Notre Dame has developed a reputation in recent years for its quality tight ends. Another one could be coming to the Irish next season, and it would really would make the fan base happy.
If the Irish were to lure Olesh away from the Wolverines, he would be the third 2025 commit that 247Sports has ranked as the best in their respective state. The ones so far are offensive tackle [autotag]Will Black[/autotag] from Connecticut and [autotag]James Flanigan[/autotag], currently the only tight end in that recruiting class, from Wisconsin.
Best of luck to the Irish in efforts to flip Olesh.
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Of course, the Irish aren’t the only program aiming for O’Brien’s services. Penn State and Michigan also are said to have good chances at getting him. Altogether, O’Brien has received offers from 19 programs. He can pick pretty much anybody he wants because he’s that good.
The Irish now will be able to make an on-campus pitch to O’Brien because he’s set to visit Notre Dame this coming weekend for the game against Miami (Ohio). Hopefully, they can put together a convincing presentation because their current 2026 recruiting class of [autotag]Noah Grubbs[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Faison[/autotag] hasn’t changed since Loy made his prediction. It would be nice to see another addition to that class:
Best of luck to the Irish in their pursuit of O’Brien, especially recruiters [autotag]Mike Mickens[/autotag] and [autotag]Marty Biagi[/autotag], the two defensive backs coaches.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireNDÂ on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
“(The members) weren’t surprised but they weren’t happy about it.”
Erie Golf Club likely will be closed for at least a year, and perhaps as long as four years, if the highest bidder for the Millcreek Township-owned golf course follows through with the purchase.
Club staff have already notified members and leagues about the possible closure, said Dale Stuhlmiller, who currently operates the course on a lease from the township.
“They weren’t surprised but they weren’t happy about it,” said Stuhlmiller, whose five-year lease expires later this year. “Many of the members have been playing here for 30 years or longer.”
On July 23, Millcreek Township supervisors awarded a bid for the purchase of the 175-acre property at 6050 Old Zuck Road to the Charles R. Van Eekeren Revocable Trust for $1,311,000.
@AndyTFE Ever been to Erie Golf Club? I stumbled upon it this evening. Guy in the clubhouse said theyâre closing at the end of this year for a reno. He did not know who was doing the work though. Very cool land. Tiny greens. pic.twitter.com/fketWLoH7z
Eekeren, who didn’t respond Wednesday afternoon to a message seeking his comment, has told township officials that he wants to return the course to the way it was in 1921 when celebrated golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast designed it.
That would entail moving or redesigning at least six holes, Stuhlmiller said.
“In 2025, there likely won’t be any golfing at Erie Golf Club,” said Jim Bock, Millcreek Township supervisor. “It could be longer.”
The sale to Eekeren’s trust isn’t complete. It remains under a 60-day due diligence period until late September for Eekeren to investigate property title matters and the condition of buildings, facilities and systems, and to survey the property and conduct a wetlands assessment.
“I know that Eekeren has taken soil samples, likely from the No. 2 fairway, which is where the city dump was located,” Bock said.
Once due diligence is completed, and if Eekeren still wants to buy the course, then the sale must be approved by the Erie County Orphans’ Court.
Erie Golf Club’s proximity is one reason why it is popular
Though there are about 20 public and private golf courses in Erie County, only a couple of them are located as close to the county’s population hub of the city of Erie and Millcreek.
“That was one of the things that made me interested in leasing Erie Golf Club five years ago,” Stuhlmiller said. “One was the course itself, but also how close it was to Erie. These members and leagues are going to have to drive farther away next year to play.”
For better or worse, ESPN has made in-game on-field interviews a part of their broadcasts. At the very least, it’s made for some interesting TV. You never know when the player the broadcasters are talking to suddenly has to make a play.
