I have wanted to take golf lessons for years and finally made it happen: I couldn't be happier to…read morehave started my golf journey with Andy! I had 4 hour-long lessons at a great price. Andy's passion for golf is evident as he doesn't pay attention to the clock, only to the student's needs and endurance. He obviously studies and studies to hone his craft and contribute to his teaching. It was clear to me that getting the fundamentals was paramount to my long-term success and Andy helped me with every detail and let me practice the nuances again and again. He provided visual aids and even sent me videos after my lessons to reinforce what I'd learned. His ability to see minute body positions and movements indicated to me that he can improve any level of golfer or any specific concern. My understanding of and enthusiasm for golf have been greatly elevated and I believe I'm off to an excellent start! I highly recommend enlisting Andy to learn or improve your game!

Andy is incredibly helpful for a beginner. I know zero about golf and Andy broke down the concepts…read moreinto things I understood. His set up is nice and you're not around distractions and people at other levels so you don't get nervous. I looked around for a bit for lessons and the prices were high. Andy's price is beyond fair and quality! I played the day after my lesson and I already was much more consistent with his tips! Definitely will be back!

The Golf Galaxy in Ocala is my go to golf store. Since…read more opening a few months ago, I have visited there several times often purchasing items. The staff are always helpful and go out of their way to make sure you are satisfied. They are very knowledgeable about golf products and will happily work with you if you are not satisfied and return items under their return policy. I have shopped golf stores for over 40 years and I have found the Ocala Golf Galaxy one of the best.

From the owner: Golf Galaxy in Ocala is your go-to destination to help improve your golf game. Our incredible…read moreselection includes the latest golf equipment including golf clubs, apparel, shoes, balls and a variety rangefinders. Our knowledgeable staff offer a variety of services including golf lessons, club fittings, practice bays built with TrackMan simulators and club repair to ensure you are performing your best on the course. At Golf Galaxy in Ocala you can also shop top-rated golf equipment and apparel brands like Callaway, TaylorMade, L.A.B Golf, Nike, TravisMathew, PING, FootJoy & G/Fore. Shop the lowest prices online and pickup in store at your local Golf Galaxy near Ocala!

I have just moved to The Villages and knew nothing about golf and really needed an instructor who…read morewas patient with a true beginner. Luckily for me, I found a great program. If you have ever thought about trying the game of golf...then this is the place you need to come to for outstanding golf instruction. These golf classes caters to ladies only. And the classes are limited to 6 students. This way, you get personal attention & instruction. The 10 hour class I attended , met Monday - Friday for 2 hours a day. Also, the instructor offers private lessons for both men and women. Sandra Chester is the LPGA teaching professional that will guide you through the basics along with her great assistant Kim. They have excellent booklets, with great illustrations for both right and left handed golfers. The booklets cover everything from general golf course information to equipment that you will need. From day 1 we not only had indoor class time, we also headed outside for hands on putting. I would truly recommend these classes to all ladies from the beginners to those who just want to learn the correct way to stand, hold your club, or just improve your game. Thanks to Sandra and Kim, I now feel that I can play a game and not make a total fool of myself. These ladies know the game of golf but more importantly, they know how to teach the rest of us the game!!! I plan on taking a few private lessons just to refine my swing.

Sandy did a great job at their week-long golf school. I had never played before, and after this…read moreprogram, I was able to join the ladies from my neighborhood and actually hit the ball! She had a club-by-club method that really gets you to understand the mechanics of golf and your body. You also get handy books that she wrote to refer back to once you leave her lessons. I went back after two years and took a couple of private lessons to advance my game. Made a huge difference in my playing.

The driving range is the best around. With Toptracer I can get a good idea of how I'm doing. The…read moreinstructors are outstanding.

As a first time customer the staff was very patient with me on telling me how to use the various…read moreparts of the driving range. They encouraged me to ask any additional questions I might have. The area I used was in top shape and I managed to hit some nice drives! Thanks folks!

The food is awesome! They have the best fries! They are always hot and crispy. The club sandwich…read moreand bacon/lettuce/tomato are so very good! The bacon is hot and well done! They are quick and kind here!

My husband and I love twisted Oaks Golf Club. We were only able to play the front nine and got…read morerained out and were able to make it back in a couple weeks to play the whole track. It starts out between houses and then the back nine opens up and it's really quite lovely and somewhat challenging. The course was in great shape, pro shop staff was friendly and I wish I could remember her name but the gal that runs the small snack shop does a great job and is super helpful. It's fun to go up and stay in this area and play this course as well as Juliette Falls, Black Diamond, Skyview, and a few other gems in the area

I've completed 6 one hour lessons with Nicole Gerome. I've had a huge improvement from absolute no…read morenothing to being able to golf with confidence and humor around The Villages. I'll be totally honest. I had next to no interest in the game but with so many golf courses here, well, I was missing out on important social opportunities and quality time with husband and friends. So let's give it a shot . Nicole listened and did not try to convince me how awesome golf is, instead we just worked together on skills and I asked questions about the game. She answered simply and I listened. I started playing golf and sort of held my own in the beginning and now I consider myself " not half bad" and enjoy playing. Whenever people say, whoa, nice shot, I always say I had a great teacher. Thank you, villages academy, you have a great instructor in Nicole.

