When Curtis King purchased Moccasin Run Golf Club in Atglen eight years ago, he had a dream: to develop it into one of the finest golf courses in the region.
The dream this Chester County native had for his golf club developed slowly—much slower, in fact, than he’d have preferred. But dreams that truly matter, even when they move at a snail’s pace, are not discarded as quickly as yesterday’s newspapers.
So King kept working toward his dream, which he says he envisioned in three distinct phases: “First, improve my pump station that irrigates the golf course. Second, build a maintenance facility that was housed in the lower half of the clubhouse. Third, remodel the clubhouse.
“It’s taken longer than I had hoped, but I’ve now reached it.”
While the first two phases are vitally important to the continued excellence of the golf course, which opened in 1988, King is especially proud of the third phase.
Moccasin Run’s clubhouse has been totally transformed into a thing of beauty. In October, the clubhouse was gutted to the bare frame, right down to the studs. It was expanded by 720 square feet to a spacious 1,055 square feet in the fully carpeted dining area. Additional windows and several stone pillars were added to accentuate the renovated clubhouse. Timber framing, which was added to the room to help retain the rustic feel of the county, runs to the ceiling and to a new cupola. One television is in the bar area, and another in the dining area.
“I’m told by our interior decorator that our windows have a million-dollar view,” King says, proudly. “And the whole front entrance is completely different; before, we just had a side entrance. It all just looks beautiful.”
Be it players visiting the clubhouse dining area for a quick bite after a round of golf on the pristine par-72 course or area residents stopping by for something to eat with family and friends, visitors will be thoroughly impressed with the eye-catching, upgraded facility.
“A dozen or so of our customers told me over the past six years that our clubhouse doesn’t fit the golf course,” King says. “They wanted something better. We used to have a bathroom; now we have restrooms and a small changing area with lockers. It’s a huge improvement. Now they can hang out here and have an even better experience.”
King credits of Mark C. Myers Architects Inc. of Downingtown for bringing his vision to life.
“A year and a half ago, Mark sat down with me with a pen and paper and said, ‘Tell me what vision and dream you have,’” King recalls. “I did, and then he went back and drew something up. He came back and showed it to me, we talked about it, and then he’d go back and tweak the plans and return with something better. He was unbelievable.”
Moccasin Run also improved its food menu and has added a full commercial kitchen, upgrades King believes will best serve his customers at the club’s Sand Wedge Grill.
“We raised the bar on our menu,” King says. “We added a char-broiler and fryer, so now we can do chicken fingers, French fries, sausage. We now have 6-ounce burgers, not 3-ounce. We can offer people more. They can come in, relax in a great dining area and have a good lunch or dinner. We also have deli sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, hot dogs, grilled steak sandwiches, soups. In the morning, we’ll have breakfast sandwiches.
“It’s all about taking care of our customers; they’ve always come first,” he continues. “I want people who might just want to walk around, hit a few putts or a bucket of balls, not just those who want to play a round. Then they can get something to eat.”
Moccasin Run also features a new conference room, an improved deck overlooking the golf course, and enhancements to the pro shop tailored to meet a player’s every need.
The fully carpeted conference room is available for wedding parties, wedding or baby showers, rehearsal dinners and more. It can accommodate approximately 30 for seating, and includes a serving area from which attendees can choose from a menu.
“We do outings very well,” King says. “We do everything to make our customers feel cared for.”
The conference room is outfitted with all the amenities needed to achieve the perfect meeting, be it a casual get-together or a business function in which multimedia presentations can be viewed on Moccasin Run’s new 70-inch, high definition flat screen television.
Moccasin Run customers will now enjoy terrific food from an expanded menu on a deck that is now entirely covered to protect patrons from inclement weather. The old wood deck with spindles has been replaced by composite deck surrounded by wrought iron. King describes the deck as having “a rich feel,” and will help create a memorable experience for visitors.
Improvements to the pro shop, including a cherry-wood counter, give it a deep, rich character consistent with the rest of the club’s recent renovations.
“My clients who’ve been here will see something completely different this season,” King says. “I think they’ll be impressed. I’m really excited about having people see the place.”
The recent enhancements are especially noteworthy considering they were “this close” to not happening at all. Late in 2005, King nearly walked away from the golf club his parents built on a dairy farm in 1988. As he was about to go to Boise, Idaho, on a job interview, something stopped him.
“I knew my family poured their heart and soul into this, so I couldn’t leave in the end,” he says. “Nobody else wanted it, so I bought it.”
And the dream began.
Moccasin Run Golf Club
402 Schoff Road
Atglen, PA 19310
610-593-2600
www.moccasinrun.com
Photograph by Rob Hall
