The golf course architect firm of Rees Jones—who originally designed the course—returns to Berks County, Pa. to manage the process as area native Zach Halvonik assumes the role of the club’s Head Golf Professional. Alan FitzGerald, the only course superintendent LedgeRock has ever had, will oversee the effort using in-house construction crews.
A pair of golf experts are teaming up to lead one of Berks County, Pa.’s private golf clubs through its first major renovation, WFMZ 69 News out of Allentown/Reading, Pa. reported. LedgeRock Golf Club in Cumru Township, Pa. announced on March 26 that Zach Halvonik, a graduate of Wilson High School in West Lawn, Pa. outside of Reading, has returned to assume the role of the club’s Head Golf Professional.
“I caddied at LedgeRock a few times when I was in middle school. Back then, I never realized I would be leading the LedgeRock golf operation one day,” said Halvonik, who previously served in the same role at Bristol Harbour Lodge & Golf Club in Canandaigua, N.Y.
Halvonik and his team will be joined by the golf course architect firm of Rees Jones, who designed the original course, taking LedgeRock through its first major course renovation since it opened for play in 2006, according to the WFMZ 69 News report. They’ll begin this year by focusing their attention on two holes—the downhill, par-3 10th and the uphill, par-4 17th—with plans to adjust other holes going forward. Alan FitzGerald, the only course superintendent LedgeRock has ever had, will oversee the effort using in-house construction crews.
“Every golf course needs to be reevaluated from time to time,” Jones said. “At 17, we are taking out the cross bunker to make the hole more playable for every caliber player. On hole # 10, we are building more tee locations to create more shot variety on a daily basis.”
The 10th will be equipped with an array of new tee locations, allowing the hole to play from as many as six new angles and elevations, WFMZ 69 News reported. Jones’ design associate, Bryce Swanson, will direct the renovation on site.
“The club deserves credit for taking the initiative here,” Swanson said. “They’ve demonstrated a real sophisticated vision for LedgeRock. We relish the opportunity to complete that vision with the renovation of these two holes.”
LedgeRock’s leaders said their forward thinking has allowed the club to thrive and carry forward such projects, while others have been forced to close or go public, WFMZ 69 News reported. In Berks County, a dozen golf properties have closed over the past decade, according to Gerry Heller, LedgeRock’s General Manager.
“Two quite prominent private clubs in Harrisburg, Pa. also closed their doors recently, and a number of those players have come to play their golf here,” said Heller, who joined LedgeRock in 2017. “I could cite a dozen similar examples. It’s terrible to see all these closures, but it has helped us evolve and grow as a club, strategically.”
“The club has adjusted to what is a new, broader market,” Halvonik added. “One that really extends past Harrisburg, north of Reading, south to Lancaster and all the way into the western Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia.”
Being a golf-only club has helped LedgeRock to distinguish itself, added Heller, who arrived in 2017 from Philmont Country Club, outside Philadelphia. “We have no tennis courts or swimming pools here,” he noted. “It’s a very lively, social place but our members are here for their golf. They’re devoted to it. I’ve worked at elite clubs all over the country, but I’ve never seen a [golf] Learning Center double as such a social hub.”
Designed in a carriage-house style by the architects at Blackney Hayes, the LedgeRock Learning Center was among the first to offer state-of-the-art swing analysis and indoor hitting bays that deploy FlightScope, Boditrak and K-Vest technologies. There’s a dedicated instruction studio, an indoor putting and chipping green, and an array of fitting systems for clubs.
The complex, which also serves the club’s oversized outdoor range/practice facility, is centered around a great room with adjoining patio and fire pit. With its own food-and-beverage capability, plus commanding views of the 13th and 14th holes, LedgeRock’s Learning Center has also proved to be a popular venue for corporate meetings.
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