What it takes to open the Cranberry Highlands Golf Course
CRANBERRY TWP — It takes far more than a handful of sunny days and some mowing to open up one of the township’s most popular attractions.
Dedicated groundskeepers and a passion to maintain high standards has turned Cranberry Highlands Golf Course into a destination for residents and non-residents alike.
“It’s kind of a pride thing for ourselves,” said course superintendent Matt Krepp. “We want it to be the best it can be. We’re supported by the township and board of supervisors to do that, and we’re grateful for that.”
Since its inaugural year in 2002, the course has seen significant growth in terms of overall improvements and foot traffic.
More than 38,000 rounds of golf — a new record — were played at the township-owned facility throughout 2024.
While the course was previously averaging more than 30,000 rounds per year, that number began to drastically increase coming out of the pandemic in 2020, according to Krepp.
“I think people realized they enjoyed being outside again and playing golf,” he said. “We’ve seen a surge since (the pandemic). It’s a great thing for our industry.”
Preparing for those rounds begins months in advance before the course even closes for the winter months.
Krepp, who began working at the course in 2012, said most of the maintenance equipment is torn apart, cleaned and rebuilt so it’s fresh heading into a new season.
All of the greens are equipped with impermeable materials and proper drainage systems to withstand heavy snow and ice.
Once winter conditions subside, most of the critical groundskeeping work, including on and around the greens, can begin.
“We start assessing the ground and whether we’re able to get out there with equipment and not make any ruts,” Krepp said. “We start looking at aerating our greens. We pull aerification cores out of the greens, clean them off and top dress with sand to fill the holes in.”
According to Krepp, the course’s staff is comprised of five full-time employees and anywhere between 15 to 20 seasonal employees, who are mostly in high school or retirement-age.
Favorable weather conditions in early March typically allow employees to get ahead of the necessary work in sand traps and on fairways.
“We’re redoing the bunkers right now to get them ready for play,” Krepp said. “We’ve also mowed fairways three times so far to try and stimulate growth and get them ready for all the high traffic that we have here.”
As with any public course, part of the challenge is maintaining course conditions that keep guests coming back for more.
“Once you have that brand new course, it’s lush and perfect,” assistant superintendent Eric Bailey said. “It’s gradually going downhill from there, so it’s not always trying to make improvements as much as it is keeping it in the conditions it’s at. I would say that’s a lot of the battle.”
Still, township officials have taken a number of steps to improve the experience both on and off the course.
GPS systems were installed in all of the carts back in 2013, which has helped to maintain course etiquette and increase pace of play.
At a February meeting, township supervisors approved a $50,000 contract with Fry Straka Globel for design services as part of sand bunker renovations. That process is currently underway.
Additionally, the clubhouse is set to receive a $415,701 roof replacement and a new lightning detection system worth $29,920.
A new permanent bar is also being installed in the banquet room.
Opening day for Cranberry Highlands is Monday.
