The Hempfield, Pa. club will close December 31 after 54 years of operation. Declining participation and difficulty with seasonal hiring played into the decision by owners David and Linda Rusnock. Clubhouse items will be auctioned December 9, while maintenance equipment will go to auction in January.
Valley Green Golf & Country Club in Hempfield, Pa. is expected to close by the end of the year, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. Golf balls will be auctioned by the bucket, along with other items at the club.
Valley Green will close December 31 after operating for 54 years—a decision owner Linda Rusnock attributed to a dwindling number of golfers because younger generations are not taking up the sport, difficulty in finding seasonal help and a desire to retire, the Tribune-Review reported. Rusnock has operated the 18-hole course with her husband, David, since 2006.
While plans for the property have not yet been announced, the public auction December 9 will feature items from the bar, restaurant and pro shop, such as golf hats, boxes of gloves and used sets of clubs, the Tribune-Review reported. Other items for sale include chairs, tables, refrigerators, glassware, bowls, security cameras, golf art and decor, Christmas decorations and more.
Another public auction, scheduled for Jan. 25, 2020, will sell grounds equipment, mowers, maintenance equipment, tools and other items, the Tribune-Review reported.
The course is seemingly the latest victim of a declining golf industry in Western Pennsylvania, the Tribune-Review reported. Terry Teasdale, executive director of Western Pennsylvania Golf Association in Pittsburgh, said in October that six courses have shuttered in the area over the past 20 years. Those include Scenic Links of Westmoreland that closed in 2015, Churchill Valley Country Club that closed in 2013 and Brackenridge Heights Golf Course in Harrison, which is for sale.
Owners of Oak Lake Golf Course in Lower Burrell found themselves in a similar situation as Valley Green in October, when an auction drew hundreds of buyers who bid on grounds equipment, commercial kitchen items, a fleet of 50 golf carts and more, the Tribune-Review reported. The course closed October 24 after the Conley family decided to get out of the golf business.
Mark Ferry Auctioneers Inc. of Latrobe will run the Valley Green auctions, which start at 10 a.m. both days at the course, the Tribune-Review reported. A full list of items for sale from the Valley Green course can be found on the auctioneer’s website.
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