SLIPPERY ROCK— Oakview Golf Club is getting a new look from an old pro.

Jesse Horner, 46, a Butler resident and the head golf professional at Olde Stonewall Golf Course in Ellwood City for 11 years, is joining Oakview as its general manager and third partner.

Horner is joining Darrin Coulson and Joel Adams as owners of the Oakview facility. He will take up his new duties Oct. 1.

"My golf season at Olde Stonewall is winding down and I need to fulfill my commitment to the people here before I can move on,"Horner said.

"Just the same, the chance to become a partner at a place like Oakview is something I can't pass up."

Horner will run the golf course on a daily basis.

"Darrin and Joel are very successful in business and have a lot of other entities they're involved with,"Horner said. "My expertise is in golf and that's why I'm here."

Coulson said the golf course needs someone like Horner to come in "so it can take the next step."

"Since May, I've been here (Oakview) seven days a week and I got the course back to its grassroots,"Coulson said. "We're getting there.

"Jesse will be there eight days a week and it's exciting for him. He'll be running the entire business, not just the golf business. But he's still a teaching professional and we don't have a teaching pro here, so he's a nice addition that way, too."

Olde Stonewall has been rated among the top 20 public golf courses in the world by Golf Digest. Sean Swidzinski, another Butler resident, has been Horner's assistant pro for the past few years.

"Sean may be in line to replace me at Olde Stonewall," Horner said. "He could be head pro at a lot of places. He's very qualified.

"Sean will be an asset wherever he winds up. Will I get him at Oakview?I don't know if I'll have that kind of budget so I could afford him.

"My only goal is to take an already fine facility and make it better."

Horner formerly worked as an assistant pro at Sewickley Heights, where he met Adams, who was a member there. The two have been friends for years.

Horner said Coulson and Adams have been talking about him coming on board at Oakview as a third partner since spring.

"As much as I love it at Olde Stonewall, my chances of ever becoming a partner there are slim and none,"Horner said.

"Oakview has a good staff in place. They just need some leadership and direction. And after 11 years, I'm ready for a new challenge," he added.

"Jesse's addition is perfect for us right now,"Coulson said. "Golf is what he knows and we're going to let him do his thing."