One of the most popular retirement retreats in the US is undoubtedly The Villages which rests on a picturesque hilly location overlooking rivers and creeks. The gated community boasts of numerous amenities like sprawling golf turfs, swimming pools, recreation clubs and its most prized possession is its premier polo facility which is in fact the ‘Pride of American Polo’. For many of The Villages inhabitants, polo is an entirely new experience which grows on them within days of joining the retreat, and becomes a part of their normal sporting activity. Apart from the patrons of the retreat, professional players also frequent the place. The location of the club is such that it is easily accessible form 2 main airports namely Orlando and Tampa.
A Brief Description of The Villages Polo Club
The community has its own polo team and also a 3 level spacious stadium to hold matches. It has 3 boarded Bermuda fields in it together with an exercise track for warming up. There are around 15 paddocks inside. 6-12 goal polo is normally played here. The club has convenient locker room facility where the players can freshen up. It has all the facilities required for television, newspaper and all forms of media coverage. The stadium has executive boxes to seat VIP guests including royalty. Don’t be surprised to catch a glimpse of the likes of Sarah Ferguson, and Duchess of York at the matches.
Popular Matches Hosted By the Club
The climate in The Villages is perfect for this sport and provides for 2 full seasons of play, i.e. the spring season from March to May and the fall season which is between October and December. The Camacho cup which was first played in 1941 and suspended after a few years was once again revived in this stadium. It brought in an audience of around 4000. This stadium has also hosted a world cup event for women apart from several smaller matches every year.
Additional Facilities Provided
The club allows rental of barns and paddocks for just about $8 a day. You get to use the conditioning track, laundry, feed and tack rooms also. In case you need a turn out paddock for the night, it will come up to $5. What’s more you get to stay very close to this stadium. There are inns and hotels in close vicinity that offer discounted rates for players and their families as well as the residents of The Villages. Interested people can go for the weekend packages offered here which include polo on Fridays and Sundays, comfortable and high class stay in lake side cottages clubbed together with other activities in the club like theatre, golf etc. They even offer trips to Disneyland and Universal Studios.
The facility is open to the public on Fridays and Sundays. It is also possible to book your tickets in advance from The Village box office or from their website. You don’t need to be an inmate of The Villages to become a member of the Polo Booster club which gives you free access to private parties and polo field trips. It is in fact the largest polo fan club in the US with over a 1000 members to its credit.
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