Tag: Pennsylvania golf

Family of Pennsylvania pro killed by fallen tree gets $9.1M settlement. Here’s why

Riegel had previously been an assistant pro at Aronimink, Wilmington Country Club and Gulph Mills.

The family of a Pennsylvania golf teaching professional who died when a tree fell onto a cart barn at the club where he worked received a $9.1 million settlement.

Justin Riegel was working as the director of golf at Philmont Country Club in the north suburbs of Philadelphia when a storm rolled in and he took cover in the barn.

Riegel had previously been an assistant pro at Aronimink, Wilmington Country Club and Gulph Mills, then moved to French Creek Golf Club as head pro. In 2015, he was selected as the Section PGA Assistant Golf Professional of the Year.

Riegel’s son was born just weeks after his death and his widow, Kate Hannon, sued the course and the management companies involved and was awarded the sum.

According to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the suit went to trial and hung on a few facts.

Two key points of contention in the trial were the sequence of events that led Riegel to be at the cart barn at the moment he was killed on June 3, 2020, and whether the golf club could be held liable as his employer.

A storm was moving toward Huntingdon Valley, and Philmont suspended golf play midmorning. Riegel, who was 38 at the time, helped clearing carts off the course, according to legal filings by his estate’s lawyers, and was struck by the tree when parking a cart in the barn. Had the course been cleared earlier, Riegel wouldn’t have been in danger, they argued.

“Concert Golf didn’t create the storm,” said David Kwass, a partner with Saltz, Mongeluzzi, and Bendesky, who represented Riegel’s estate. “But they could have known about it earlier and they could have prepared for it.”

https://www.facebook.com/PGAREACHPhiladelphia/photos/a.2242840905961651/2683996291846108/

The club’s lawyers insisted that Riegel was in the barn to simply watch the storm with a colleague, but the jury found otherwise.

The jury determined that Philmont could have done more to prepare for the storm, and that the entity could be sued in Riegel’s death.

After a two-week trial, the jury deliberated for about one day, Kwass said. On Aug. 29, they reached a verdict finding all three defendants equally responsible for Riegel’s death and awarded his son $9.1 million.

Because the parties entered an agreement that guaranteed monetary compensation regardless of the verdict and limited the amount the verdict could reach, the jury’s decision can’t be appealed.

 

 

Pennsylvania veterans group cancels charity golf event after ‘unspecified threat’

Since the event was completely sold out, organizers had scheduled morning and afternoon tee times at the course.

On Friday, Penn National Golf Club near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was expected to be the site of the eighth annual Franklin County Veterans Affairs Golf Tournament, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-70s for a perfect end-of-summer round.

But event organizers canceled it on Thursday, citing a threat made toward those planning to take part.

According to a Facebook post from the organization:

The Franklin County Commissioners and Penn National Golf Club & Inn have made the difficult decision to cancel the 8th Annual Franklin County Veterans Affairs Golf Tournament, scheduled for Aug. 30. The decision was made after an unknown individual made an unspecified threat directed at tournament participants earlier this week.

“The safety of everyone – our staff, our volunteers, our participants and the residents of Penn National – is our utmost priority,” said Franklin County Commissioner Chairman Dean Horst. “This tournament has always been about honoring and supporting our veterans and we are disappointed that the cowardly actions of one individual have ruined this year’s event.”

Since the event was completely sold out, organizers had scheduled morning and afternoon tee times at the course for the first time in the event’s history and this year had added a $50,000 hole-in-one contest.

More: The best public-access and private golf courses in Pennsylvania, ranked

Although those who signed up are eligible for a refund, organizers hoped to still recoup some of the funds.

All proceeds from the golf tournament benefit the Franklin County Veterans Affairs Outreach Fund, which supports a variety of programs and services for Franklin County’s 13,000-plus veterans. Event sponsors and participants are eligible to receive a refund, if they so choose, by contacting the Franklin County Veterans Affairs Office at 717-263-4326 or veteransoutreach@franklincountypa.gov. Otherwise, contributions to this year’s event will benefit the outreach fund as originally intended.

 

 

This Pennsylvania golf club (designed by Tillinghast) could be closed four years if purchase goes through

“(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.

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.”

More: The best public-access and private golf courses in Pennsylvania, ranked

Golf course sale currently under due diligence

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.”