A Pennsylvania golf course near the state’s southern border may be forced to close in a few years as that state aims to expand environmental opportunities in the Michaux State Forest.
The Department of Conservation and National Resources announced recently that it does not intend to renew the lease for the property that is home to South Mountain Golf Course, located just off Pa. 233 a few miles east of Mont Alto.
The state environmental agency wants to make the site the home of its new Forest Resource Management Center, which it says will “advance the conservation legacy of the historic site,” according to the agency’s site evaluation plan.
The Quincy Township Board of Supervisors formally joined South Mountain Golf Course earlier this month to oppose DCNR’s move to end the lease, which would happen at the end of the current 10-year term in 2026.
“We firmly stand with the South Mountain Golf Course and call for the renewal of the lease immediately, affirming the historical, environmental and recreational value of the South Mountain Golf Course to Quincy Township, the municipality in which it is located,” reads a statement the supervisors approved on Oct. 3, according to Supervisor Lee Daywalt.
A public meeting about the issue will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct 18, at the South Mountain Fish and Game Club, 11547 Loop Road, Fayetteville. The golf course is closing at 4:30 that day so its staff can attend.
Why did DCNR choose South Mountain Golf Course for its new facility?
South Mountain Golf Course was among nine sites DCNR evaluated for the new resource management center. Several were in Caledonia State Park, which is north of the golf course.
The Commonwealth’s basic argument is that the land would better serve to expand other outdoor recreational opportunities rather than hosting one activity that is available all over the area.
“Golf, an emergent outdoor sport in the early 1900s, is now a pastime widely available to residents and visitors to the South Mountain region. Now, burgeoning demand for beginner-level outdoor trail-based recreational opportunities, conservation education, and access to nature is pushing up against the carrying capacity at trailheads and other park and forestry infrastructure in the South Mountain region.”
Increased visitation, as well as visitors’ high expectations, has increased demand on “every acre” of the state forest, according to DCNR. That has necessitated “improved administrative…
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