EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — After a season of being closed, work is underway to reopen Terra Greens Golf Course in East Stroudsburg.
It's something Bryan Zukawski has been working hard to do. His family built and owned the nine-hole golf course for more than 40 years before selling it to East Stroudsburg in 2006.
"It's really a pleasure being here. Every time I look at it, it brings back those memories all the way from my childhood up until my adulthood," said Zukawski, the golf course superintendent.
In November 2022, the borough decided to stop funding the course, and it closed.
Almost a year later, Zukawski and several others from the nonprofit Friends Of Terra Greens Golf Course are reopening it to the public.
Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation Commission has approved the group's lease agreement to run the golf course themselves.
"The end of June, when we got into here and were able to start mowing where fairways were probably three feet high to the seed heads, greens were four inches-plus high. The transformation has been amazing," said Zukawski.
Course officials say it's taken a lot of work and volunteers to get the course ready for play, but they say it's all worth it because they're bringing back a staple in the community for the community.
"A big thank you to my father, my two uncles, and my grandmother, who are all passed at this point for what they created. Spending all this time, years, doing an amazing amount of hand work just to make this happen. We are able to give it back, which makes me feel wonderful," Zukawski said.
If all goes well with the final paperwork, golfers won't have to wait until next season to get on the course.
"We're going to have a rolling nine golf tournament where anyone can come and golf nine, 18, or whatever they want to do, 27 holes. And each nine qualifies them for some prizes," said Kelly Lewis, chair of Friends of the Terra Greens Golf Course.
To sign up for the Golf Tournament at Terra Greens on October 20, contact Kelly Lewis, at 570-510-7745 or email kelly@lewisstrategic.com
For details on the community celebration and fundraiser on October 23, click here.