Hempfield golf course hosting auction as it goes out of business

Golf balls will be auctioned by the bucket next week, along with other items at Valley Green Golf & Country Club in Hempfield.

Valley Green, located between Armbrust Brinkerton and Albrights Lake roads, will close Dec. 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.

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 Monday will feature items from the bar, restaurant and pro shop, such as golf hats, boxes of gloves and used sets of clubs. Other items for sale includes chairs, tables, refrigerators, glassware, bowls, security cameras, golf art and decor, Christmas decorations and more.

Another public auction, scheduled for Jan. 25, will sell grounds equipment, mowers, maintenance equipment, tools and other items.

The course is seemingly the latest victim of a declining golf industry in Western Pennsylvania. 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 course closed Oct. 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, located at 2249 Valley Green Road. A full list of items for sale from the Valley Green course can be found on the auctioneer’s website.