One of the key advertising campaigns of The Villages is that residents are able to play "free golf for life". The advertising is only partially true; the "free golf" is paid for by mandatory amenities fees assessed to all homeowners in The Villages. The "free golf" extends only to the executive golf courses and only to players walking the courses, wherein a greens fee is not assessed. Players riding golf carts on executive courses pay no greens fee but must pay a trail fee. Greens fees and trail fees are required on The Villages country club courses (though memberships are provided "free" – again, as part of the amenities fee – to residents).
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All of The Villages' executive courses are 9-hole layouts. At buildout The Villages will operate 35 executive courses.[1]
| Course Name | Year Opened | Par | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amberwood | 2003 | 30 | course has both a par-4 and par-5 hole |
| Bacall | 2005 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| Belmont | 2004 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Bogart | 2005 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Bonita Pass | 2009 | 27 | |
| Briarwood | 2001 | 27 | |
| Chula Vista | 1990 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Churchill Greens | 2003 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| De La Vista | 1995 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| El Diablo | 1997 | 27 | |
| El Santiago | 1998 | 27 | opened after sister course El Diablo; the names are Spanish for "the devil" and "the saint", respectively |
| Hawkes Bay | 1999 | 27 | |
| Heron | 2004 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Hill Top | 1988 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Mira Mesa | 1993 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| Oakleigh | 2003 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Pelican | 2004 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| Pimlico | 2003 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| Redfish Run | 2009 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole (#5), at over 400 yards it is the longest par-4 on the executive courses |
| Roosevelt | 2007 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes; in a nod to U.S. history it is the sister course of Truman |
| Saddlebrook | 1999 | 27 | |
| Sandhill | 2007 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole |
| Silver Lake | 1987 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes; Silver Lake is the second-oldest course at The Villages and the oldest executive course |
| Southern Star | 2010 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
| Tarpon Boil | 2010 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole; it is (as of February 2011) the newest executive course |
| Truman | 2007 | 28 | course has one par-4 hole; in a nod to U.S. history it is the sister course of Roosevelt |
| Turtle Mound | 2007 | 27 | |
| Walnut Grove | 2001 | 27 | |
| Yankee Clipper | 2009 | 29 | course has two par-4 holes |
All of The Villages' country club courses are 27-hole layouts except for Orange Blossom Gardens and Tierra Del Sol, which are 18-hole layouts. Except as noted all 9-hole layouts are par-36. Bonifay (the 10th country club course) is under construction with a planned opening of fall 2011. At buildout The Villages will operate 12 country-club courses; the last three (Bonifay and courses #11 and #12) will be 27-hole layouts and there are no plans to expand the two 18-hole courses.[1]
Opened in 2004, the course is centered around a 150-acre eagle preserve. All three of its 9-hole layouts are named for flowers (Allamanda, Hibiscus, and Jacaranda).
Opened in 2000, PGA professionals Tommy Aaron, Hubert Green, and John Mahaffey were consultants during design. The layouts are named Talleyho, Fox Run, and Stirrup Cup.
Opened in 1991, PGA professional Chi Chi Rodriguez christened the course, and later remarked that two of his favorite holes are on the course (hole #1 on the Lakes Course and hole #1 on the Oaks Course). The third layout is named the Palms Course.
Opened in 2007, it is the newest of The Villages' country club courses. The layouts are named Kilimanjaro, Kenya, and Hemingway.
Opened in 2005. The three layouts are named Amelia, Caroline, and Virginia.
Opened in 2002 and designed by the club's namesake (who along with husband Ray Knight are residents of The Villages), each of the three layouts are named for one of Lopez's and Knight's three daughters (Torri Pines, Ashley Meadows, and Erinn Glenn). Lopez and Arnold Palmer christened the Torri Pines course, after which Palmer participated in the ground breaking for his course, Palmer Legends (which would be the next country club course to open in The Villages).
Opened in 1985 as a 9-hole course, it is the oldest course in The Villages and was later expanded to 18 holes. The two layouts are named Citrus Hill and Citrus Grove.
Opened in 2004 and designed by the club's namesake. The three layouts are named Riley Grove, Laurel Valley, and Cherry Hill.
Opened in 1997, it is the other 18-hole course at The Villages. The course hosted the Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf in 1998. It is the only course on which the 9-hole layouts are not separately named.