Ray Bricker, who owns farmland next to the Salem, Ohio golf course, bought the shuttered property at auction on March 2 for $880,000, declining to comment on its intended use at the time. PGA Pro and former club employee Ben Broderick will lease the golf course and continue to operate it as a semi-private club.
Salem (Ohio) Hills Golf and Country Club will reopen under a multi-year lease agreement between the new property owners and PGA golf professional Ben Broderick, the Youngstown, Ohio-based WKBN reported.
Broderick worked at the course from March 1999 until December 2014, when the facility closed due to the previous owner’s retirement. The fate of the course was in doubt after a March 2 auction, in which Salem Hills G&CC was purchased for $880,000 by Ray Bricker, who owns the farmland next to the course. Bricker declined to comment on the intended use of the property after the purchase, WKBN reported.
Broderick said after contacting the Bricker family, an agreement was reached to keep the course as-is, WKBN reported.
“I would like to thank the Bricker family for considering leasing the facility to me and the many people who contacted them and me and urged us to find a way to keep the course open,” he said. “I’m extremely pleased that we’ve been able to reach an agreement that works for all of us, and I’m anxious to get to work so I can open the course as soon as possible.”
According to Broderick, Salem Hills will continue to operate as a semi-private club that offers a variety of membership packages, is also open to the public and is available for golf outings and league play, WKBN reported.
“I think this operational structure is perfect, because it provides the benefits of club membership to those who want it and enables the public to play what is generally recognized as a premier18-hole layout,” he said. “I’m finalizing the membership packages and public green fee and cart rental prices now, but I can guarantee that Salem Hills will be among the best, if not the best golf value in the region.”
Broderick said he plans to aggressively market Salem Hills and plans to announce the official opening date, membership packages and green fees within the next week, WKBN reported.
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