Sawgrass Grove in The Villages: The Market, the Boxcar Stage, Ezell Recreation and Southern Oaks Golf

What is Sawgrass Grove in The Villages?

Sawgrass Grove is a compact hub at 766 Marilee Place that combines The Market's food counters, a few shops, the Boxcar Stage, Ezell Recreation and the Southern Oaks golf shop. The developer's page, updated October 28, 2026, lists it open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and describes it as inspired by an orange grove.

The developer introduced Sawgrass Grove in June 2020 as four pieces built together: the Clifton Cove Putting Course, McGrady's Restaurant and Pub, the Ezell Regional Recreation Complex and The Market at Sawgrass Grove. The pitch was recreation, golf, shopping and dining in one place, and that is still the best short description of it.

A 2022 construction update placed it along Meggison Road, next to Ezell and the Southern Oaks Championship Golf Course. The developer's printed map, dated January 2023, labels Meggison Road, Marilee Place and Bexley Trail around it.

The build came in stages. A December 2021 article said Ezell had been named and themed the month before, and that Clifton Cove was expected to be ready for play that January. The developer's "now open" article for The Market is dated July 14, 2022. An August 2021 article named Phillipe Villain and Roland Rutjens as the owners behind The Market's food and fare.

Sawgrass Grove sits in the area this site covers in the south of SR 44 section guide. It is much smaller than Eastport or Brownwood, and that is most of its appeal: you can park once and walk to everything.

What restaurants and shops are at Sawgrass Grove?

As of November 2026 the developer's Sawgrass Grove page lists 14 dining entries and eight shopping and service entries. They include Frenchy's Wood Fired Original, Little Fin Seafood, Willy's Original, The Grove House, McGrady's Pub, LUMA Mediterranean Kitchen, Take 5 Coffee and Crepes, Darlin's Sweet Shoppe and Provisions Grocery and Essentials.

Most of the food is counter service inside The Market, which suits a cart crowd: order, find a table, listen to the band. The table below is the developer's list as printed on its Sawgrass Grove page, accessed November 4, 2026. Some names appear in both the dining and shopping lists, and several share a phone number, so treat a number as a starting point.

Source: thevillages.com Sawgrass Grove page, updated October 28, 2026, accessed November 4, 2026.

For a full weekly shop you will still drive or cart to a Publix plaza. Provisions and The Villages Grown cover the gallon of milk and the tomatoes. Our grocery guide maps the full stores.

Is The Grove House the same place as McGrady's Pub?

The official pages do not say so plainly, and they overlap. The developer lists The Grove House and McGrady's Pub at the same phone number, and listed a Sawgrass Tavern at 810 Marilee Place as coming. The Sawgrass Tavern web address now forwards to The Grove House, which gives its address as 810 Marilee Place.

The Grove House is the sit-down option at the Grove. The developer's New Businesses page, updated November 3, 2026, lists it under Open for Business as a restaurant open at Sawgrass Grove.

Its own website, accessed November 4, 2026, gives these hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It lists a daily happy hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 8 p.m. to close, and it posts lunch, dinner, cocktail and Thanksgiving menus.

Where the sources disagree:

• The restaurant's site lists 352-489-2029. The developer lists 352-753-6606 for The Grove House, McGrady's Pub and the Sawgrass Tavern.
• The developer's country club dining page, last modified August 2026, still shows Sawgrass Tavern at 810 Marilee Place under "On the Horizon".
• The restaurant's online ordering link is named for McGrady's Pub at 810 Marilee Place.

The likely reading is one building that has carried more than one name, but no page says that outright, so this guide does not claim it. Call the restaurant's own number before you book a group dinner.

When is the live music at Sawgrass Grove?

The Villages Entertainment lists free live music on the Boxcar Stage from 5 to 9 p.m. nightly in November 2026, weekends included. Some days add daytime events: karaoke Thursdays and trivia Tuesdays from noon to 2 p.m., and afternoon bands on Saturdays. The page notes a 6 to 10 p.m. schedule applies June 1 to September 30.

The Boxcar Stage is the Grove's version of the square bandstand. The developer's page calls the entertainment free, and the dance floor sits under the lights and the canopy. Here is the published lineup for the next 12 nights.

Source: thevillagesentertainment.com Sawgrass Grove calendar, accessed November 4, 2026. Lineups change; check the calendar the day you go.

One difference from the larger squares: these November listings run 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday too. If you are comparing evenings, our town squares guide covers Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing and Brownwood.

What is at Ezell Recreation at Sawgrass Grove?

Ezell Recreation, at 769 Marilee Place, is listed by the developer as a regional center open 7:30 a.m. to dusk daily. Its activity list includes a sports pool, pickleball, tennis, bocce, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn toss, table tennis, a Fit Club, gathering rooms, a kitchen, a pavilion and a theater stage, plus Guest ID and At Your Service desks.

Ezell is themed to golf history and named for golf course architect Ken Ezell. The developer's page names its gathering rooms Lopez, Legacy and Mallory Hill, and lists the phone as 352-674-1860. Services listed include an AED, an assistance lift at the pool, a hearing loop, WiFi and customer service.

