He’s been on the job less than a month, but John Bedford already has some big plans for Pine Acres Country Club.
And you don’t have to look hard, inside or out, to see some of the work the new PGA Professional has already put in at Bradford’s only public golf course.
“Right here in the pro shop is probably the most stocked it has been in quite some time,” Bedford said. “Rick’s Golf World up in Olean actually stocked all this and then I’m pushing it for him. So this is the biggest upgrade right here.”
On the course, Bedford and his team have begun the process of taking down hazardous trees and freeing up some more space and better sightlines on the course. That includes clearing out trees to clear up some room off of several tee shots.
Bedford may be new to Pine Acres, but he has plenty of experience around the local golf scene. He spent the last two years as the general manager at Kane Country Club, but before that, he played college golf for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford — which calls Pine Acres home — and worked on the grounds crew as an intern at Pine Acres while in college.
“When I worked over at Kane, this was always one of my favorite places to come in and get a round in,” he said. “I am very familiar with the course.”
Membership at Pine Acres this year is at $550 for a single player and $650 for a family.
And those family memberships will be amongst Bedford’s biggest strategies to growing the game at Pine Acres.
“I like to focus on the women and children,” he said. “I want to grow the women’s game and then I need to grow the junior game as well because if I don’t do that I don’t have future members and then I don’t have future employees which then means I am unemployed. Those are my two biggest focuses. The more women I get out here the better. The better for the membership, the better for everyone.”
It’s all part of what Bedford calls a “rebrand,” a new look, on nearly all aspects of the game at the historic club.
“We are trying to rebrand and remake Pine Acres Country Club,” he said. “That’s kind of what we are going with and we want people to know. Pine Acres is a place you can come.
“It’s a great course, super fun out there and it’s a great atmosphere. It’s very welcoming in here and at the bar and on the course.”
Similar to years past, Pine Acres is packed nearly every weekend with some type of tournament or event, highlighted by the 2019 Golf Fore Heroes Tournament on July 6 which has raised nearly $30,000 for wounded veterans in just three years.
The course will also play host to scrambles for organizations across McKean County, including UPB, Dresser-Rand, and ARG.
Pine Acres is also set to host one round of the Penn-York Junior Golf League on July 29, a competitive six-course summer tournament that features the top youth golfers from both Pennsylvania and New York.
More events means more exposure, something Bedford hopes to take full advantage of now that he’s working in a bigger market.
“Here, you pull from everywhere in Bradford, Olean, and places in Upstate New York that you’re getting from. I had a couple members from Kane follow me up here, as well. The membership is a lot bigger here (than Kane) and that probably has a lot to do with it being much cheaper here than most places.”
“Membership is pretty cheap here, pretty reasonable for middle class people.”
This year, Pine Acres is also partnering with Golf Evolution for lessons. The company, founded by Web.com Tour player David Wedzik in 2008, offers a full-range of lessons for both individuals and groups, focusing on the full swing, short game, and putting, with the latest the game has to offer in technology. The lessons will be taught by Jim Yurkewicz, an experienced coach and former Pine Acres board member.
It’s yet another way Bedford and the leadership at Pine Acres hope to recruit, and keep, new members from all across the region.
“The changes that have made here is what attracted me to come here,” he said. “I heard about the changes going on, and I thought this was a great opportunity to grow and if I have the chance to help and grow this place to what it could be, then I’m fully on board with that.”
