MatthewFromDurham

One huge benefit of there being very little tree coverage (despite it being a housing-development course) is that the edges of the fairways and rough actually have grass. Way too many tree-stuffed courses have nothing but pine straw or dried-out hardpan along the edges. So that was once nice surprise here. Greens were pretty speedy despite being a later afternoon start, and in very good condition overall. The carts were excellent, with GPS units, ball & club wash accessory, and are electric with automatic parking brake. May try to walk this course next time I play, but some of the holes had long distances between green & next tee.

Really loved this course. I'm a mid-handicapper (11), not a long hitter (220 yd drives), and I played this course from the White tees (since it was my first round here), and I shot 81 and had an absolute blast. There are a lot of downhill tee shots and uphill approach shots, so club selection can be a challenge. But despite the undulations, the lies in the fairway are not too severe up/down/sidehill-wise. It's when you get in the first cut of rough that the lies become a (fun) challenge. Many of the intimidating looking slopes, humps, bumps, and hills actually do a great job of funneling slightly offline shots to playable spots.
If you have played Tobacco Road (in Sanford, NC), then you will find this course to be similar, but a little more forgiving.

The course is downright beautiful. And when I played, the fairways and greens were in really good shape.
If you have an iPhone, be certain to get the Tot Hill Farm iPhone app. The included GPS feature worked well, and the hole-by-hole yardage information and 3D flyover videos for each hole were absolutely essential for me to have any idea where to hit to on a few of the visually confusing holes.
If this course were 30 minutes from my house (instead of 2 hours), I'd play the majority of my golf here.

Lochmere seems to trending upward lately whilst other public access courses are slipping a bit. The MiniVerde greens that were new a couple seasons ago have aged in very well. Fairways were OK, but above average for the minimal rain we've gotten in the past month. Bunker maintenance is ideal and the best I've played all year. The sand is well maintained and consistent from hole-to-hole. Other course have been letting the bunkers go, which really hurts playability. All in all, Lochmere is a very good value for the money.

Greens were in perfect condition, and the course conditions on the whole were very good. The green side bunkers were the exception, as I found the quality and consistency of the sand poor. Very glad I only found the sand once during this round. The layout has a good mix of holes, with some forced carries but not a ton of overly penal water hazards. The undulations and elevation changes are fun, but it's still possible to find good flat lies if you pick your spots properly. This was the 3rd time I'd played here (and second this year), and the course gets more fun each time. Cart attendants and shop staff are top notch.

If you're in the Cherokee Village area, and you like to walk, then the North Course is your best bet. The front nine has all tee boxes and greens very close together. The back nine is a bit more spread out, but is still very much walker-friendly. There are a couple quirky holes, but on the whole it's a fair layout, without an excessive number of forced carries. Front nine is tree-lined and well shaded, and lots of dog-leg holes. The tree lines separating the holes are not overly dense, so a stray tee-shot won't be hopelessly lost in the woods. Back nine is a bit more stretched out and has more extensive bunkering and more elevation changes than the front. Course was not crowded at all on a weekday morning, and the walkers and cart players mixed easily.
When we played the weather had been quite wet, so in spite of the early summer heat the greens and fairways were in fabulous condition. Greens rolled very true and the fairways were lush with no hard-pan spots. Good drainage all around made for very few casual water spots even with heavy rain the day before. Bunkers on the back nine were a little mushy with all the moisture, but I consider that a fair trade for the awesome turf conditions.
We'll be returning to Cherokee Village for many summers to come, and the North Course will certainly be a part of my vacation week plans.