Water emergency will lead to golf course closures in The Villages

As a result of restrictions in force due to the drought, the Executive Golf Course Maintenance Department in The Villages  will schedule more course closures to protect the overall health of the golf courses as needed while the shortage continues.

Due to the unprecedented shortage of rainfall thus far in 2026, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has declared for Sumter and surrounding counties there is a Phase III “Extreme Water Shortage” restricting water usage throughout the county. That mandates that “fairways may be watered no more than once per week; tees, greens, and practice greens may be irrigated no more than three times per week; roughs shall not be irrigated.”

For residents, the following restrictions are in place due to the water shortage:

• Once-a-week watering, restricted to 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m..

• Car washing is restricted to the scheduled watering day with a shutoff nozzle. Fountains are limited to four hours daily.

• Hand-watering, micro-irrigation, and soaker hoses are allowed any day, but only before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Learn more at: https://tinyurl.com/SWFWMD-Restrictions.