BUFFALO TWP — For siblings Ken and Maggie Waldron, there was nothing wrong with joining the family business.

In fact, it was part of who they were growing up.

The Waldrons are the owners of Buffalo Golf Course, along with their mother, Margaret, 82, who opened the course as a nine-hole course back in 1967 and 18 holes the following year.

As kids, the Waldrons were hooked.

Ken started running the business around 1990 and Maggie came along shortly thereafter.

“At Clarion University, I majored in economics,” said Mr. Waldron. “I knew what I wanted to do. I grew up cutting grass, working on the course. I love the golf course business. I love being outside.”

Maggie went to Carnegie Mellon University and would graduate from the University of Pittsburgh.

“She worked at other places but came back here,” her brother said. “We've both been here a long time.”

The love of the golf course traces back to Margaret and her husband Harold, who met at Pitt.

Margaret would become a chemist for Koppers while Harold — who passed away in 2003 — worked as an engineer for Mesta Machine, but they had a different calling.

“They wanted to run their own business,” their son explained. “So, Mom quit her job and they opened a par-3 course (in 1958), a little golf course where Day Chevrolet is (in Monroeville).

“The greens fees was sold out of the house, but then they wanted a regular-size course,” he added.

They sold the land to the car dealership and were seeking to find a level area in which to build a course. Using their experiences in their fields of study, they determined a spot off Route 28 would be ideal.

“The last section of Route 28 was supposed to be finished by 1969,” Waldron said. “The problem was it wasn't finished until 1985. They designed the golf course.

“When we were little kids, we all (including sister Laura, who lives in Philadelphia) grew up on that course. It was kind of fun. It was like growing up on a farm,” he added.

The construction of the course began in 1966 and the family has been working on making it better every year.

“They had enough foresight to put in irrigation,” Waldron said. “They knew they needed flat ground because people sliced and they walked.”

Through the years, the business hasn't changed in some regards.

“It's an everyday business from March to October,” Waldron said. “I open up for business every day of the week, though the ground crew comes in earlier.

“It's a small business, so some things don't get done. It's a lot of commitment on your part. It's so multifaceted but I still love it,” he added.

Plus, the unpredictable nature of weather is also a daily issue.

“The problem with the golf course business is that if there's a prediction of rain, people won't come,” Waldron said. “People play golf, but they demand better conditions.”

“With a public course, we want to get people in and out as fast as we can. It's hard for us to maintain it. It's not like we're closed on Mondays like some courses.”

Still, changes can affect the business, especially with the economy in flux.

“Statistics show there are less golfers now than in 2000, but more golf courses,” Waldron said. “The game of golf has changed quite a bit, especially when dealing with the weather and the economy.”

Still, the Waldrons are still there, every day, spring through fall — including Margaret, who still plays and walks the course — and Ken wouldn't have it any other way.

“Usually, I tell people what I do,” he says, “and they say, ‘Oh, that's my husband's dream.'”