People, Places & Golf Things about “The Villages”

Residents of The Villages take their claim as "Florida's Friendliest Hometown" very seriously with a mission statement on the website that reads "Our mission is to provide the friendliest golf and country club experience in the world."

THE VILLAGES, Florida – First and foremost, the decision to move here to “The Villages” should be made only after spending time here taking a good look at what this unique place is all about and whether it’s where you want to spend your Golden Years.

“The Villages” is a golfing community. Fondly known as “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown,” it’s also a community that offers something for everyone. There are recreational programs that provide every resident with an opportunity to participate. From softball to bocce to pickle ball and swimming the list of programs is endless. Each month a 40-page recreational programs brochure is delivered to every home listing what’s happening in recreational areas throughout “The Villages.”

Another popular option is Town Square entertainment with different groups every night. Currently, there are three Town Squares in “The Villages” with more being built to accommodate the recent addition of new homes. The Fine Arts Programs are second to none and provide top rate performances. Polo matches are held throughout the year at The Villages Polo Fields making it almost impossible for residents not to find something to do every day.

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The Villages features 54 choices of where to play golf and there is something for everyone if golf is not your thing.

Buying a Home

There are plenty of opportunities to purchase a home or apartment in “The Villages” basically because the aging population either is constantly forced into nursing homes or people die (with a smile on their face) of old age. Buying a home here is both a challenge and reward as you make what will be a “life changing “ decision. There is a home here for everyone, it just takes a little shopping around and knowledge of what type of home will accommodate your needs going forward, and where’s the best buy for your price range. Remember, along with purchasing a home you will also be purchasing a golf cart. If you’re a family with two cars be sure to find a home with a two car garage and a smaller golf cart garage this will keep you from having to play musical chairs with your vehicles every day.

Playing Golf

So, if you’re a golfer the No. 1 question is how do you get a tee time at “The Villages?” The first thing that you need to know is how the Village wide Golf Reservation System operates. My first attempt was a little confusing but once I started using the system and began to ask golfers questions about the scheduling process, I became an instant “expert.”

First, both the Championship courses, Executive courses and Chip and Putt courses require using the reservation system. The Championship courses are a little different because they offer a second tier of scheduling for what is called a “Priority Golfer.” A Priority Golfer, when requesting a reservation on the system, receives a little more attention to their request by the system than a non-priority member. Priority Members pay an additional fee to receive this privilege.

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Belle Glade Country Club features a 27-hole layout and short game practice facility, and begins with a picturesque par 5 that wraps around water including The Villages only island green, with 6 sets of tees.

The Villages Golf reservation system is the fairest and most consistent system of scheduling for the magnitude of requests it receives each day. It also has within its scheduling program the ability to assess a penalty for golfers who do not show up for their assigned tee time. Once you get involved with this system, you will begin to enjoy how easy it is to book a tee time.

Tournaments and Competitive Games of Golf

How does a village with 12 Championship courses (10 courses with 27 holes and 2 courses with 18) and 42 Executive courses (all 9 holes) manage to provide golfers with major Village-wide tournaments and weekly men’s and women’s games on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at both Championship and Executive courses? Let’s take a look.

Men’s and Ladies’ games occur weekly year round. Games are offered at selected Championships Courses and Executive Courses each week. Currently, now in mid-summer, there are four championship courses that offer games each week. One of the four championship courses is rotated among six courses while the other three remain the same each week. Executive course games are scheduled on 10 courses each week. Some courses remain constant each week while other courses rotate.

These weekly championship courses men’s and ladies game also allow golfers to play from the tees that their handicaps allow. Championship courses also offer “ Super Senior” grouping for golfers over 65 years of age.

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Whether you prefer golf cart, car, or a self-driving vehicle, there are plenty of ways to get around The Villages, with most homebuyers looking for 55+ communities in Florida and even across the country The Villages located about 65 miles northwest of Orlando is the largest active adult community in the world.

Championship course games have an entrance fee required and a voluntary “Birdie” fee. Executive courses have no fee to play. Each course sets the game to be played each week. The Village Golf Website posts the schedule of games to be played each week at the beginning of each month to give the golfer the choice of what game they would like to participate in and the course offered. Sign up for games each week are open from Tuesday afternoon until Friday night for the coming week. Players are assigned to a team or as an individual golfer if the game that week is an individual format by the USGA GHIN handicap. No one can participate at the Championship course level without a Current GHIN handicap.

One of the more enjoyable tournaments to watch is when all of our Golf Pros tee it up each year for Village bragging rights. This tournament is played at a different Championship course each year. It is a nine-hole tournament that eliminates a participant each hole until only one is left standing holding the Championship Trophy.

Closing

There is so much to discover about “The Villages” and hopefully you’ll find this report helpful if looking for an enjoyable and stress-free lifestyle in your senior years! Fun – you bet it is!

https://www.golfthevillages.com/index.aspx

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Bill Sangster, a life-long golf aficionado and former Sergeant in Marines, moved to Cape Cod in 1974 where he raised his family while working as educator with the Sandwich School System for 23 years. With his Falmouth home adjacent to Paul Harney’s Golf Course, Bill spent many days learning and playing the game of golf. He was a member of White Cliffs Country Club and Sandwich Hollows Country on Cape Cod. In 2018 he continued his love for the game of golf by moving to “The Villages” in Florida. He now will admit to anyone who asks that he is addicted to the game of golf! Bill can be reached at sangsterbill33@gmail.com.

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