Yeah.... but just wait till this afternoon! :1rotfl:

Steve

Try the Executive courses... They are in far worse shape. Many executive courses also have broken, cracked and sliding concrete carts paths and areas that obviously don't even receive water and the grass is hardly ever replaced in the high traffic areas. Fertilizer is generally what keeps grass looking well and it appears to be non-existent on many courses. I've only been here since November of 2018 and the decline in the course conditions over the previous 18 months has been incredible!

With all due respect, I think you better redo the math.

jk :D

I could not have said it better. I am also a golfer. As a priority member, I resent paying the additional prices to play courses with greens covered in sand. We are getting too big.

Unfortunately, all the executive courses are not in as good of shape as the country club courses. There are a lot of factors, including the amount of play, the care by the golfers, construction & maint. and of course........money.



18 months is a very short period of time. The courses have had good years and bad years.


:popcorn:

I played Havana today and I thought the greens had very nice grass. They putted a little slow, but they were in great shape. Mallory last Friday also had great greens. Belle Glade a week ago the greens were in good shape but also a little slow. I agree with those that would like to see more grass on the fairways; you can not just sweep the ball off like we did on northern courses with bent grass or blue grass fairways. I have played Volusia and Turtle Mound with my wife in the last two weeks and thought the greens were decent. Bermuda grass grows best in the heat of the summer and seems to be coming in much better now.

Aeration is going to make a mess of all the greens this month, but it is necessary for the long term health of the greens.

Getting big has nothing to do with it.
Been here 17 years and the courses have been aerated and sanded for that period of time.
You can drop your priority membership when ever you like...….

I can't believe some "golfers" do not know what aeration is and why it's necessary, then get annoyed playing on aerated greens.
Also priority memberships are non-refundable, non transferable.
Steve

Golf courses
 

I have been here 12 years now and have never seen the courses, executive and championship in such bad condition. It mostly revolves around the overseeding that they do not do anymore. Arlington Ridge is in great condition due to their overseeding etc. I mostly play on the outside now, and when our playing partners ask why, I tell them because our courses are in poor shape. Other developements have gone the same route. Marion Oaks is a huge developement with 2 golf courses that were good 8 years ago. If you want to see what the Villages is going to look like unless they start taking care of their golf courses, take a look at Marion Oaks or Huntington. Very sad. I hope someone at the developers night speaks up if they get a chance.

I was at Pinehurst the last two days. Spring has not been here too long in North Carolina. One of these things is not like the other. Don't blame it on the boogie. I forgot fairways actually have grass.

Have golfed for a long time in Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, Middle East and all over the US. Father worked for PGA after retiring from the military. He taught 4 boys to be pretty good golfers, 2 high school state champs and 3 college scholarships. Never once were we allowed to complain about the condition of a course. Grass or no grass play the ball as it lays. Maintenance on courses is a fact of life. Also read up in some of the golf magazines about the new thoughts on golf course design, over seeding and maintenance, lots more waste areas, lots of big grasses, less fairway grass and less water. Guarantee you do not hear complaints about fairway or rough conditions at St Andrews or many courses in Arizona. Have to agree that sand and punching are part of spring.

Was at The Masters last month and it was not wet it was a swamp. Guarantee you no one who has a chance walks away from playing that course no matter what shape it is in. Nature changes and it is constant fight to keep ahead for the guys trying to keep up.

As for too much growth, did the city you came from stop all development because the movie, restaurant, park, grocery store, muni or country club got too crowded for you? Did you pack up, quit your job and move, or did you stay and grow with your company and make more money? If you did then you are a person of great principal, if you did not then why do you complain now?

St. Andrews is a great example! That course can be crap! But then....that's golf. Too many golf snobs around in my book.
Great post, thanks.
Steve

Played Bonifay today. Greens in great shape but fairways are cut way too short. They should close them for at ,east a week and not cut them. After they grow a little cut them higher. They will never recover if they keep trimming them at 1-2 inch. Just an observation.

Yeah. Nobody goes there any more...it’s too crowded. :)

I agree that the fairways are cut way too close, but they are not cutting them at 1 - 2 inches. They are shaving them to about 1/3- 1/2 of an inch. I cut my lawn up north at 1 3/4 inch and that length leaves plenty of grass underneath a golf ball, in fact, it is about the length of the rough in the Villages. I simply can not understand why they cut the fairways so tight in the Villages, it must stress the turf tremendously?

Read it and weep.
http://www.usga.org/course-care/2013...474858685.html
Steve

As far a golf on the decline..... That may be true while the young folks, me included once upon a time, are raising a family, working etc, they are not interested in golf, but when they retire, they are finding the time to play. I would venture to say that 30 to 40 % of those who have moved to the villages never played golf before. (and they still can't play) Now that they are retire, they're willing to try anything, golf included. Only my opinion, not backed by facts.

