Green Oaks CC picks Bobby Jones Links

Bobby Jones Links is now managing Green Oaks Country Club in Verona, Pennsylvania. The classic Donald Ross design is a par-71 that Ben Crenshaw once likened to playing in heaven.

Originally a nine-hole layout, Green Oaks membership engaged Ross in 1913 for a new 18-hole course after purchasing an additional 46 acres. Ross returned in 1914 to finish placing the bunkers, and the course opened in the fall of that year.

“Pittsburgh is a very golf-rich market with an excellent history and Green Oaks is part of that with a classic Donald Ross design and a strong legacy,” BJL chief development officer Doug Hellman said. “The club is extremely accessible and it offers a top-notch course and playing experience, as well as a fully amenitized clubhouse. The board is intent on continuing to elevate the member value proposition through the execution of a strategic capital improvement plan.”

The course has certainly remained the centerpiece of the club, and now the BJL team has begun reestablishing and elevating the facility's leadership team.

The Green Oaks executive board did a thorough search for the best fit in a management company and chose BJL for their expertise in navigating growth and developing staff with key leaders in critical roles.

“We're enthusiastic about the future at Green Oaks with Bobby Jones Links managing the club's operations,” club presidents Marc Olin said. “The level of complexity that has come with the club's consistent growth over the past three years made it clear that we needed some help. I expect the member experience to be elevated by BJL's management and team-building skills and that they will optimize the club's service delivery. We look forward to BJL shepherding the process of hiring for key roles and infusing engaging and enriching programming and culture at Green Oaks. With our recently renovated Donald Ross golf course and fantastic membership, we're confident that Green Oaks can be one of the premier club experiences in the region.”

Green Oaks features a welcoming environment and showcases its historical and vintage characteristics.

“They put a great deal of time and investment into the course — installing a new irrigation system, removing trees and opening it up so members can fully appreciate how Donald Ross laid out the course more than 100 years ago. It’s really quite spectacular,” Hellman said. “There are no homes lining the fairways and the topography and elevation changes are dramatic, which adds to the enjoyment of playing one of the best historic courses in the Pittsburgh area.”