Golf Course

Till April 2020 only chance to play Locust Valley Golf Course

aerial view of Locust Valley Golf Club
aerial view of Locust Valley Golf Club

Locust Valley Golf Club has been closing for 15 years. Some of its more dedicated players made hats and T-shirts saying “Last of Locust” that they’ve been wearing for a decade.

Now, the popular Upper Saucon Township golf course actually is preparing for its final goodbye. After years of ownership changes, stalled development plans and legal challenges, Locust Valley is scheduled to close in April 2020 and transform into a housing community.

Earlier this month, Upper Saucon Township’s board of supervisors approved Tradition of America’s plan to build an age-qualified community of 125 homes on the property. The company expects to break ground next spring.

Locust Valley owner Robert Ashford said that the course will be open, weather permitting, until at least April 1, giving golfers the chance to play their last rounds. Course maintenance will continue, and longtime Locust Valley assistant Curt Zellner said he will hand-shovel greens, if necessary, as he did last winter.

Billy Hallman, who has managed the course for five years, hopes for a mild winter that allows Locust Valley’s core players to say farewell.

“I don’t want to get a foot of snow and have the course go away quietly,” Hallman said. “It deserves more. To be able to get people here one more time in the spring would be special.”

Locust Valley, which opened in 1954, has a rich history in the Lehigh Valley. Once a private nine-hole club, it became a public course in 1985 under new ownership.

Arnold Palmer occasionally practiced at Locust Valley, as his first wife, the former Winnie Walzer of Coopersburg, lived nearby. In 1986, Locust Valley hosted a tournament that featured baseball legends Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Brooks Robinson and Bobby Thomson and Pro Football Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik.

or its devoted players, Locust Valley’s combination of playability and community kept them returning. Hallman has felt that demonstrated often in his five years at the course.

“I found out that it means a lot to a lot of people,” Hallman said.

But before interviewing for the job, even Hallman thought the course was closing. It has been that way since 2004, when Locust Valley’s then owners agreed to a developer’s plan to convert the course into an age-qualified community.

That touched off disputes with Upper Saucon Township over sewage regulations, leading to two lawsuits that a federal judge dismissed in 2008. In 2012, Ashford, who had bought the previous owners’ bank notes, foreclosed on the facility and took over operations.

Ashford originally intended to continue operating Locust Valley as a golf course, planning upgrades that included a restaurant and driving range. In 2014 he sought $2.25 million from Upper Saucon for development rights, and the township offered $1.2 million. The parties did not agree on development rights, leading Ashford to make a deal with Traditions of America .

The golf course’s closure has been a pro-shop question for years. Hallman said that he’s asked at least 20 times a day if the course is still open. For the past three years, he has assumed that each fall might be the last.

“Everybody comes in here asking, ‘When’s the last day? Are you sure this is it? Are you guys going to be open?’” Hallman said. “But every spring we get ready to go. So next spring, we’re going to get ready to go.”

Hallman said he wants people to know that “we’re still open, and we have a gameplan.” Course conditions are maintained normally under superintendent Mark Johnson, whom Hallman said has done an “amazing job” considering the weather and circumstances of the past few seasons.

“We’re going to stay open, as long as the weather allows us, until that last day,” said Hallman, who also manages the Ashford-owned Sheperd Hills. “We’re not changing anything.”

Zellner got started at Locust Valley as a caddie when he was 13. About 25 years ago, he took a job at the course and made the place home.

Hallman calls Zellner indispensable to Locust Valley, which Zellner tends to daily. During winters, he has hand-shoveled snow from greens that couldn’t be reached with equipment. If a stray cart is on the course at 8 p.m., he returns to the course to move it. Every night before going to bed, Zellner checks footage from the course’s security cameras.

Like Hallman, Zellner wants Locust Valley to have a proper send-off.

“I know I’m really going to miss the place,” Zellner said.

Most Popular

Golf Course Trades is produced by Golf Trades LLC and is a golf course superintendent niche digital marketing specialist. Golf Course Trades utilizes the 30 years of b2b relationships to help companies target golf courses utilizing our website, newsletter, and online turf directory. Please contact Golf Course Trades at adrep@thetrades.com or call (931) 484-8819 to request a full media kit.

Sign up below for our eNewsletter and to receive the same great Golf Course Trades content in your email box.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Copyright © 2016-2022 The Golf Course Trades

To Top

Never Miss A Headline

Get our Weekly recap with the latest news, articles, and resources.