(VIENNA, VA) – Billy Casper Golf (BCG) – owner and operator of more than 120 golf courses, country clubs and resorts – has been selected to manage the storied Butler’s Golf Course in Elizabeth Township, PA, 45 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh.
The engagement increases BCG’s portfolio to seven facilities in Pennsylvania.
At Butler’s Golf Course – home to 36 holes, The John Butler House Bed and Breakfast, and The Rock Run Inn restaurant – BCG will oversee all aspects of operations, marketing and public relations, staffing and training, merchandising, clubhouse, food and beverage, financial management, golf instruction and special events.
“We’re excited to partner with Billy Casper Golf,” says Christy Nill Barowich, fourth-generation co-owner of Butler’s Golf Course with brother Jake Nill. “The company will provide local golfers with enhanced course conditions and its trademark, high-quality guest experience.”
“Paying keen attention to detail will ensure continued success for Butler’s,” says Peter Hill, Chairman and CEO of BCG. “Golfers will realize the Billy Casper Golf difference right away.”
To immediately strengthen golfers’ experiences and ensure a smooth transition, BCG has hand-picked Kevin McKay as General Manager and Tom Tokarski as Golf Course Superintendent. Both BCG veterans, McKay was most recently Director of Golf at High Bridge Hills Golf Club in High Bridge, NJ, and Tokarski was Superintendent at Compass Pointe Golf Courses in Pasadena, MD. Ryan Estel – formerly Chef at Waterfront Café in Hilton Head, SC – has been named the new Chef for The Rock Run Inn.
BCG will enroll Butler’s Golf Course in the Audubon International “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” program, ensuring high standards protecting the environment and preserving the natural heritage of golf. Results include efficiencies in maintenance, insurance premiums, energy, water, pesticides, fertilizer, equipment wear and labor.
Opened in 1928, Butler’s Golf Course features two 18-hole golf courses, the Woodside and Lakeside. Woodside, featuring many of the original holes, is a par-72, 6,314-yard layout routed through woods and overlooks the Youghiogheny River. With gently rolling terrain and classic design features, Woodside has been a favorite for golfers of all abilities for more than 83 years. Golf Digest calls the final stretch, holes No. 16 through No. 18, “amongst the best three finishing holes anywhere in Pennsylvania.”
Lakeside, at par-72, 6,689-yards, opened the front nine in 1963 and the back in 2000. With dramatic vistas, elevation changes and no parallel fairways, golfers’ senses pique from the first hole. The par-4 No. 14 and No. 16 holes slope downhill with fantastic views of the surrounding valley. Generous landing areas with few blind shots and sidehill lies make Lakeside a popular choice for golfers.
A modest country home, adjacent to Woodside’s No. 18 green, has been transformed into a charming bed and breakfast with four rooms accommodating up to eight guests.
The comprehensive practice area includes an all-grass driving range, large putting green, bunker and four-hole practice course. PGA-certified individual instruction and group lessons are available.
The clubhouse features a fully-stocked pro shop with a complete selection of golf apparel and equipment. With a new menu, The Rock Run Inn serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and is perfect for post-round relaxation and host to numerous holiday themed buffets and events. The Inn and outdoor pavilion also serve as the site for corporate outings, weddings and other social engagements.
For more information or to reserve a tee time: www.butlersgolf.com, 412.751.9121.
About Billy Casper Golf
Widely respected as a high-performance owner-operator of more than 120 golf courses, country clubs and resorts, Billy Casper Golf holds the second largest domestic portfolio. The company provides turnkey club management for public-agency and private owners, developers and investors. Founded more than 20 years ago in cooperation with golf legend Billy Casper, the firm is headquartered in Vienna, VA with regional offices strategically convenient to courses’ locales.
Industry leaders and media praise the company’s best-of-breed infrastructure that shows clients favorable returns on investments. Billy Casper Golf’s economies of scale make and save money for courses while delivering personal touches to golfers and club members.
Buffalo Communications – a division of Billy Casper Golf – is the global public relations, branding and marketing-communications firm. In addition to creating and implementing programs for Billy Casper Golf courses, Buffalo represents many of golf’s top brands (products, resorts, destinations and communities) worldwide.
For information: www.billycaspergolf.com, www.buffalocommunications.com, 703.761.1444.
Contact:
Nick Lashinsky
Billy Casper Golf / Buffalo Communications
703.891.3324
nlashinsky@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
www.billycaspergolf.com
