Blackthorne Golf Club, a golf course embedded in a Penn Township residential development, has reopened to the public following a 31⁄2-year closure amid multiple community and legal disputes.
The golf course — located in the Blackthorne Estates housing community off Harrison City-Export Road — is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday starting at 8 a.m., with a 6:10 p.m. final tee time, according to its website. The back nine holes are closed but “will open shortly,” the website says.
Golf course owner Bob Vucelich was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
The course did not open for the 2023 season and has since remained closed to the public. Residents in recent years have expressed frustration about the closure of the golf course they expected to have access to right outside their doors.
Amenities for golfers will be limited while the clubhouse is built, according to the website.
“A temporary check-in building is in use while we build the new clubhouse, so amenities will be limited for a bit,” the website says.
A wooden structure surrounded by construction equipment could be seen perched on a hillside off Kapalua Lane on Wednesday morning.
More on Blackthorne
• Club at Blackthorne no longer facing legal challenges
• Penn Township accuses Club at Blackthorne of violating the municipality’s zoning ordinance
• Ace Bartenders owners purchase Club at Blackthorne for $3.9 million amid zoning dispute
• Blackthorne Estates plans to build new golf facility
• Blackthorne Estates residents weigh in on upcoming Penn Township golf course vote
• Penn Township lawsuit alleges zoning violatioon over revised use of golf clubhouse
New clubhouse development OK’d 2 years ago
The Club at Blackthorne, on Blackthorne Drive, was the original clubhouse for the course. Since November 2022, it has operated as a private wedding and events venue, according to court records.
The golf course requested approval from the township in May 2023 to construct its own clubhouse as a home for course operations. About a week later, the township filed a lawsuit against the clubhouse, golf course, Blackthorne Investors and Bedrock Developers in Westmoreland County Court.
Blackthorne Investors is the developer of Blackthorne Estates. Bedrock Developers, which has built homes in the community, is owned by Vucelich.
Four months later, township commissioners voted against construction of a new clubhouse, citing the possibility of increased traffic in a residential area near the proposed site. Blackthorne Investors filed an appeal about two months later, and the township reversed its decision in March 2024.
The township shortly thereafter dropped its lawsuit. The new clubhouse has begun taking shape in recent months.
Club at Blackthorne under new ownership
Anthony and Leah Cifelli purchased the Club at Blackthorne late last year for $3.9 million.
In January, Blackthorne Investors challenged an occupancy permit issued to the venue by the township about two months prior. Investors argued the Club at Blackthorne cannot operate as a private event center without maintaining its ties to the golf course, according to an appeal.
The township issued a zoning violation notice to the clubhouse Feb. 9.
The Cifellis appealed the zoning violation and the challenge by Blackthorne Investors. They also filed a zoning variance application in March, requesting permission to operate without ties to the golf course.
The township in April dropped its zoning violation notice. Blackthorne Investors’ legal counsel informed the Cifellis days later it was withdrawing the occupancy permit appeal, allowing the Club at Blackthorne to operate independently of the golf course.
The Cifellis plan to continue hosting weddings and private events in the upper level of the building and find a tenant to move into the unfinished restaurant space on the bottom floor.
Blackthorne development dates to 1993
The Club at Blackthorne initially was granted approval for use as a clubhouse for the golf course through a planned residential development designation issued in 1993. It opened for operations in 2018, according to Tom Easton, a member and project manager of Blackthorne Investors.
It originally housed a pro shop, a storage area for golf carts, locker rooms, office space, a banquet hall, a kitchen and an unfinished restaurant. Until 2022, the lower level of the clubhouse was used for golf operations with the understanding that a formal lease agreement would follow, according to the Cifellis’ zoning variance application.
The former owner of the golf course and the Club at Blackthorne, Robert Lampl, died in February 2022, Easton said, turning the properties over to new owners. Jeannine Schemm took ownership of the clubhouse and Bob Vucelich became the golf course owner.