Konsinskys put Kenduskeag Valley GC up for sale

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When Ed and Lucille Koncinsky bought Kenduskeag Valley Golf Course in 1978, he was taking early retirement from one job.

Now they’re both planning for their second retirements as they have the nine-hole golf course up for sale.

“It’s mostly because of our age,” said Lucille Koncinsky. “We’re in our 70s and 80s now. It’s time for us to relax.”

She was a secretary at an elementary school in Connecticut before they moved to Maine, and she took a similar job at Central High School in Corinth before retiring in 1992.

“It sounds strange retiring from a five-day-a-week job to a seven-day-a-week job, almost 24 hours a day,” she said.

Retirement is one reason for selling, but it’s not the only one.

“What really pushed us over was when our granddaughter died,” Koncinsky said.

Brianna Koncinsky, 6, died of cancer in August 2000.

“She grew up here, she was with us all the time,” said Koncinsky. “It’s not the same without her.

“It knocked the stuffings right out of us.”

They’re in no rush to sell. If it doesn’t sell this year, they’ll keep trying until it does.

Lucille Koncinsky said, “No one will be kicking us out of our house [if it doesn’t sell].”

Speaking of the house, that’s included in the sale, along with all of the equipment, the outbuildings, and 78 additional acres of land. That piece of land includes 800 feet of frontage on Route 15.

Their asking price is $549,000.

There is enough room in those 78 acres to build another nine holes, but Koncinsky said other business options are also possible.

The Koncinskys, who plan to stay in the area after the sale, have advertised that the property was for sale in the NEWS, the Boston Globe, and the Portland Press Herald.

“We’ve had several bites, but no swallows yet,” she said.

While Lucille Koncinsky couldn’t say off the top of her head how many rounds a year are played at Kenduskeag Valley, she does have another indicator of how well things have turned out there.

“It’s amazing how many people from Kenduskeag play golf now,” she said. “When we started, I think there were two. Now it’s 40 to 50, at least.”

One reason, Lucille feels, is because their prices remained low.

“We kept it that way because we knew we’d never be millionaires,” she said. “We decided to make it affordable for anybody to play here.”

According to Koncinsky, players come from many towns in the Kenduskeag area and outside it.

“We get people from Dexter, Guilford, Orono, Old Town, Brewer, Alton, Lincoln. And they’re regulars, not just people who drop in,” said Koncinsky.

Current prices are $12 for 18 holes, $8 for nine. Both are a dollar more on the weekend.

“Seniors get an even better deal,” she said.

It was an ad in the Globe that led to the Koncinskys’ purchase of Kenduskeag Valley Golf Course from the Girvan family, who built the course in 1958. Ironically, the Koncinskys’ daughter Karen married Bob Girvan II.

“It took a while to get people to trust us, that we weren’t a fly-by-night operation,” she said. “We worked at it and it paid off.”

Golf Hall of Fame sets tourney

The Maine Golf Hall of Fame will be hosting its Tournament of Club Champions on Sept. 22 at Sable Oaks Golf Course in South Portland.

Men’s and women’s champions from all clubs in Maine are eligible to participate.

The 18-hole stroke play event begins at 1 p.m.

For more information, call 799-0983.

Hall nominations being taken

The Maine Golf Hall of Fame is also accepting nominations for next year’s induction ceremony.

The deadline for nominations is Dec. 1. Forms are available at golf clubs or may be requested by calling 799-0983.

Dave Barber is the NEWS golf writer. The Golf scene will appear each Wednesday through September. He can be reached at 990-8170 or by e-mail at dbarber@bangordailynews.net.