A Villagers Executive Golf Site

My 4th season in The Villages is nearing a finish.  What a great way to close it out by playing at the newly re-opened Belmont.  Much has been said about the conditions of the greens this year.  Many opinions and blame have been thrown out.  But we can all agree that when a course is fully re-furbished, its practically perfect.  This green in the picture is at the far turn on Belmont 4.  You'll find nothing better.  Anywhere.  And from here you charge down the backstretch to the finish line at this wonderful racetrack!  I can't wait to see you all next year!  Until then....................Swing Hard!! 

Yes there are Gators in every pond on a Villages golf course.  But there's only one with Celebrity Status.  Meet Manny, the resident reptile that's staked claim to the ponds between the 4th and 8th greens on Mangrove.  We saw him this last week and my friend Clyde literally ran to his cart to get his phone and take this picture.  Manny was clearly amused and remained posing behind a perfect warning sign.  No Entry!  That sign could be placed on many cup placements too.  But Manny's probably not going to let anyone mess with that sign!  Read all about the Mangrove course that Manny owns by clicking on it's course story above. 

Seems like this course has been closed forever. But the wait is over!  The greens and the fringe areas are certainly in better shape.  The sand looks nicer.  And the view on the 7th is still spectacular - in fact, the whole stretch of shots from the 5th to the finish is fabulous.  But the par four 7th might be the best layout in town, especially near sunset.  It's a go-to course - glad it's back in the mix! 

After recently playing Pelican, I found many of the greens to be in such poor shape on the back half of the course, that I've decided I cannot keep it on my recommended Top Five list.  That's too bad because it's surely one of the most unique executive courses I've ever played.  I hope they can get it fixed.  In the meantime, the "next man up" is Longleaf.  It's being added to the Top Five.  This picture is #7, proving this course is not just about that tree on 3!  It's a fabulous track with lots of diversity and difficulty! Come on down south to play one of the best we've got!

Season 4 has begun!  We returned from Minnesota last week to start our 4th winter in Florida!  I played Bonita Pass today.  The wind was a two or three club differential.  But nowhere did I feel the brute force of the wind more than on Bonita's 6th green where I took this picture of a tree that appears to be bending more than the flag!  It was hard to hold the phone steady.  I hope to play here again when the wind is in the other direction because that picture would be even more bizarre! 

Seemed appropriate that my last "double play" of the season was on the Bogart and Bacall courses.  We're headed back to our home in Minnesota for the summer.  On Friday I played Bogart and Bacall, back-to-back, with my friend Clyde and a nice couple also from Minnesota.  And I found something (or would it be someone?) looking on.  This life-sized Humphrey Bogart is positioned in a lanai across from Bacall's 9th tee box! Looking good Bogie!  And that's exactly my score on that last hole!  See you next season! 

I played Longleaf two days in a row, and I noticed something I hadn't in the past.  The "most famous tree in The Villages" - the one in the center of the fairway on #3 - it's the same exact tree that's visible from the 8th tee.  Longleaf has two holes in one of my top 18 lists.  The 3rd is on my Hardest Holes list and the 8th is on my Postcard list.  And both because of one single tree!  As it says in the Longleaf course story, this highly influential tree is both vexing to play around and mesmerizing to stare at!  And I got to do it twice in two days!