Signed up for a one hour golf lesson at the Sarasota Practice Center, but they told me the wrong…read moretime and even wrote the time wrong down on the reminder card. I show up at the time I was told and show them my reminder card and of course nothing can be done about it. They apologized and told me I could come back in a few hours or rebook. The mistake was entirely their fault. Initially it took 20 minutes to book the lesson because they were using a new computer system that no one was good with, only for them to give me the wrong lesson time. Clearly they need to have a better tutorial on their computer system, as it was an overall huge waste of time. It's too bad. I had heard good things about The Villages and was looking forward to a golf lesson -- but it's expensive and they can't even work their own computer lesson booking system. Perhaps it was an honest mistake, but I was so turned off by the whole thing I didn't even bother rebooking.

This is my summary review of Golden Ocala as a whole (the individual quadrants aren't available to…read morereview as particular establishments). Please bear with me as I try to guide you through life at Golden Ocala. Home/Villa Rentals: 5 stars! Amazing accommodations for a really reasonable price. Whenever we have larger groups of people visiting this is our first choice. Comparable to a nice hotel, the beautiful villas are lush and abundant in size, with beautiful furniture and full GO access. Spa: 4 stars! I love the massages here and I am a regular during the winter months. The front desk can be a bit slow, but this is mostly due to their faulty technology. The staff member are all super nice. I give 5 stars for the services but 3 stars for the prices, which were recently increased. Worth it for me but definitely on the pricey side. Fitness: 4 stars! Best part is, the fitness center usually isn't too busy. They have some great equipment but could use a few more cardio machines. More space for floor exercises and a few more unique guided classes could up the ante. Tennis Club: 4 stars! 6 Well maintained, gorgeous clay courts. It can be a bit of a hassle to get ahold of the staff (unless you have their cell #) the tennis desk usually isn't receptive to phone calls. Love the women's clinic they offer for members. Lessons are also available and I've had mostly positive experiences with the coaches. Pool: 5 stars! Gorgeous pool- it's so picturesque, located adjacent to the spa and fitness center. Enjoy a drink poolside and take lots of photos. It's definitely instagram worthy! AND you can bring your dog. Pool Food: 3 stars! Decent variety of food, but I've had some pretty sub-par service here. We eat here occasionally for lunch, but the service really could use some improvements. Once, they even refused to add tomatoes to my Caesar salad because "it wasn't on the menu like that" Raspberries: 4.5 stars! Fine dining situated on the upper floor of the gorgeous clubhouse. I love the food and the company here. The staff is outstanding and really take their time to know and love regular patrons like me. The dauphanise potatoes are amazing. Epic Caesar salad, great bread, potent drinks, high end wine list, excellent menu features (flatbread of the week etc) I love dining here! The kitchen staff can sometimes be a bit slow, but this year (so far) I've had nothing but great experiences. Golf: TBD I'm not a golfer! The course is beautiful to walk and the greens seem to be kept in pristine condition. Security: 3.5 stars! The staff mostly consists of retirees working occasional hours. They aren't the most respectful and fail to remember who I am sometimes. Equestrian: TBD can't wait to see The World Equestrian Center South once it's completed. The original equestrian center at GO isn't quite what I would pursue, but the new facility looks grandiose. Overall I love Golden Ocala! A few minor things could be improved. In my 10+ years living here in the winter months and being involved in the dining, social, tennis, and spa scenes, I have had a mostly great experience. A few faux pas and minor altercations with certain staff members have been forgotten and far surpassed by positive interactions. Note: Golden Ocala is a member's only club. They offer social memberships but otherwise you must be member, (or family of one) to enjoy their accommodations. Social memberships are not cheap but can be utilized if you wish to spend lots of time here.

The water is nothing special, but it gets the job done. The ice performance is great, with just…read moreenough to make it chilled. The water is clear, but not a water I reflect on. By the way, get the duck. It's good. But, the water is okay.

Stopped by after work for a 9 hole. Lots of parking. plenty of space to change in the women's…read morelocker room/ which is more of a restroom. Pro shop employee was very nice- young guy. Picked up a bucket of practice balls- the automated machine is broken, so the shop employee had baskets and a big trash can full of balls. I recommend the small, because it's $5 and he filled that small basket to the top! Shop has shoes, clubs, shirts etc, anything you might want or need. The practice facility you have to walk up to. You can't drive the cart to your spot. The mats were quite beat up but they have short and longer fake grass. The carts are basic- no speaker and no gps. No towels. No cooler. Handheld magic sand and a bucket of it. Course conditions were ok. Some of the greens were very nice and some were scorched. The fairways were ok. The rough areas are super sandy, lots of weeds. Had a great time golfing. Booked on GolfNow, and paid $26 at the course. Apparently they have twilight prices which are even cheaper, but I'm not quite sure when that starts- approximately 6:30pm. There's no restroom between 3-4. There are some water hazards. Bunkers were ok. Tee boxes were ok. But I found myself in the rough quite a bit and the conditions were so sandy and weeds! Made it difficult to get out of. Bar staff was super friendly. They have a pretty good food menu and good prices on alcohol- that booze bucket would be my drink of choice! Service on the course only Thursday through Sunday, so make sure you get the booze bucket on days the cart girl isn't out there. They have a league Thursday evenings and lots of info on upcoming tournaments/charity events. I would golf here again. Will return to play the back 9.

Greens are in horrible shape. Driving range is the worse I've ever experienced. The ranger…read moredoesn't no enforce pace of play and refused to enforce 'one-ball/one player' rule to singles who jumped in front of us on the back nine. The fairways were as expected for a course in disrepair, and you never get a good lie and seldom get an grass under your ball. Lack of sand in the traps coupled with unmarked obstacles made the play miserable. There's no food in the clubhouse, and no cart girl selling refreshments. Our foursome drove down from Jacksonville to play, and it was hardly worth the time or gas money. We won't be back.