Former Notre Dame outfielder [autotag]Matt Vierling[/autotag] found himself in this exact scenario while playing left field for the Detroit Tigers in the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. As he was wearing his microphone, he suddenly had to chase down a fly ball hit by the New York Yankees’ Oswald Peraza:
This was a standout moment for Vierling on an evening that didn’t really feature them as he went 0 for 4 with one strikeout. Fortunately, it didn’t matter as the Tigers came from behind to beat the Yankees, 2-1, in 10 innings.
Vierling is slashing .253/.294/.432 for a .726 OPS. He already has career highs with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs with over a month left in the Tigers’ season.
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Our hundreds of raters weigh in on the best public-access and private courses in Pennsylvania.
Looking to play the best golf courses in Pennsylvania? Welcome to our annual Golfweekâs Best ranking of public-access and private courses.
Following are the rankings for both types of courses, as judged by our nationwide network of raters. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweekâs Best course rankings.
The courses on the first list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If thereâs a will, thereâs a tee time â no membership required.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweekâs Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Best public-access courses in Pennsylvania
Omni Bedford Springs’ Old Course in Pennsylvania (Courtesy of Omni Bedford Springs)
Deed restrictions require the land be used as a golf course.
Anyone interested in buying one of the most historic and challenging golf courses in Northwest Pennsylvania? If so, an Erie area golf gourse is up for sale.
Millcreek Township â which has owned the 160-acre, 18-hole Erie Golf Club since 2009 â is accepting sealed bids through a Conshohocken-based golf broker, Golf Property Analysts. In December, Erie County Judge Marshall Piccinini approved the township’s petition to sell the course.
Township officials started sending bid packages Wednesday to interested parties.
“We have received numerous inquiries here at the township and I know Golf Property Analysts have received them as well,” said Jim Bock, a township supervisor. “We gave a tour of the course last week to one gentleman from out of town and he said he is definitely interested in placing a bid.”
The township’s asking price is $1.1 million, which is based on a recent appraisal done by Golf Property Analysts. Bids do not have to match or exceed the asking price, but Bock said township officials will have to discuss what happens if all of the bids are significantly lower.
The city of Erie owned the course for decades before selling it
Erie Golf Course, 6050 Old Zuck Road, was established in 1921 and designed by celebrated golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast. It was owned for decades by the city of Erie before the township purchased it.
A private business, 7637 Enterprises, currently operates the course under a five-year contract that expires at the end of the 2024 golf season. The township receives $37,000 annually as part of the deal, but expects to run a deficit of about $160,000 over the five years due to repair costs and other capital expenses.
Those interested in bidding on Erie Golf Course are encouraged to contact Larry Hirsh at larry@golfprop.com. Bids will be accepted until early or mid-July, Bock said.
Deed restrictions on three of the four properties that comprise Erie Golf Course require the land be used as a golf course. Proceeds from the sale must be allocated to the township’s parks and recreation department, Bock said.
“We’re discussing using the proceeds to expand the Millcreek Golf & Learning Center, 3100 W. 17th St., from six holes to nine,” Bock said.
Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce.
The course was established in 1921 and designed by celebrated golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast.
ERIE, Pa. â Erie Golf Club could have a new owner by this time next year.
Erie County Judge Marshall Piccinini approved Millcreek Township’s petition Monday to sell the 160-acre, 18-hole public golf course. On Tuesday, township supervisors voted unanimously to seek an appraisal on the property, the next step in selling the golf course.
“Once we get the appraisal, we will begin the process to put a bid package together,” said Mark Shaw, township solicitor.
The appraisal will come from Golf Property Analysts, a Conshohocken-based company, and cost the township $15,000 with a $9,000 retainer.
The township has owned Erie Golf Club since 2009, when it acquired the course, located at 6050 Old Zuck Road, in a deal with the city of Erie. The course was established in 1921 and designed by celebrated golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast.
