BARNESVILLE — It was a great day to golf.
Warm, not hot. Not too cloudy, not too sunny. Immaculate greens and fairways beckoning even those with 20-plus handicaps.
Yet, amid the hoopla of a 1,000-golf-ball-drop kick off, a nagging sense of loss haunted the annual Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Outing.
Friday’s tournament, which drew 275 golfers, was the last the chamber will hold at Mountain Valley Golf Course.
A stream of golf balls fall onto the putting surface during the Chamber’s golf ball drop. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
The complex, Schuylkill County’s only 36-hole course, was sold to a New York developer for $15 million in March.
Mountain Valley — actually two 18-hole courses — will remain open until October to accommodate scheduled outings like the chamber’s.
Robert S. Carl Jr., chamber president and CEO, did his best to remain positive.
Calling it “the greatest show on golf’s green turf,” Carl congratulated the staff and ownership for outstanding service in the 17 years he’s been involved in the outing.
He couldn’t disguise, however, the emotion in his voice.
“I’m trying not to talk about it,” Carl confided. “This was the greatest golf tournament, and now I have to realize we’re not coming back. It’s sad.”
Initially, property owners near the golf course feared the property would be used for a data center. “No Data Center” signs still occupy front yards along Brockton Road.
PNK Group USA, the new owners, have indicated to Ryan Twp. officials that plans are to construct three to five warehouses on the 108-acre golf course and surrounding parcels.
As regretful as the thought of 1-million-square-foot warehouses sprouting up on tree-lined fairways is, there was no animosity among golfers about the sale of the course.
After all, they’re business owners and nonprofit executives, and they understand one of the realities of 21st Century economics – tracts of land adjacent to interstate highways are often worth more than the business on them.
Golfers take warm‑up swings on the range before the Chamber’s annual tournament on July 10, 2026. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce members gather at Mountain Valley Golf Course during the annual golf tournament on July 10, 2026. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
Golfers warm up on the range Friday morning before the Chamber’s annual tournament. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
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Golfers take warm‑up swings on the range before the Chamber’s annual tournament on July 10, 2026. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
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Ed Winkelbauer, who manages an insurance agency office, has participated in the golf outing for about a decade.
“We’ve had a lot of good times here,” he said. “Thanks for the memories, Mountain Valley.”
Nada Laguna has been golfing at Mountain Valley since she was a child.
“My dad taught me how to golf here,” said Laguna, an agent with EveryHome Realtors in Schuylkill Haven. “I was devastated when I heard about the sale, my whole family is.”
Mountain Valley’s closing leaves golfers with two choices – Hidden Valley in Pine Grove Twp. and White Birch near Barnesville. Schuylkill County Country Club’s is not a public course.
The chamber, Carl said, has already reserved Hidden Valley for year’s golf outing on the second Friday in July. Because the course is 18 holes, Carl said it’s likely the outing will have to be in morning and afternoon sessions.
There was a time, he said, when participation was so small that some members suggested that the chamber discontinue its annual golf outing.
What made the difference was the participation of businesses and nonprofits who set up displays at each of Mountain Valley’s 36 holes.
Penn State Schuylkill Campus, for example, had a football toss and a dunk tank alongside the Nittany Lion. There was also breakfast near the Locust Lake overlook and lunch in the Mountain Valley restaurant.
US Rep. Dan Meuser speaks to participants during the Chamber’s annual event at Mountain Valley Golf Course. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
With the help of U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, Carl launched 130 golf carts on staggered starts along the two courses – appropriately named Mountain and Valley.
In a farewell note, citing staff and owner Steve Cotler, Carl said Mountain Valley has been great to the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.
“We will never forget you,” he said. “You’ve got our sincerest gratitude, and although our hearts are broken a bit, God bless.”