Submitted Photo The Vineyards Golf Course is once again an 18-hole golf course open to the public. Owner Debbie Mancuso and general manager Jason Goss operate the golf course in Fredonia.

Let’s take a little stroll through time, shall we?

Seven years ago, the first golf course I ever played was what is now the north side of The Vineyards Golf Course (more on that later). I still remember my first shot ever. It was, of course, a slice off the tee that ended up over by a water pipe between the first and second fairways. Terrible shot? You bet, but it was that day that forever cemented my love for the sport of golf.

Fast-forward to last year, when the number one question I received was something to the effect of, “What’s going on with The Vineyards?” Until late in the season, I honestly had no idea what was going on. The north side of Berry Road in Fredonia was abandoned. The fairways and greens were growing over. It was enough to make a grown man cry…assuming that grown man had unrealistic sentiment towards the golf course.

Fast-forward once again to present day and we have some answers.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our 18-hole course back!

The Vineyards Golf Course was an 18-hole course from 1957 until the early 2000s, when the course was broken up into two nine-holes courses. Last year, each course was sold individually. Rumors swirled of the north side being turned over and the course becoming a distant memory. Thankfully for all local golfers, Debbie Mancuso stepped in and saved the day.

Mancuso, herself an avid golfer, originally purchased just the south side. Knowing the love that existed for the course, however, she jumped through endless hoops to finally acquire the north side as well.

Mancuso then brought in Jason Goss to serve as general manager of the course. Goss has brought his own passion for the sport to The Vineyards and the two seem to make a great team.

“I’m just learning as I go,” Goss said with a laugh when asked about his experience running a course prior to this gig. “I’ve worked in management at both Home Depot and WalMart, so I’ve had some management experience. I’ve also run a lot of tournaments. This year will be the 19th year of my dad’s tournament – the Randy Goss Memorial. I’ve also run some tournaments for the Vet’s Club.”

Goss is quick to point to all the advice he’s received by people with more experience in the field.

“There are a lot of salespeople who have been a big help,” he noted. “Some of the other local courses have reached out and we’ve talked to them. Warren and Scott are our grounds crew. They’ve worked here for years and have stuck around. Tommy and Bobby were on the north side for several years. Between those guys there is a ton of knowledge.”

The work that needs to be done to a golf course never really ends, but Goss and his staff have been busy in the one-plus year that they’ve been running the show.

“We are working on drainage on the back nine,” he said. “We already did a lot, but we continue to work on it. I just checked on it and it looks like it’s working great. The front nine has a drainage issue that we’re addressing just off of the first fairway. We have a list of things, for sure.”

While there may be some initial confusion on logistics, Goss had kept things about as simple as can be. Golfers will come to the clubhouse on the north side to check in. They’ll have the option to play the full 18 holes starting with No. 1 on that north side. Golfers only wanting to play nine holes can choose to play either the north side or the south side.

The building on the south side where golfers previously checked in is being converted to a work area for taking care of mowers, carts, etc. – a change that golfers might not immediately appreciate, but should actually go a long way towards improving the course conditions.

“We’re just a local, friendly, 18-hole public course,” Goss concluded. “We’re close to Dunkirk and Fredonia. It’s for all types of golfers. There are challenging holes. There are some long holes. If you’re a new golfer or an everyday golfer, you can still come out here and have fun.”

The Vineyards Golf Course has a very active Facebook page for golfers looking to stay up-to-date with course conditions, tournaments, leagues or other news.

As always, golf is great. Go get some.

Stefan Gestwicki is an OBSERVER contributing writer. Comments on this article can be sent to golfersdiary@gmail.com.