Executive Golf in The Villages: What Free Really Covers, How the Course Levels Work, and Which Courses Are Closed This Fall

What is executive golf in The Villages?

Executive golf in The Villages is a trail of nine-hole courses, mostly par 3 with the occasional par 4, that residents play with no green fee. The District owns and maintains them with amenity fees. Each course has three sets of tees and a difficulty rating from Level 1, the friendliest, to Level 4, the most challenging.

Think of the executive trail as the neighborhood courts of golf. The holes are short, there are only nine of them, and the courses are spread across the community rather than grouped at a few clubs. That is why they fill a normal week in a way the full-length courses do not.

Who owns them matters. The District says the executive courses are owned and operated by the Village Center Community Development District and the Sumter Landing Community Development District, and paid for through residents' amenity fees. The championship courses and the Golf Academy are owned by the developer and priced by it. We cover that side in our championship golf guide.

How many courses? The sources do not agree, so here is each one. The District's main golf page says 40+. Its 2025 maintenance fact sheet refers to 41. The older golfthevillages.com site says 46. The District's course maintenance page, updated October 13, 2026, lists 45 courses with a level rating plus two, The Lakes and Timberland, marked "On The Horizon." Pitch and putt and putting courses are separate again: the 2026 aerification schedule names seven pitch and putt layouts, including Clifton Cove, Jubilee, Live Oak, Marsh View, Mickylee, Richmond and the Fenney putt and play.

From DistrictGov.org (Golf in The Villages; Golf Course Maintenance, updated October 13, 2026; Executive Golf Course Fact Sheet), thevillages.com (Executive Golf) and golfthevillages.com (Executive Golf), accessed October 25, 2026.

Is executive golf free in The Villages, and what costs money?

The green fee is free for residents, and walking a round costs nothing. Money comes in when you ride: your own golf car needs a trail pass or a daily trail fee, a rental car is charged per person, and guests pay a seasonal green fee. As of October 2026 the annual trail pass is $148.77 before tax.

"Free golf" is accurate for the green fee and nothing else. Here is the full picture for a resident, with each line's source, because the newest dated price list does not cover every item.

Three things to know about that table. The trail pass is for residents only, and the District says it is non-refundable and non-transferable. Guests who ride pay a trail fee on top of their green fee, unless they walk. And the undated fee sheet is the only public place the daily and guest amounts appear, so confirm them at a starter building or At Your Service desk before you budget on them.

The bigger number sits upstream. The monthly amenity fee is what pays for the trail, and thevillages.com posts it at $189, though the fee is set at purchase and varies by home. Our cost of living calculator adds the amenity fee, any bond and a trail pass into one monthly figure.

From DistrictGov.org (Executive Golf Trail Fees), thevillages.com (Rates and Fees; Summer 2026 Golf Rates sheet) and golfthevillages.com (Executive Golf Fees sheet), accessed October 25, 2026. Prices change; confirm before you play.

How do the Level 1 to 4 course ratings work?

Every executive course carries a difficulty rating from Level 1, the friendliest, to Level 4, the most challenging. On the District's October 2026 maintenance page, 4 courses are Level 1, 11 are Level 2, 21 are Level 3 and 9 are Level 4. The developer calls Level 1 the friendliest starting point.

The rating is the most useful thing on the course list, and almost nobody mentions it when describing a village. It tells you, before you ever see a course, whether it is the kind you can play relaxed on a weekday afternoon or the kind the developer rates as its most challenging.

Notice what the fall closures do to that list. Two of the four Level 1 courses, El Santiago and Turtle Mound, were listed as closed for renovation in October 2026. Anyone counting on an easy course close to home should check which ones are actually open, which is the next question.

Levels from DistrictGov.org (Golf Course Maintenance), accessed October 25, 2026. Level definitions from thevillages.com (Executive Golf).

Which executive golf courses are closed for renovation this fall?

As of the District maintenance page updated October 13, 2026, seven executive courses were listed as closed or under renovation: El Diablo, El Santiago, Hill Top, Mira Mesa, Redfish Run, Roosevelt and Turtle Mound. The Lakes and Timberland were listed as coming. Every other course was listed as open. Check the page before you drive over.

None of the notes give a reopening date. On October 24, 2026, Villages-News ran a headline saying a renovated golf course in The Villages would reopen next month, but the article would not load for us, so we cannot tell you which course it is. When the District posts the date, the maintenance page is where it will show.

Why so many at once? The District's fact sheet says the industry average for a full renovation is every 20 years, and that it plans to renovate its courses on a 10 to 12 year cycle under a 10-year capital plan. It also lists routine monthly closures for maintenance and periodic closures for aerification, so even an open course can be shut on a given day. The developer's 2026 aerification schedule notes that its dates are subject to change.

From DistrictGov.org (Golf Course Maintenance, updated October 13, 2026; Executive Golf Course Fact Sheet), the 2026 Golf Aerification Schedule (thevillages.com) and the Villages-News.com home page headline of October 24, 2026, accessed October 25, 2026.

How do you get an executive golf tee time?

Through the automated system at 352-753-4653 or thevillages.net: request a time 4 to 7 days ahead, or reserve an open one 1 to 3 days ahead. Day-of-play times go through the course's starter building. Priority runs on reservation points counted over a rolling seven days, and from May through December no points are assigned after 4 p.m.

The system rewards people who play less often, not people who dial first. Each booked round adds points, and the golfer with fewer points over the rolling week gets the better request. The phone and online system run 23 hours a day; they go offline from midnight to 1 a.m.

