106-acre Chester County public golf course is becoming a public park

A deal several years in the making will preserve the 106-acre Loch Nairn Golf Club in southern Chester County and formally open it in 2024 as a park with miles of trails that will follow existing cart paths.

New Garden Township closed on a $1.42 million sale of the course Wednesday with help from state, county, and private funding. Natural Lands, a large land trust, will help craft a plan for the park to fit with the bucolic, agricultural vibe of the area. The land, however, is now open to the public.

The Smedley family, which long owned the course and sold it for less than the appraised value, will keep the Farmhouse, a restaurant operating at the site in the Avondale section of the township.

Officials say the course will be converted into a “passive-recreation park” for walking, running, and biking but won’t contain ball fields or other amenities. They say preserving the land from development will help local stream water quality, absorb flooding, and benefit the environment overall. A tributary to White Clay Creek runs through the property.

“Had this land not been purchased by New Garden Township, it’s very likely it would have become a 90-unit housing development,” Todd Sampsell, vice president of conservation for Natural Lands, said in a news release.

David Unger, a New Garden Township supervisor, thanked the partners for help buying the land.

“Surrounded by farmland in adjoining townships, visitors to the park will be able to witness the cycle of agriculture throughout the year that keeps southern Chester County connected to its past,” Unger said.

He also thanked the Smedley family for selling the land to the township, instead of a developer.

H.C. Smedley opened the Loch Nairn Golf Club in 1979. His son, Chris, will retain ownership of the Farmhouse restaurant.

“It’s the family’s sincere hope that the community will be able to continue to enjoy the property’s beauty and tranquillity in its new form as a community park,” Chris Smedley said. “Loch Nairn was a huge part of our lives. We look forward to this new chapter and will have a continued presence at our restaurant.”

Natural Lands said its master plan will include planting native trees along the stream as part of flood control and also in place of the course’s turf, which is hard and creates runoff that floods nearby roads and basements.

The township will not allow golfing, such as driving balls, at the site. A new parking lot is expected to be complete next year.

The township purchased the property with money from the following grants, which also cover additional costs associated with the sale.

Natural Lands served as New Garden Township’s consultant and prepared the grant applications.