facility’s such as top of the World is super cheap. Am enjoying the life in The Villages’s