• Hours. The executive tee time chart says play starts near sunrise, no earlier than 7:02 a.m., and ends about 30 minutes before sunset, no later than 7 p.m.
• The late-afternoon loophole. From May through December, tee times after 4 p.m. carry no reservation points. Daylight saving time ends November 1, 2026, so that window gets shorter in winter. From January through April the no-points cutoff moves later, between 4:15 and 6:30 p.m. depending on the month.
• Help line. The Tee Time Membership Office is listed at 352-750-4558.

The no-points window is a real lifestyle detail. A golfer who likes a quick nine before dinner can play late and keep points for a prime morning time later in the week.

From thevillages.com (Tee Times) and golfthevillages.com (Executive Tee Times and Points chart), accessed October 25, 2026.

What are Men's Day and Ladies' Day on the executive courses?

Tuesday is Men's Day and Wednesday is Ladies' Day on the executive courses. Both are select-shot scrambles open to residents over 45 at every skill level, with a cash entry paid at the time of play. Pairings for the following week are posted online on Fridays, and results are posted on golfthevillages.com.

A scramble is the gentlest kind of competition: everyone hits, the group picks the best shot, and everyone plays from there. That makes these weekly days one of the easiest ways to meet other golfers without needing a regular foursome. The developer does not publish the entry amount, so bring cash and ask at the course.

Night golf. The older golfthevillages.com site says Saddlebrook and Escambia host night golf, Saddlebrook on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and Escambia on Wednesdays and Fridays, for groups of at least 36 players. That page is not dated, so confirm with the course before you plan an event around it.

From thevillages.com (Golf Tournaments) and golfthevillages.com (Executive Golf), accessed October 25, 2026.

What are the rules of play on the executive courses?

The District's etiquette flyer asks golfers to keep a steady pace, keep golf cars on the designated paths with all four wheels on the path near tees and greens, repair ball marks, rake bunkers, fill divots, silence phones and shout fore when a shot heads toward someone. A trail pass covers courses with continuous cart paths.

Executive courses are cart-path courses, which is the rule newcomers most often miss. You park on the path near the tee or green and walk to your ball. The older golfthevillages.com page says the trail pass covers your own car on executive courses with continuous golf car paths.

The maintenance side explains why the rules exist. The fact sheet says bunkers are raked three times a week under contract, tees and fairways are mowed at least every three days, and ball marks are repaired daily. In 2024, it says, more than 2.8 million rounds were played on the executive courses, though another line on the same sheet uses 2.5 million a year. Either way, the busy season is January through May, when the courses see the most play.

If you are bringing a golf car into the picture for the first time, our golf cart living guide covers how carts fit into daily travel around the community.

From DistrictGov.org (Executive Golf Etiquette flyer; Executive Golf Course Fact Sheet) and golfthevillages.com (Executive Golf), accessed October 25, 2026.

The local take

I was born and raised in Marion County, and I represent buyers independently, not from the developer's sales office. Here is how executive golf should factor into a home search.

Map the course, not just the trail. Listings say "near golf," and almost everything in The Villages is near some golf. What matters is the specific course you will play three times a week and its level. A newer golfer next to a Level 4 course has a long ride to a friendly one.

The trade-off people miss is renovation timing. The District plans to renovate its courses every 10 to 12 years, so the course you choose a home for will close for months at some point. That is a good thing over the long run, but it is worth knowing the nearest second course before you buy.

What I would check. For a shortlisted home, I would find the two closest executive courses on the District's maintenance page, note their levels and status, and drive them by cart at the hour you like to play. Then I would add the trail pass and the amenity fee to the monthly number, along with the bond if the home carries one. The village finder is a good place to start the shortlist, and I am glad to do the course mapping with you.

Frequently asked questions

Can guests play the executive courses in The Villages?

Yes, with a resident. The developer's rates page says guests of residents pay a green fee on executive courses that varies by season, plus a trail fee if they ride. An undated fee sheet on golfthevillages.com lists $8 from May through October and $12 from November through April. Confirm the current amount at the course.

Who pays for the executive golf courses in The Villages?

Residents do, through the monthly amenity fee. The District says the executive courses are owned and operated by the Village Center and Sumter Landing community development districts and maintained with amenity fees, which is why residents pay no green fee. The developer owns the championship courses and sets their prices.

Can you walk the executive courses in The Villages instead of riding?

Yes. The developer's rates page says there is no charge to a resident for walking, and guests who walk skip the trail fee. A pull cart is listed at $1 a round on an undated fee sheet. Walking a nine-hole, mostly par 3 course is also the cheapest golf in the community.

How often are the executive courses in The Villages renovated?

The District's fact sheet says it plans full renovations on a 10 to 12 year cycle, against an industry average of about 20 years, under a 10-year capital improvement plan. Courses also close monthly for maintenance and periodically for aerification. Closures and reopenings are posted on the District's golf maintenance page.

Is a Villages executive golf trail pass worth it over the daily trail fee?

It depends on how often you ride. At the listed prices, a $148.77 annual pass equals about 30 rounds at the $5 daily fee shown on an undated fee sheet. So the pass costs less than daily fees once you ride more than about 30 rounds a year, roughly two or three a month. Confirm both prices first.

Are more executive courses being built in The Villages?

Yes, two are listed. The District maintenance page updated October 13, 2026 shows The Lakes and Timberland as On The Horizon, with no level rating and no opening dates published. Bellaire, listed as open and Level 2 in excellent condition, is on the same page. Watch that page for opening news.

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