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Golf patrons to enjoy beer, wine
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
Patrons of Mill Creek Golf Course will be able to enjoy a little something extra when the links open for business next spring.
After a year of filing paperwork, Barry Dyngles Restaurant, in the course’s fieldhouse, will be able to sell beer and wine, said Tom Bresko, MetroParks interim executive director.
Bresko said Barry Dyngles opened a site in the facility in March 2010, and with board approval, the process to obtain a liquor license began.
“There’s always been a desire to provide this kind of service to our golfers,” he said. “We thought it would be simple, and we sent in our application on behalf of the park.”
Though the interest in selling beer on the course has always been there, Bresko said it wasn’t a possibility until 2002 when state legislation was passed allowing park districts to obtain liquor permits.
Bresko said about eight weeks after the application was filed, the Division of Liquor Control and the Ohio Liquor Commission informed him of several legal prerequisites needed to complete the process, including running an advertisement request to purchase an existing permit.
“There were no offers to sell a permit to us, and that finally freed us up,” he said.
On Oct. 13, Bresko went before the Ohio Liquor Commission to discuss the park district’s application.
He said the issue was never a matter of legality; it was that no one in the park district was familiar with the permit process.
Bresko said all that’s left is for the commission to request payment for the permit from Barry Dyngles. It should be issued within 30 days.
“We were in there for a matter of five minutes,” he said. “We won’t be able to use it for this golf season, but it will definitely be ready for next spring.”
He said though the permit will be issued to the restaurant, it will transfer to the park district if Barry Dyngles ever moves from that location.
Dennis Miller, director of golf for the MetroParks, said having the permit issue sorted out opens the door for an increase in business for the course and for Barry Dyngles.
“I think it’s another amenity to offer to our customers. ... It’s difficult to attract leagues and large groups without it,” he said. “Providing beer and wine will definitely bring more money and more rounds of golf to our facility.”
Cliff Mortimer, restaurant owner and partner, said he’s excited about what the liquor permit could mean for the golf course.
“So many guys come in and just want to have a beer,” he said. “I think being full-service is a very necessary part of being successful.”
Miller said the contract with Barry Dyngles is annual, and in 2010, the restaurant paid $12,000 to the park in monthly rent and fees. He said they’re happy to renegotiate a new contract for the 2011 season.
“What they specialize in, barbecue, works well with golfers,” he said. “They have a good reputation, and in our first year with them, we were very happy.”