The course in Whitesboro, N.Y. was owned by Kevin McGrellis, but has now been purchased by the Gresalfi family. Managing Partner John Phillips said the Gresalfis are noted golf enthusiasts who are excited to see the course open in spring. “Hidden Valley is a little bit smaller than our current operation, and we’re excited by everything we’ve seen here,” Phillips says. “[The owner and employees of Hidden Valley] have done a great job.”

Hidden Valley Golf Course in Whitesboro, N.Y. is changing hands, but everything people love about the course is here to stay, according to its current owners, The Daily Sentinel reported.

Kevin McGrellis, the former owner of Hidden Valley, purchased the course in 1981 along with his brother, Dan, from local businessman and course owner Ted W. Cupp.

“Dan was working for Ted, and Dan was running the course for him,” McGrellis said. “And I grew up working all through high school and college working on a golf course, and I wanted to own my own business.”

At the time, McGrellis was living in Rochester with his wife, Judi, he said, adding that Cupp had purchased Rome Country Club and was looking to sell Hidden Valley, The Daily Sentinel reported.

McGrellis said he and Judi were interested in moving back to the Central New York area to be closer to family, and he and his brother Dan took the opportunity to purchase Hidden Valley.

“We took a chance, and it worked it,” McGrellis said to The Daily Sentinel. “The only low point of the whole thing was that my brother passed away.”

McGrellis said he was getting up there in age and “… didn’t want to leave Hidden Valley feet first or grow to hate it.” The time, he felt, was right to sell it; and the course was recently purchased by the Gresalfi family, who also own a course in Hopewell Junction, a hamlet in Duchess County southeast of Poughkeepsie, The Daily Sentinel reported.

Managing Partner John Phillips said the Gresalfi family are noted golf enthusiasts who are excited to see Hidden Valley open in spring.

“Hidden Valley is a little bit smaller than our current operation, and we’re excited by everything we’ve seen here,” Phillips said. “[The owner and employees of Hidden Valley] have done a great job.”

Phillips assured patrons that just because Hidden Valley has new owners, it doesn’t mean that there’ll be immediate and sweeping changes, The Daily Sentinel reported.

“We’re not here to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “Each course has its own identity, and that identity is the people — the customers and the people. We like everything they were doing, so it’s really a turnkey situation.”

If there are changes in the future, Phillips said it would most likely come from the suggestions and opinions of customers and staff, The Daily Sentinel reported.

“We’re up to innovate and try new things, but we’re the newcomers to the course,” Phillips said. “We’ll listen to the people who have been here for a long time and hear what they have to say. We’re happy to continue operating it with no change because we love the layout, we love the people, and we love the maintenance…Kevin [McGrellis] has been here a long time and has done a great job — that’s a reflection of him, and we’re happy to take the reins from a guy like him.”

McGrellis said it wouldn’t be possible without the many employees who’ve worked for him over the years, especially the likes of Vin Passalacqua and James Finnegan, The Daily Sentinel reported.

“There have been so many people who have helped run this business over the years,” McGrellis said. “I couldn’t do it without them. I’m very lucky and blessed. You can’t do it by yourself and the people I depended on were the best.”

Leaving it behind, McGrellis said he’d miss the people the most. But for now, he has plans to spend more time with his family.

“I didn’t want to go out feet first, and I didn’t want to go out hating it,” McGrellis said. “I’ve accomplished both. It’s been a nice run.”