I'm about to spend a few months in Alpharetta, GA. I'm a bit worried about how much soft surface there is going to be for high mileage.
There seem to be quite a few golf courses around, so it'd be great if I can do at least a bit of running on them.
If I can find golf courses that don't have fences, can I run on them? Or is this trespass? Any views, opinions, or experiences would be appreciated. I'm happy to do early mornings before the golfers start, but I also don't want to end up in court.
No.
Yes. Heck, I’ve ran in country clubs and if you show respect to those golfing you should have no issues.
woohan flew wrote:
Yes. Heck, I’ve ran in country clubs and if you show respect to those golfing you should have no issues.
+1
I do it all the time on my easy runs, lots of people wave at me as I wave back!
I am not sure if these responses are trolls or not, but this depends on whether they are private courses or public courses.
Despite your opinion on golf or private clubs, you should probably not run on a private course. If you run super early, you can likely get out there and run prior to the yard guys getting started, but you'll probably be asked to leave if someone sees you. If you paid a lot of money to join a private track and XC club, you probably wouldn't want non-members hitting golf balls on the track/course. No, I am not a golfer, just a person with common sense.
If it is a public course, you should be fine as long as you're not running when people are actually golfing.
A quick Google search shows some decent greenways and trails in Alpharetta. But I have never been there.
You are right near Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield. Fantastic soft trails to do long runs (where Georgia Tech and Emory do their Sunday 15 milers).
You are also right near the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, another great place to get in long runs, a bit flatter than Kennesaw so you can do tempos there as well.
No reason to be on the golf courses, you will be kicked off all private courses.
Even public golf courses might not permit it. Just because a golf course is "public" does not mean it is open for all non-golfing activities.
Luv2Run wrote:
Even public golf courses might not permit it. Just because a golf course is "public" does not mean it is open for all non-golfing activities.
Agreed, but you are less likely to have people complain if you're running outside of operating hours. I am not down on public courses.
We used to run on golf courses all the time in college.
Sure, sometimes an old lady on a golf cart would charge you swinging a 9 iron, but it was fun.
This made me think of something. How cool would it be if some wealthier runners got together and bought 20-50 acres and created a beautiful XC and track club? It would be easier and cheaper to maintain than a golf club and it would be heaven on earth.
A nice track, a 10k XC course, gym/showers, and some sort of restaurant/bar for post-run nutrition.
$1k a month dues?
baller idea. this is amazing. unfortunately, most areas probably have enough free running space that it would be difficult to make this profitable.
high school xc coach wrote:
baller idea. this is amazing. unfortunately, most areas probably have enough free running space that it would be difficult to make this profitable.
or maybe I should say "fortunately" ?
Thanks for all the responses, and some solid long run suggestions which I will definitely use! It's questions like these that make this board valuable.
What's my plan? I think I'm going to email the clubs and ask if I can run on the courses pre-opening. I can pick up any litter I see and notify the groundsman of any mishaps. Maybe that'll convince them! Otherwise, I'm going to try running on the courses that are integrated into neighborhoods and don't have fences. I'll see how I go!
Running in Atlanta (Alpharetta) wrote:
I'm about to spend a few months in Alpharetta, GA. I'm a bit worried about how much soft surface there is going to be for high mileage.
There seem to be quite a few golf courses around, so it'd be great if I can do at least a bit of running on them.
If I can find golf courses that don't have fences, can I run on them? Or is this trespass? Any views, opinions, or experiences would be appreciated. I'm happy to do early mornings before the golfers start, but I also don't want to end up in court.
I don't know why my response was deleted. I'm a member of a Private Club. Our security and grounds crew are told to call police . It is basically up to the runner to explain why they are trespassing when caught.
Signatories wrote:
This made me think of something. How cool would it be if some wealthier runners got together and bought 20-50 acres and created a beautiful XC and track club? It would be easier and cheaper to maintain than a golf club and it would be heaven on earth.
A nice track, a 10k XC course, gym/showers, and some sort of restaurant/bar for post-run nutrition.
$1k a month dues?
I actually would pay for this.
I once had this kind of idea for our club. We thought about it but it never materialized. We all were going to have a share of the property that we could sell at the assessed value to another member or new member with the stipulation that no one party could own over 50%.
I occasionally use a private course, but it's not secluded or surrounded by million dollar houses. It has public roads around and thru it, so access is super easy. In the evenings sometimes there is a walker or two on the cart path or someone out with their dog. I live nearby so I have a feel for what's acceptable. I only use it for short sprints and stay in the rough or right next to the rough.
Mostly though I prefer asphalt or a track over grass but that's a different subject.
The short and long answers are NO.
Regardless if it's private or public course, there is a liability issue.
I helped organize races for the State Parks on golf courses for over 30 years and the government was extremely strict on the usage. They only way we were allowed was a shut down of the golf course(s) for the race.
Private property is private property regardless if there is a fence or not - especially if people pay money to be a member.
For years I ran on golf courses almost daily.
They were private and public but I generally ran early in the morning. The work crew were there but I stayed on the edge and never went near the greens they never bothered me or asked me to leave.
Take a chance and use common sense.
There's a golf course near me that's private; however, I run on it all the time. I think the problem is if you run on the actual course. The owners are fine with it as long as I'm on the gravel cart paths or off the holes, but one step on the beautifully manicured fairways, I don't think so.
Signatories wrote:
This made me think of something. How cool would it be if some wealthier runners got together and bought 20-50 acres and created a beautiful XC and track club? It would be easier and cheaper to maintain than a golf club and it would be heaven on earth.
A nice track, a 10k XC course, gym/showers, and some sort of restaurant/bar for post-run nutrition.
$1k a month dues?
It's a great idea but I know several thousand runners and I'm sure all of them are too cheap to cough up $1,000 per month! I've seen a guy not register for a race but load his trunk with post race food, that's closer to the average runner.
I've been chased off the public course in Lake Worth, Florida by a staff member driving a surprisingly fast golf cart. He didn't recognise me when I played the next day. Key to running on courses in best of cases is don't run on tees or greens, don't bother the golfers.