This Pennsylvania golf club (designed by Tillinghast) could be closed four years if purchase goes through

Erie Golf Club likely will be closed for at least a year, and perhaps as long as four years, if the highest bidder for the Millcreek Township-owned golf course follows through with the purchase.

Club staff have already notified members and leagues about the possible closure, said Dale Stuhlmiller, who currently operates the course on a lease from the township.

“They weren’t surprised but they weren’t happy about it,” said Stuhlmiller, whose five-year lease expires later this year. “Many of the members have been playing here for 30 years or longer.”

On July 23, Millcreek Township supervisors awarded a bid for the purchase of the 175-acre property at 6050 Old Zuck Road to the Charles R. Van Eekeren Revocable Trust for $1,311,000.

Eekeren, who didn’t respond Wednesday afternoon to a message seeking his comment, has told township officials that he wants to return the course to the way it was in 1921 when celebrated golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast designed it.

That would entail moving or redesigning at least six holes, Stuhlmiller said.

“In 2025, there likely won’t be any golfing at Erie Golf Club,” said Jim Bock, Millcreek Township supervisor. “It could be longer.”

Golf course sale currently under due diligence

The sale to Eekeren’s trust isn’t complete. It remains under a 60-day due diligence period until late September for Eekeren to investigate property title matters and the condition of buildings, facilities and systems, and to survey the property and conduct a wetlands assessment.

“I know that Eekeren has taken soil samples, likely from the No. 2 fairway, which is where the city dump was located,” Bock said.

Once due diligence is completed, and if Eekeren still wants to buy the course, then the sale must be approved by the Erie County Orphans’ Court.

Erie Golf Club’s proximity is one reason why it is popular

Though there are about 20 public and private golf courses in Erie County, only a couple of them are located as close to the county’s population hub of the city of Erie and Millcreek.

“That was one of the things that made me interested in leasing Erie Golf Club five years ago,” Stuhlmiller said. “One was the course itself, but also how close it was to Erie. These members and leagues are going to have to drive farther away next year to play.”