If they fairways were cut at 1 to 1.5/2 inches as some are suggesting you guys would lose your ball. If you could take just one fairway in the entire villages and have ONLY a fairway mower on it for a few weeks, it would be night and day.

Yes, see my post above with a link
Steve

Rockymountain….
After living here three years I tend to agree with you, have cancelled my prime membership and now play outside the villages....less money and most are in better shape...
getting tired of the homeless picking thru the garbage....and nothing gets done about it...

So true. When I worked and raised my family there was hardly time to play tennis once a week. Now I am helping my grandchildren enjoy the game of golf.

Right on!! My thoughts exactly!!

Played Palmer this morning (& Monday morning).


I noticed six (6) blades of grass out of place.


I was so upset I almost walked off..............Actually I did, 18 times........off the green that is.




:icon_wink:

I had guest coming in from out of town wanting to play golf here I was too embarrassed to have them play here too expensive for pasture golf shame on the villages for gouging us and yes we all drink the kool aid so we went outside the villages and played a couple of real nice courses Shame on the villages as long as we pay they will continue to have the conditions

That's because the conditions...of course less than perfect...are not nearly as bad as you make them out to be on all courses.

Speak for yourself.

:agree: with PB.

Just my Opin............and the seven other guys I golf with...........the have improved and are very playable and enjoyable. The cour6ses I've played in the last three weeks: Evans, Belle, Palmer, Havana, Cane..........and they are all in good shape.


I just had visitors here and we played 36 holes back to back. They enjoyed the courses and conditions. We were all members of a CC up North, so we like good conditions.



I assume more will chime in.

Again I was in Pinehurst NC this week, The 9 courses in Pinehurst get as much play as the Championship courses do in TV - at this time of year. Tee times are booked solid sunrise to sunset. The fairways are like a carpet. On the best of times I have never experienced the same type conditions in TV. Stop the BS about the amount of play. Now on the other hand different types of grass may explain the difference.

Are you seriously comparing a course that provides caddies instead of carts, has absolutely no budget to follow, and hosts the US Open to courses in The Villages?

1. Course number two requires caddies - carts allowed on all courses.
2. Given the price of golf and amount of play on the championship courses here in TV the budget is hardly that of a pasture.
3.TV not hosting the US Open - that part is probably correct.

I have yet to here a reasonable explanation for having to shoot off essentially dirt on the fairways. Another poster had it right - move the ball to the rough to simulate fairway grass.

Tiera Del Sol was changed over to the new grass for the greens and it has been in great shape. The worst I have played recently in Havana. (Terrible) Numerous bare spots in the fairways and very little if any turf. The courses are recovering from the pounding of thousands upon thousands of golf carts this winter. They will get better (if we actually get our rainy season). If I were in charge I would have the ambassadors fully implementing and enforcing the 90 degree rule. Then you still have all the carts with RA's driving right up to and sometimes on the greens when they are suppose to stay back 15 ft.

Hmmmm, and what was the cost of playing Pinehurst? And right now the courses in TV are doing over 300 rounds a day! On May 1st Havana did over 500 rounds! are you saying that Pinehurst is doing 2700 rounds a day at the prices they charge, WOW I am impressed?

Exactly, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Pinehurst and The Villages?!? Come on lol. I would bet money the courses that are allowed carts at Pinehurst, probably 10% or less drive on the fairway. I also bet if the carts drove where they weren’t supposed at PINEHURST they would be thrown off the course immediately!!

What a revelation - TV needs to have a no cart policy and we can have better than PINEHURST conditions for a fraction of the price of a world class course ( I often wonder why TV calls them Championship Courses). Who can argue with this logic! Problem solved LOL!

I used to obey all the rules of golf never drove up close to the Greene raked the traps I fixed divots etc. Now I do as the rest of the people When in Rome do as the Romans do. The Villages has changed tremendously so I am with the changes. The king and his court doesn't seem to care about the condition of the courses so neither do I I play what's there and enjoy it. Much easier not having to rake the sand, fix my divots. When The Villages decided not to design any decent courses like the old ones which had trees Lakes sand traps etc. When they decided to take a cow pasture dig a few holes put in some sand plant some fountain grass and put 18 sticks in the ground and call it a golf course that's when I stop caring. I got so tired of hearing all the excuses like too much rain not enough for me too much traffic on the courses too hot to cold Just poor maintenance . Money money money

I am hoping that this is a bit of sarcasm. All golfers know that raking sand, filling divots, etc is for the benefit of the other players who follow. Not to help the owner of the course.

If it's not sarcasm, what the heck is he doing here....that is if he really is "here"
Steve

I'm not a golfer (so I'm not thrilled about paying fees to support golf) but I have read from the PWAC that the first reason for the golf courses is for water runoff management. The 2nd reason for the golf courses is as a resident amenity. Obviously, #1 is a higher priority for The Villages system, but, probably most folks view the amenity function as being #1. Obviously, those folks would be wrong.

By fees, I assume you mean amenity fee. How much of your fee actually goes to support golf?