2026 TEAM SELECTION PROCESS

The Ladies Village Cup continues to be the premier tournament in The Villages, eagerly anticipated by many women each year. As we continue to grow and evolve, we find that changes to the tournament are inevitable. All of us have seen our teams change over the years as new players are integrated into teams when former players move on to other teams or decide not to participate in the event. For the 2026 Tournament, we will remain at 14 teams with 16 players on each team. 

For the past several years, each team has been composed of the 16 lowest handicaps of players who signed up for a particular team. Post tournament feedback suggests that some women do not sign up for this tournament because they fear their handicap is too high to make a team. Likewise, Captains have long voiced their desire to have some flexibility to build their team based on what they believe will enable them to be successful creating more team unity, consistency, and opportunities for new players. 

For these reasons, Captains voted to change the process for filling teams for the 2026 Tournament. During registration, players will select their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice teams and, importantly, indicate whether they will be willing to play for any other team. Captains will select up to 16 players from the list of registrants who selected that team as their first choice. All remaining players become “free agents” and MAY be selected for one of their other preferred teams. This gives every Captain an opportunity to select new and returning players to fill out their team with their desired mix of handicaps. We believe this process maximizes Captain flexibility and increases overall inclusion at all handicap levels. 

This change reflects our commitment to building strong, inclusive teams—teams that are not just composed of the lowest handicaps, but are united by camaraderie, experience, and a shared commitment to the tournament’s spirit. We believe this adjustment will help ensure all teams enter the tournament on a more level playing field. 

One challenge we continue to have is integrating new players. We ask your help in this endeavor as you meet and play with new women in The Villages and encourage them to sign up for this wonderful tournament. We have found that new players tend to sign up for a team “close to home.” We need your help in explaining to potential new players that the Country Club they play for is a NAME only and is irrelevant to the team’s composition of players. Each team is composed of ladies that reside throughout The Villages. Team practices, get-togethers, etc. are not tied to a Country Clubs location. In fact, most teams tend to practice primarily at the courses where the tournament will be played. 

We are busy planning the 2026 Tournament and are confident that this will be the best year yet!

If you have questions, please ask your captains or you can reach out to me anytime. 

Respectfully, 

Debbie Harlan, President 

Ladies Village Cup