Before it opened in November 2021, the developer previewed an expanded Fit Club, brighter card rooms, a sports pool built to water volleyball regulations and spectator areas at the pickleball courts. None of the pages read give court or room counts, so this guide does not either.

Two practical notes from the District's Recreation FAQ booklet:

• Ezell is one of the At Your Service locations, which handle Guest IDs and room reservation applications. The booklet lists weekday desk hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and does not include Ezell among the weekend desks.
• Fit Clubs require a membership for residents and guests 19 and older.

For how regional, village and neighborhood centers differ, read recreation centers explained.

What golf is at Sawgrass Grove?

Two kinds. Southern Oaks is an 18-hole, par 72 championship course in the Village of St. Catherine, designed by Kenny Ezell, with its golf shop and cart barn at the Grove. Next to Ezell Recreation is the 18-hole Clifton Cove Putting Course, one of the developer's real grass putting courses.

The Southern Oaks course page, accessed November 4, 2026, describes three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s on each nine, and five sets of tees running from about 6,500 yards down to 4,000. The golf shop phone is 352-753-6740. A 2022 article located the course right beside Sawgrass Grove, and the bridge described below runs between its two nines.

Championship golf in The Villages carries green fees and a tee time system that differ from the free executive courses. Our championship golf guide covers the rate tiers and booking rules.

Clifton Cove is the low-key option: putters only, two nines on real grass. The developer's putting course page does not post hours or fees for it, so ask at the Southern Oaks shop or at Ezell before you go.

How do you get to Sawgrass Grove by golf cart?

The developer prints Sawgrass Grove on its golf car shopping map, and its 2022 bridge update describes the Southern Oaks Bridge on Bexley Trail, just south of the Grove, carrying cars and golf cars over Florida's Turnpike between the two Southern Oaks nines. It links the areas to the north with Eastport and the newer villages south.

That bridge is the reason the Grove matters beyond its own neighborhood. It turns Sawgrass Grove into a stop on the way between the older villages south of SR 44 and the Eastport area.

Before you count on a cart route from a specific house, check it yourself:

• Ask for the current multi-modal path map at an At Your Service desk, including the one at Ezell.
• Drive or cart the route at the hour you would actually use it, including after dark.
• Count the minutes. A route that looks short on a map can be long once paths wind around golf holes.

Our golf cart living guide covers registration, rules and what to look for in a cart.

Sawgrass Grove hours at a glance

Each part of the Grove keeps its own hours. These are the published figures as of November 4, 2026.

Individual Market counters set their own hours within the Grove's window, and the developer's older articles warned that outlet hours vary. If you are arriving late, call the counter you want.

The local take

I was born and raised in Marion County, and I represent buyers independently. Sawgrass Grove comes up less than the big squares, but for a home nearby it may shape your week more than any of them.

The trade-off people miss. A small hub close to home gets used. You walk over for coffee, catch an hour of music, swim at Ezell and get home before the big squares fill up. But a small hub also means a short menu and one stage. If a lively square every night is what you are buying, measure the cart time to Brownwood or Eastport too, not just to the Grove.

What I would check before choosing a home near it.

• Which village the house is in and its bond balance. Our St. Catherine entry in the section guide and the bond guide are the place to start.
• Sound. Music runs to 9 p.m. nightly. Visit on a Friday evening and stand in the backyard.
• The exact cart route to Ezell, the Grove and the nearest full grocery store, timed.
• The full monthly cost with the amenity fee, which the developer currently posts at $189. Run it on the cost of living page and confirm the fee for the specific address.

If you want, I will do that legwork for each house on your list and send it back side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sawgrass Grove one of the town squares?

Not one of the three original squares, Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing and Brownwood Paddock Square, and far smaller than Eastport. The developer gives it its own shopping and dining page. In practice it works like a small square: free nightly music, food counters and a dance floor, all within a short walk.

Is the music at Sawgrass Grove free?

Yes. The developer's page describes the Boxcar Stage entertainment as free. Food and drinks are paid at the counters. As of November 2026 the evening sets run 5 to 9 p.m., and the calendar on thevillagesentertainment.com is the place to check the band before you go.

Can guests use Ezell Recreation?

Guest access runs through a Guest ID, and Ezell lists Guest ID among its services. Fit Club use requires a membership for residents and guests 19 and older, per the District's Recreation FAQ booklet. Confirm current guest rules and fees with an At Your Service desk, because the District's ID policy page did not load when this was written.

What village is Sawgrass Grove in?

None of the official pages read for this guide names a village for Sawgrass Grove itself. The developer's Southern Oaks course page places the course, whose shop is at the Grove, in the Village of St. Catherine. The District's records, which this site uses, put St. Catherine in District 13, south of SR 44.

Who is Ezell Recreation named after?

The developer says the center is themed to golf history and named for golf course architect Ken Ezell. The Southern Oaks course page credits Kenny Ezell as its designer, and the developer named the recreation center for him in November 2021.

Is there a grocery store at Sawgrass Grove?

Only a small one. The developer lists Provisions Grocery and Essentials and The Villages Grown, a produce market, at the Grove, along with a butcher counter. For a full weekly shop, residents drive or cart to a larger supermarket plaza nearby.

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