When Mark and Lori Davis got ready to leave behind big-city living, their choice to settle in Siler City seemed like a no-brainer.
When golfers yearn for a respite from crowded clubhouses and clogged fairways during the weekend, Siler City Country Club might just be the perfect escape as well.
“I’ve absolutely had a blast with it,” said Davis, the club’s general manager and PGA Professional. “It’s a great club, a great community, just a bunch of good people to work with and work for. This is what I would truly call a hidden gem.”
Davis arrived at Siler City Country Club in March 2008 and watched membership grow last year despite the difficult economy. Now, the private club is making even more of a push to show others just how much this gem sparkles, offering specials to play the 18-hole layout and join Siler City at various membership levels.
“We’re trying to encourage people that may not know about us, or heard we’re private, to come out and play,” Davis said. “There are a lot of members we do have that live in Greensboro, Cary, Sanford, Pinehurst, Kernersville. Their big draw is, ‘I can come out here whenever I want and – outside of the occasional tournament – it’s good to go.’”
So where exactly is Siler City Country Club? The facility sits just south of the city in rural Chatham County. Asheboro qualifies as the nearest “big city” to the club, 24 miles away on Route 64. Apex is some 37 miles away, and Pinehurst 38.
When golfers arrive on the grounds, they’re greeted by a unique 18-hole layout. The club opened in 1957 as a nine-hole facility. Ellis Maples’ original design serves as the front nine today after a back nine – designed by Tom Jackson – opened in 1987. The course features rolling fairways with small, undulating bentgrass greens, with picturesque tree lines and small ponds all along the way in what Davis calls a fair test of golf. From the back (blue) tees, Siler City plays 6,662 yards with a rating of 72.2 and slope of 135.
