Ringing in a new era: Buckhannon’s nine-hole golf course is back as the Golden Bell Golf Course

Monica Zalaznik
December 2, 2019

BUCKHANNON – The Riverbend Golf Course is now the Golden Bell Golf Course.

The Golden Bell Golf Course is now being operated by Rick and Sandra Harper, who officially took over in July.

“This was where I learned to play golf and it got in such bad shape in the past year, I hated to see it go under,” Rick Harper said. “So many nine-hole golf courses are going under, and I just took a chance. Hopefully, I can get it back up and we can have a golf course.”

The course itself was open until Oct. 1 when they closed it for the winter, but the event center building is still available for events.

“We have had birthday parties and you wouldn’t believe how many baby showers we’ve had; we already have two booked, one for January and one is in April and we’re having a big wedding Saturday,” Sandra Harper said.

The event hall is ideal for people looking for a good deal and a scenic view, she added.

“We’re not going to charge an arm and a leg,” Sandra Harper said. “We want it to be economical. We just want a place for the community to feel like they could have something to do and have somewhere to have fun, like I said, without spending a fortune. I think they’ll be pleased with everything.”

Rick Harper said depending on the weather, the two hope to have the course open again in April.

“Most of what needed done was just mowing and the greens took a lot and need a lot of water and mowing and just a lot of TLC,” Rick Harper said. “That’s the biggest part – mowing and getting the grass back down to where it should be. A lot of grass was dead, and we have to get it back growing again.”

Sandra Harper said they hope to add other outdoor activities to give the community somewhere to gather and have a good time.

“He did a lot of work and I think the golf course eventually is going to speak for itself. In the spring, it’ll be ready,” she said. “Our goal to is to bring the community out here, not only to golf, but to just have family reunions or picnics; we’re going to have volleyball, badminton and other games and then of course, we will have a snack bar, which will be set up in the spring with the usual things like hot dogs, nachos and of course, pepperoni rolls.”

Rick Harper said he plans on keeping things pretty much the same for now, but he has ideas for the future he hopes to implement if plans proceed smoothly. The Golden Bell Golf Course has a Facebook page with a phone number and email to contact the Harpers for information on events.