The nonprofit that runs Pittsburgh's only golf course is laying out plans to modernize the century-old Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park, with electric golf carts, a reimagined practice area, and a roughly $10 million wish list that organizers say won't cost the city a dime.
First Tee – Pittsburgh president and CEO Eric Amato said the organization wants to build on decades of youth programming by bringing more kids from community youth-serving agencies to the course, according to WTAE. The nonprofit has worked since 2001 to help children and teenagers access golf at low cost, and it operates the nine-hole course under a $1-a-year municipal lease with the City of Pittsburgh that runs through 2035, with an option to extend to 2045, according to PublicSource.
Golf play at the Schenley Park site dates back to 1897, when it became one of the nation's earliest municipal courses, and it remains the only public or private golf course within Pittsburgh city limits, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The course was renamed in 2007 to honor former Mayor Bob O'Connor, an avid golfer and one-time city council member who championed First Tee's role at the site before he died in office in 2006, per the Bob O'Connor Golf Course.
Electric Carts and a New Practice Area
Among the changes First Tee is exploring is adding electric golf carts to the nine-hole course. Amato said carts are important for sustainability, success and accessibility, and that they can help people play longer on Pittsburgh's hilly terrain, per WTAE. He added that the carts would open access to people who wouldn't normally play golf, a point that dovetails with First Tee's partnerships with Special Olympics and other youth-serving agencies.
The organization is also exploring using the current course footprint to create a full-swing performance area rather than a conventional driving range, the station reports. That shift followed pushback from Friends of Schenley Park, a local volunteer group that raised objections in May over early proposals for a 300-yard driving range, citing potential noise, light pollution and the loss of quiet green space, according to TribLIVE. Residents reportedly worried about high netting and the sound of titanium drivers in a dense urban park.
A $10 Million Price Tag, Funded Without City Money
First Tee – Pittsburgh leaders estimate the broader renovation will cost roughly $10 million, including about $2 million to replace the course's aging irrigation system, per PublicSource. The organization is asking the community for support and donations to make the project possible and says it will not ask the city for money.
The 2021 opening of the $6.4 million Arnold Palmer Learning Center offers a preview of how First Tee funds big projects at the site. The 13,000-to-15,000-square-foot facility, which replaced the course's century-old original clubhouse, added indoor golf simulators, classrooms and community rental spaces, according to the City of Pittsburgh.
Preservation Concerns Shadow the Plans
Schenley Park spans 456 acres created from an 1889 land donation by heiress Mary Schenley and carries designations on both the National Register of Historic Places and as a Pittsburgh historic landmark, per PublicSource. Any changes to the golf course must be weighed against those historic and environmental protections covering the 127-year-old park.
Friends of Schenley Park has pressed the issue further, submitting formal letters in April and June to Pittsburgh municipal department heads requesting structured public involvement in any future city lease renegotiations with First Tee, according to the group's own account on its website. The group has argued that major changes to the course affect general park users beyond golfers alone.
The course's civic footprint extends well past daily play. It also hosts the annual Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix International Car Show, which displays nearly 3,000 vintage and exotic cars across the fairways each summer as part of one of the largest vintage motorsport events in the country, according to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
A Regional Youth Program at Stake
Since its founding in 2001, First Tee – Pittsburgh has served more than 40,000 youth across six Western Pennsylvania counties, including 1,743 participants in 2025 alone, according to the nonprofit's own report. The program offers low-cost golf and life-skills instruction to children ages 5 to 18, underscoring what's at stake as the organization tries to balance expansion with the concerns of neighbors who share the historic park.
