Freeport, Pa.’s River Forest CC is preparing for the future under the leadership of Andi Irwin and Jamy Rankin. Drone racing, a speaker’s series, live music and stand-up comedy are in the works and “Whing Golf”—played on the regular golf course using a thrower and a putter—will supplement traditional golf.
A little more than a year ago, now-retired professional golfer Missie Berteotti knew two of her friends “just had to meet,” the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. That meeting eventually led to a revitalized 450-acre River Forest Country Club in Freeport, Pa.
Andi Irwin and her husband, Steve, already owned half of the country club in Allegheny Township when they told Berteotti they were looking for some new partners to buy the other half from brothers R. Gary Duster and J. Rodney Duster, owners of the Duster Funeral Home in Tarentum, the Tribune-Review reported.
Berteotti told Andi Irwin that she should meet Jamy Rankin, a retired Ford Motor Co. executive from the Stanton Heights section of Pittsburgh.
“She loves golf,” said Berteotti, who won an LPGA championship in 1993 and played for 14 years on the tour. The women talked, then Jamy went home to talk with her husband, Robert, who is a Pittsburgh firefighter—and not a golfer, the Tribune-Review reported.
“I said, ‘Honey, this is my project. It’s just beautiful there along the Allegheny River,’” she explained. The day after the couple talked, they went to the course and decided to buy the shares owned by the Duster brothers.
April 2 was the grand reopening for the revitalized 18-hole, par-72 course, the Tribune-Review reported. It also was the debut of Lily’s, a restaurant that features lunch and dinner menus.
In addition to golf enthusiasts, the club wants to reach out to people who’ve never played the game, the Tribune-Review reported. “Whing golf,” drone racing, a speaker’s series, live music, and stand-up comedy all will be added to the club’s offerings.
Whing golf is played on a regular course using a thrower and a putter.
“We tested it on people ages 12 to 75 and 60 pounds to 350 pounds. Everyone could do it, even if they couldn’t golf,” said Steve Irwin, who demonstrated it after Jamy Rankin drove the first ball off the tee at the club’s ribbon-cutting.
Andi Irwin and Jamy Rankin are the face of the partnership that seems poised at the confluence of new and old golf ideas, just as River Forest is at the confluence of four counties, the Tribune-Review reported. Jamy is the General Manager who handles the day-by-day business and husband Robert is the Chief fFnancial Officer. Partners Andi and Steve Irwin remain active.
The re-branded and renamed Lily’s restaurant is open seven days a week and includes a bar, the Tribune-Review reported. Lily’s is available for private parties, dining for holidays and special events. The club’s banquet facility is available for wedding receptions and other events and can accommodate up to 175 guests for a seated dinner.
Produce will come from local farmers and vendors, the Tribune-Review reported. Steve Irwin, an attorney, is on the board of Sustainable Pittsburgh.
“We’re a country club for the 21st Century,” said Andi Irwin.
Rankin and Irwin believe their course is likely the only majority woman-owned golf club in the state and one of 10 with African-American ownership in the United States, the Tribune-Review reported.
Jeff Morgan, Chief Executive Officer for the Club Management Association of America, told the Tribune-Review that only about 20 percent of country club managers across the country are women, although that number continues to grow.
“Things seem to be shifting among people under age 40 [in the club industry]. Most of them are women,” Morgan said.
The addition of non-golf activities such as those being seen at River Forest CC is a sign of country clubs that want to survive, Morgan added.
“There is a major shift,” he said. “Thirty years ago, the country club was a place for men to get away from their families and play golf. Today, the emphasis is on families.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.