A private business, 7637 Enterprises, operates the course under a five-year contract that expires at the end of the 2024 golf season. The township receives $37,000 annually as part of the deal, but expects to run a deficit of about $160,000 on the Erie Golf Club over the five years due to costs related to repairs and other capital expenses.
In addition, the course needs millions of dollars worth of improvements, including a new irrigation system, according to Ashley Marsteller, the township’s director of parks and recreation. Marsteller testified during a hearing on the petition.
“Our current operations contract ends at the end of (next) year and that’s the date we are fixing on (for a sale to be completed),” Shaw said.
Proceeds from any sale of Erie Golf Course must be allocated to the township’s parks and recreation department and not placed in the township’s general fund, Piccinini said in his order approving the petition.
Designed in part by World Golf Hall of Famer A.W. Tillinghast, the course was established in 1921.
ERIE, Pa. â Citing a lack of financial resources, equipment and expertise, as well as the challenge of finding someone to operate it, Millcreek Township supervisors are attempting to sell the Erie Golf Club.
In a petition filed Oct. 20 in Erie County Common Pleas Court, the township is asking to sell the 18-hole course at 6050 Old Zuck Road to a private entity after the 2024 golf season.
“We’re not equipped to be in the golf course business,” Supervisor Kim Clear said. “We would like to sell the property so that we can invest that money into the already existing parks and recreation programs that we have.”
The township acquired the 160-acre course at 6050 Old Zuck Road in 2009 from the city of Erie as part of an agreement that allowed for the runway expansion of the Erie International Airport. In exchange for Erie Golf Club, the township gave up a portion of the now-six-hole Millcreek Golf & Learning Center at 3100 W. 17th St. A portion of the property was used to extend the airport’s runway.
But being in the golf-course business, Clear said, has not reaped many rewards. A private company can buy the course and run it properly, she said.
“Most municipalities in the commonwealth and throughout the nation have not found that they’re getting the return on the investment in it that they had hoped,” she said.
The petition was filed pursuant to a state law known as the Donated or Dedicated Property Act, which requires municipal governments to maintain the use of certain donated properties according to deed restrictions.
‘Continued viability’
Supervisors argue that the township is unable to meet the requirements of maintaining the property as a golf course and that it would be better served in the hands of a private company.
“The petitioners lack of knowledge and experience in operating and maintaining an 18-hole golf course â combined with the significant challenges it already has experienced and will continue to experience attempting to find an operator who would be willing to maintain and operate the golf course under a lease contract arrangement â threatens the continued use of the property as a golf course,” attorney Mark Shaw wrote in the petition. “A sale of Erie Golf Course would ensure the continued viability of the golf course in a manner consistent with the existing deed restrictions in place, but relieve (Millcreek Township) of the financial and administrative burdens that it has experienced since owning the golf course and eliminate the risk of failing to find a suitable operator for the golf course, which would impose more significant costs and burdens that petitioner is not equipped to assume.”
The township expects that it will incur at least $1.25 million in capital improvement costs at the course and another $1 million in equipment replacement costs over the next decade if the course is not sold. The course already operates at a loss for the township.
All the equipment used to maintain the course is provided by the operator. All of the equipment donated from the city to the township as part of the property swap in 2009 became unusable in 2019.
Supervisors also list the difficulty of finding a management company to operate the course, citing the previous operator’s decision not to renew its lease in 2019 and the township’s inability to attract more than one qualified course operator thereafter.
Designed in part by World Golf Hall of Famer A.W. Tillinghast, the Erie Golf Course was established in 1921. It is currently operated by 7637 Enterprises.
Clear said that if the township is permitted to sell the golf course it would then have the property appraised in order to set an asking price.
Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com.
Milford Hospitality Group (MHG) has entered lease negotiations with the National Park Service (NPS) to operate the historic Cliff Park Inn & Golf Course in Dingman Township, Pike County, within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DEWA).
