Joseph Gorzeman and wife Jenna have a vision for their hometown.
“Making Petrolia the best town on earth,” Joseph said Wednesday.
To help achieve this goal, the pair of entrepreneurs, who already run a busy downtown restaurant and will soon be breaking ground on a nearby 31-room boutique-style hotel, have bought the town’s historic golf course.
“I’ve always had a love for this course and I’ve always known this course is a true gem,” Joseph, 32, said. “It fits the vision of what we’re trying to do here.”
The couple renamed it the Kingswell Glen Golf Club – the Kingswell moniker will be tied to the hotel and Joseph’s soon-to-be rebranded media company – and opened to the public on May 16, when the province gave golf courses the green light to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ten days later, it’s been a “great” experience, despite having to navigate strict rules relating to physical distancing, Jenna said.
“Definitely a really steep learning curve and really busy, but it’s been fantastic,” she said. “And the way the community has rallied with us and is supporting us has really been getting us through it.”
Formerly known as Heritage Heights Golf Club, it originally opened in 1895 as a private six-hole course called Glenview, according to its website. Oil baron Jake Englehart, an instrumental figure in the town around the turn of the century, was inspired to build it after honeymooning with his new wife in Scotland. It was later extended to nine holes and a back nine was added in 2001.
“There’s a great story and a great history that goes along with this place,” said Joseph, who spent long days there as a junior golfer.
Adult membership fees are $895 to reflect the year it opened but may change next year, Joseph said. The former golf course’s website – heritageheightsgolf.com – has been updated with current rates, green fees and information.
The parents of three young boys also plan to turn the former curling rink next to the clubhouse into a large modern event facility.
