I recently went out to Knight’s Play in Apex to play some par-three golf with my two brothers and another friend. My previous experience at this establishment had been far less than satisfactory, and I had to be talked into giving the place another try. On my last visit, we ran into a crotchety old starter who didn’t see the common sense involved in letting a two-person group play off the middle set of nine holes instead of waiting behind 10 other groups, including foursomes with several small children. Not only that, but when we were rebuffed in our attempt to tee off on the available middle nine – we checked and there were no groups coming off the first nine anytime soon – he pursued the matter by bringing the “pro” in from the clubhouse to inform us of the rules. This Burl Ives look-a-like ruined our entire experience before we ever had an opportunity to tee off.
This time, our stay started off in a promising fashion. The attendant inside the clubhouse told us that we should play nine holes, then decide after that whether we wanted to play a full 18. Since our standards had been reduced so much by our previous visits, we ignored the ridiculous $15 fee for nine holes, the splotchy greens and the litter that dotted the course. Due to the cold conditions and the time, there weren’t many other groups on the course and we managed to have a good time through the first nine holes.
My older brother had called earlier in the day to see if the course was open on the Monday after Easter, and even though the Web site boasts that they are open until midnight, he was informed that they would be closing “around 10:30 or 11.” It seemed odd at the time, but we pressed on. Following our nine holes, we were still having a pretty good time and it wasn’t getting any colder, so we decided to continue playing. Since it was only about 9:20 or so, we knew we could get in another nine holes before they closed and then pay for the second nine on the way out, which they let you do. So we tee off on the first hole of the middle nine and start walking up toward the green when a combative old starter comes roaring up on a cart. He slams on his brakes and tells us that we only paid for nine holes. When we politely told him that the attendant had said we could play nine, decide if we wanted to play nine more and then pay afterward, he began shaking his head throughout the entire exchange:
Bitter Old Man: “We’re closing.”
Us: “What do you mean you’re closing?”
Bitter Old Man: “I mean we’re closing.”
Us: “We called earlier and they said that you would be open until 10:30 or 11.”
Bitter Old Man: “Yeah.”
Us: [long pause] “It’s um … not even 9:30.”
Bitter Old Man: [shaking head] “We’re closing.”
Us: “So we can’t play anymore?”
Bitter Old Man: “We’re closing … and d;lainf;iadfieq;lidmgmb” [trails off, mumbling incoherently]
Us: “What if we had paid for 18 holes from the start. Would you still be ‘closing’?”
Bitter Old Man: “We’re closing … and ;aildfbeqitum,bancioa” [trails off, mumbling incoherently, staring into the distance]
Us: [look at each other, confused, stunned into silence]
Bitter Old Man: [drives off, still mumbling]
This was the second straight mind-numbing experience we had had at Knight’s Play and the second time we had left the place shaking our heads. With one bad customer-service exchange, you can chalk it up to possibly being unlucky enough to run into someone not having a good day or with spoiled Depends or maybe even drunk. When it happens twice, it confirms that they are not interested in any way in your patronage. Since Knight’s Play is the only par-three course that is open in the evenings, they can aim their service at the lowest common denominator, charge a horrible fee, not keep up their landscaping and treat their customers like crap because they feel they have a monopoly.
Except did you know that you can go to a driving range AND play a full round of golf on a real course for the same amount of money that you would pay for playing 18 holes at Knight’s Play? Did you know that you can find great deals in Raleigh to play on courses that are well-maintained, with greens that don’t resemble a minefield in East Kuwait? Did you know you can deal with knowledgeable starters and course attendants who are legitimately happy that you are playing on their course and actually want you to return?
So just say no to Knight’s Play. If you’re a beginner-to-intermediate player, check out a fun, accessible, pretty course like Brevofield out in Wake Forest. If you’re looking for other options, click on this list of Raleigh golf links or on this course directory for Raleigh and Durham. You’ll be able to pinpoint a challenging course that will make for a terrific day of golf with your friends.
And if you leave the course shaking your head, it will be because you three-putted every other green -- and not because you ran into power-hungry octogenarians who are angry at the world and determined to take it out on their “customers.”
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