[Peekapoo]

I have heard that when the new hotel in Spanish Springs is completed that people
staying there will be able to play golf. I know someone that went to a "Vacation
Club" seminar and The hotel in Spanish Springs was listed as a place to go.

With a hotel also being built in Sumter Landing will they also get golf privileges?

Just what does this mean? Will these people get reserved tee times or will tee times
be blocked off for them?

I have trouble getting tee times now and don't feel that this is right if it is true.

Does anyone know if this is true and if so how can we stop it!

[bargee]

If this is the case I don't think we can do anything about the Championship Courses as they are considered"Public Courses"(at least that is my understanding).However the Executive Courses for the most part are resident owned and we should be able to prevent preferred Tee Times on them if we stick together and make enough"noise".It is imperitive that we all watch carefully or the business people and the developer will sell this place right out from under us.

[jjdees]

What's the problem with tee times? We're going to be new residents shortly and have heard similar comments recently.

[Peekapoo]

Everytime you play golf you get a point--when they issue tee times
they look at how many points you have for the last seven days.
If you have more points then someone else who wants to play you
don't get to play--they do. Executive courses and championship
courses are kept separate. However, if someone you are planning
on playing with have too many points--no one in the group gets to
play. In the winter months getting a tee time any where near the time
you want and on the course you want is almost impossible. You can
not play everyday of the week in the winter--unless you are single and
look at the tee times the night before and take what is available.

[Talk Host]

In the nearly 4 years that I have lived here, I have never been denied a tee time on a championship course.

[gingersmom]

I find it very hard to believe that the Talk Host has never been denied a tee time in four years. My group of neighbors trys to play on Sundays because most of us still work full-time and we were denied 4 Sundays (the whole month of March) in a row. We called the Golf Office and were told it was because of the snow birds. Seems that some of the people in our group had 1 point but the snowbirds had zero points so they got the first tee times.

[Happy Villager]

I've heard the same regarding talk of the hotel guests using the courses here in The Villages. I agree the Championship Courses are open to the public but our Executive Courses should not be for anyone but residents, renters and guests. I am aware The Villages reserve tee times for the people that come on the preview visit and I don't object to that practice. My husband and I have lived here almost two years and we have only been blocked out twice from obtaining a tee time. We usually play golf three times a week in the winter months and just about every day once the snowbirds have gone. Of course we don't limit ourselves to certain courses and will play just about anyone of the Executive courses. We do find Pelican very difficult so we do try to limit that one!

Any way we can find out if the hotel guests will be using the courses and do away with rumors?

[Frangyomory]

We just got our Priority Membership renewal and their are rates for Non-Residents now in addition to Resident; resident guest, Priority resident and priority resident guest.

I am guessing that between the hotels and the assisted living structure planned, it will become more and more difficult to get T times at the Championship courses. Right now, it is difificult for full time residents to get T times, particularly when the part-time/snow birds are in town.

Since my husband does not play the Executive courses, I don't have a clue if there is any problem there. The point system in reality hurts the full time residet who plays a lot of golf....when the snow birds are in town.

[Happy Villager]

It is my understanding that the Championship courses have always allowed Non-Residents to play but at a higher fee. They must have had a Non-Resident rate all along or how else would they have been charged?

As for the assisted living structure being allowed to use the facilities I am not very happy about it. My opinion is it is a "private" business and not part of the Villages.