The course has plenty of historic value as it is believed to be the first in the United States to be commissioned by a woman. Annie R. Buchanan was a widow who oversaw the building of the golf course at Cliff Park at the turn of the 20th Century. The farm fields at the old Buchanan homestead weren’t productive, so Buchanan hired golfer Frank Hyatt to turn her fields into fairways. In 1928, according to her grandson Harry Buchanan, Annie took a trip to China, alone. “She was not a woman to be pushed around,” Buchanan said.
In the early 1900s, when silent film companies visited Milford to make movies, the rugged cliffs in the area overlooking the Delaware River were used for scenes.
MHG plans to maintain a public golf course for all to enjoy the benefits and beauty of Cliff Park, restore and reopen the inn and restaurant, and offer other unspecified public amenities. The project, done in phases, is expected to create approximately 45 temporary full-time jobs during construction and once fully operational, provide around 25 full-time jobs at the resort.
The inn has been vacant since 2012 while the nine-hole golf course has continued to be operated by another lessee, whose lease expires this fall. The resort is accessed from Milford Road (SR 2001).
In January, the NPS issued a request for proposals for leases to take the entire property, including the golf course, inn, restaurant and other outlying buildings on the 54-acre site. According to MHG, the inn is dilapidated, and the golf course needs improvements and upgrades.
MHG hopes to become the operator of the golf course. Its plans are also to renovate and reopen the inn, restaurant, banquet center, pro shop and other outlying buildings.
“We are honored to have been chosen for this unique opportunity, which aligns perfectly with our mission to provide world-class entertainment experiences in Historic Milford, PA,” said William Rosado, president and owner of Milford Hospitality Group. “We look forward to engaging in fruitful negotiations with the National Park Service and are committed to complying with all NPS leasing regulations throughout the process.”
According to the NPS DEWA, there was an attempt in 2012 to lease the property, but there were no bidders then. “Without occupants the maintenance backlog accrued more quickly,” the NPS states. “There are nearly 700 other buildings at the park, 285 of which are historic, which compete for limited maintenance, funding, and staffing resources.”
In 2022, approximately 3,000 rounds of golf were played at Cliff Park.
A view from the tee box of hole No. 2 at Cliff Park Inn and Golf Course in Milford. Photo: POCONO RECORD
NPS purchased the Cliff Park Inn & Golf Course, and approximately 500 acres, in 2003 to protect the property from development.
About 60 years ago, Harry Buchanan, the former Cliff Park owner, made a promise to make it part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. If the property had been sold and developed for housing, the public would have lost access to the trails, the inn, and the golf course forever, the NPS states.
MHG is the owner and operator of historic inns, hotels, restaurants, bars, and event venues throughout Milford. This includes three hotels, Tom Quick Inn, Hotel Fauchère and La Posad; and six restaurants, Tom Quick Inn, Jive Bar & Lounge, Bar Louis, The Delmonico Room, La Posada & Felix’s Cantina, and Apple Valley Restaurant.
“MHG looks forward to continuing a close and cooperative relationship with the NPS throughout this process and under the potential new lease agreement,” the group’s press release states.
No position in sports is more important than the quarterback. Notre Dame is lucky that it will have a good one this season in [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag]. Though his services only will be for one year, the potential for him to have a history-making season is high. With that will come high expectations.
But how will Hartman measure up to the great Notre Dame quarterbacks of the past? For that, let’s turn to AI writing tool ChatGPT and see what it believes is a fair list for the top 10 men under center to play for the Irish.
Keep in mind that ChatGPT has this disclaimer:
“Ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in Notre Dame history is subjective and open to interpretation, as different eras and playing styles contribute to individual greatness. However, based on their impact on the program, statistical achievements, and team success, the following list represents 10 notable quarterbacks in Notre Dame’s storied history.”
And this one:
“Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and there are many other talented quarterbacks who have contributed to the Notre Dame football legacy. The rankings can vary depending on personal opinions and criteria used to evaluate their performances.”
On that, here is the list with some entries edited for clarity and accuracy:
