Pittsburgh National Golf Club Strives to Return to Former Glory

Pittsburgh National Golf Club is a Gibsonia gem.

This 18-hole public course on 189 acres of beautiful woods has had a few rough years, but it's poised to make a comeback thanks to the intervention of a man who is passionate about the game and the business of golf.

Colin Dunwoody is the president and owner of St. Jude Golf Club in Chicora, Butler County. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and raised in Montreal, Canada. He has been the superintendent of some of the top golf clubs in Germany, including Beuerberg Golf Club, the No. 1-rated course in that country. His responsibilities included preparing courses for international events.

In 2007, Dunwoody purchased St. Jude when the owners retired. He further developed and renovated the property, making it one of the premier golf courses in the region, often compared favorably with Oakmont Country Club's course.

Dunwoody also has extensive experience in agronomics, renovation and golf course construction, experience that would come in handy when he took over the management of Pittsburgh National. 

Pittsburgh National Golf Club, on Monier Road in Gibsonia, was originally called Deer Run Golf Club and was popular with locals and visitors. Then it fell on hard times and was not being maintained to the level that would attract players and members to a championship golf course.

"What happened is actually very complicated, and there is no one person to blame," says Dunwoody. "It was owned by the same family for many years and was not as well maintained in later years as it had been. Then a new family purchased the property, but there were health issues that took their focus off the course."

At the same time, environmentally, the summer of 2010 was difficult for golf courses.

"That summer a lot of golf courses really had problems with diseases and losing grass and turf and stuff like that," says Dunwoody. "It affects you economically and got to the point where they didn't have enough customers and income dropped by half, and that's quite sizable."

The problems the course was having were exacerbated by the fact that golf courses were struggling with the twin problems of a bad economy and the fact that it's a game of leisure when people seem to have less leisure time.

Eventually, Pittsburgh National ended up in bankruptcy, and that's where Dunwoody came in. He was negotiating with the owners to take over ownership of the course, and the bankruptcy court recognized that he would be a perfect choice as manager as the bankruptcy wound through the courts, especially because he was interested in becoming majority owner once the bankruptcy was settled.

Because of the restrictions of bankruptcy court, the changes Dunwoody has been able to make have been fairly small, but he has big plans. He kept superintendent Mark Bucci and is bringing in a new general manager, Scott Watson, both experienced in the financial and environmental management of golf courses.

Other small but significant improvements he's been able to make include restoration of the practice area, reconditioning of the greens and fairways, and updating the restaurant menu.

Eventually, expansion of the course's services will bring more jobs to the area. The restaurant will refocus as its own destination featuring excellent food. The pro shop will expand.  A junior golf program is planned to get customers interested in golf at a younger age, with the hopes they'll stay interested and pass that along to their own children. The membership offerings will be revamped as well, although Dunwoody says that's something they're still looking at.

"Our actual business plan looks different from other courses, and we're going to focus on efficiency and on an excellent golf experience in every way," says Dunwoody. "Some clubs may be doing poorly, but we are a course that can do very well."