Randy Kurzinsky has returned from Florida to his native Barnesville, Pa. to join Jasmine Colon in purchasing the 27-hole public facility from a member of the family that had operated White Birch since it opened in 1961. The property had been on the market for four years and after a planned sale fell through, the new owners stepped up because “it seemed like a good fit.” They have already ordered 40 new golf carts and are making plans to upgrade the White Birch Restaurant and redo the grove building on the property for events.
Randy Kurzinsky has always loved golf, so when the White Birch Golf Course in Barnesville, Pa. went up for sale, he seized the opportunity, the Hazleton (Pa.) Standard-Speaker reported.
“Growing up, I wanted to do something in the golf industry,” Kurzinsky, himself a Barnesville native, told the Standard-Speaker.
Kurzinsky, 33, and his girlfriend, Jasmine Colon, 25, originally from nearby Frackville, Pa. purchased the 119.5-acre, 27-hole public golf club in February from longtime owner Linda Godshall, the Standard-Speaker reported.
Godshall died shortly thereafter in February, the Standard-Speaker reported. Her family had owned White Birch since its opening in 1961.
The new owners were living in Tampa, Fla., in November, the Standard-Speaker reported, when Kurzinsky, a past Schuylkill County (Pa.) golf champion who played on the golf teams at Mahanoy Area High School and La Salle University, heard that a planned sale of the property, which had been on the market for four years, fell through.
“My dad brought it to my attention that White Birch was for sale, and it’s an opportunity,” Kurzinsky told the Standard-Speaker. “We spoke with Linda [Godshall] a few times, and it seemed like a good fit.”
Growing up nearby, Kurzinsky played numerous times at the course, the Standard-Speaker reported, as well as at the nearby Mountain Valley Golf Course and at Valley Country Club. He also played regularly while living in Florida.
“This is like a dream come true for him,” Colon said.
The new owners believe White Birch is a player-friendly course and one with a family-friendly atmosphere, the Standard-Speaker reported. “It’s really got that hometown feel,” Colon said.
White Birch has an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole executive course, and the clubhouse includes the White Birch Restaurant, the Standard-Speaker reported. At the height of the golf season, which runs from May to October, there are 20 employees.
Kurzinsky and Colon, who reside on the property and are expecting their first child in June, are already making upgrades to White Birch, the Standard-Speaker reported. They ordered 40 new golf carts to add to the existing 50 and had trees removed or trimmed. They plan to establish a consistent spray schedule to keep the course free from weeds; re-etch the sand traps, and add tee boxes.
At the restaurant, they plan to replace 30-year-old carpet, purchase new tables and reopen the bar. They will maintain the regular breakfasts and punch cards, the Standard-Speaker reported.
More long-term, they hope to redo the grove building on the property for events.
A grand opening for the season is set for May 7th, the Standard-Speaker reported.
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