Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Lochmere is "semi private". What does that mean? I know that you can buy a membership there, but can I also just walk in off the street and use their driving range, or play a round if there is an opening? I'm betting that members can reserve tee times, but non-members have to get on a wait list?
Semi-private only means they offer a membership option that allows members advance tee times (14 or 15 days vs. 3-7 days for the public) and usually a prepay option for cheaper golf. Members also get discounts on merch or services. Otherwise, it’s a public course in all other respects.
Title says it all - it's pretty much Lochmere (or Knights Play if you want to count it) or nothing within 20-30 minutes of Cary. Even the private courses seem on the "prestigious" side - Prestonwood, Old Chatham, MacGregor, etc.
I guess this is just the target market? Where do us regular folk play? Head to Raleigh and Durham?
I play at Wildwood Green in North Raleigh (I live in west Cary). Takes 17 minutes for me to get there. UNC Finley is closer. Both closer to me than Lochmere (aka Swampmere).
If you’re looking for golf options sign up for Group Golfer. They send out daily emails on courses in/near the Triangle at reduced rates.
By the way, when I moved here I too was surprised by the lack of public golf courses in the area.
Golf is a declining sport generally... it takes a lot of land and expense to keep a course maintained, and I think younger people today don't feel like it's a good value personally (or ecologically).
My Gen-X buds from high school play it, but people under 45 at work rarely ever mention golf. Younger people mention outdoor sports like mountain biking and disc golf.
Seriously? Guessing you don’t play much. The Pandemic has revived the golf and there isn’t a golf course around that isn’t doing well. Golf is one of the few things you can do in this madness. I’ve sold practically all my excess clubs on Facebook Marketplace to folks just getting into golf (I’d say 95% to new players).
Seriously? Guessing you don’t play much. The Pandemic has revived the golf and there isn’t a golf course around that isn’t doing well.
This is 100% true. Even weekday tee times are being gobbled up quickly at most area courses.
I strongly suggest using the GolfNow website to look for tee times of area courses. You can set the distance radius of how far away you'd like to consider. Many public courses utilize it, but several that I can think of do not (Pine Hollow, Lonnie Poole, Heritage).
I would suggest another great course in Sanford too... Quail Ridge. It's a quick trip right down US 1.
Another worth considering is Keith Hills course in Buies Creek. It's Campbell University's home course and has 27 holes.
the original Keith Hills 18 is a sentimental favorite and I always thought of it as a great course. I should have remembered that. The new 18 - now 9 - I was completely meh the only time I played it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
