From individual lessons starting at $120 for four half-hour sessions with one of the community's pros, to "Get Golf Ready in Five Lessons," a golf school offering five 90-minute sessions for $75 per player, there are opportunities to sample the game in Sun City, with use of equipment provided.

Kevin Foley, assistant PGA pro at Hidden Cypress, said instruction at Sun City costs about 25 percent less than the national average. Many who take up the game join one or more of the community's five chartered clubs, with annual membership dues starting at $5 per player.

Couple's golf and men's and women's 9- and 18-hole groups offer scrambles, guaranteed tee times, tournaments, competitive events and team play. Most welcome new golfers.

Hidden Cypress head PGA pro Matt Edlin calls golf "a sport for a lifetime." In Sun City, where the median age is now 67, up from 62 five years ago as the community ages in place, residents cross over from other sports to golf, some playing well into their 90s.

The pros acknowledge this affects the pace of play, making it an issue at times for some players, but usually not for long.

Tim Ewell, head PGA pro at Okatie Creek, tells a story about a resident who hits the bar at the British Open Pub when he finishes playing nine holes.

"My wife thinks a round of golf takes seven and a half to eight hours," the resident chuckled to Ewell as he nursed another drink.

Foley said what he hears most from beginners is "I can see how this game can become addictive."