BERNARDSTON — Heading to the course, four longtime golfing companions perched their bags, all stuffed with clubs, on the back of two electric carts.
“You could take a nap in these seats!” exclaimed Scott Lamagna, of Springfield, as he sat down behind the wheel.
Lamagna, along with Glen Robitaille and Charlie Hill, also of Springfield, and Tim Wood of Ludlow, attended the Crumpin-Fox Club’s open house Friday to see the property’s million-dollar renovations and improvements, which included a new fleet of electric carts featuring GPS.
All but Hill had been coming to the Crumpin-Fox Club usually twice per year for over 10 years, and commented on the gorgeous look of the course.
“It’s a pilgrimage to come up here,” Lamagna said. “But it’s well worth the trip.”
According to Crumpin-Fox Club’s Director of Golf John Jackson, the open house, held Friday and today, was intended to showcase the improvements, which include installing a new deck off the clubhouse; adding sod to improve areas around the greens; adding new golf cart paths; installing a pavilion; and removing trees that had interfered with golfers’ games.
Tim Van Epps, CEO of Sandri Companies, which owns Crumpin-Fox, said the past nine months of renovations are just the beginning of a five-year plan. Future improvements, he said, will focus on the tee boxes, bunkers, irrigation system and continuing to thin out trees.
The goal, Van Epps said, is to make Crumpin-Fox one of the top 100 golf courses in the country within those five years. Still, marking all the progress that’s been made thus far is a fantastic feeling, he said.
“The folks who’ve played this course since day one have said the conditions are better today than they’ve ever been,” Van Epps said Friday while greeting golfers. “That brings a huge smile to my face.”
The open house also attracted some special guests, like Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash, with whom Van Epps had shared his vision for the course.
“It’s better than what I heard was going to be pledged,” Ash observed.
By improving the player experience and eventually bringing tournaments back to Crumpin-Fox, thus potentially attracting national players, Ash is hopeful to see Crumpin-Fox play a role in developing the economy and increasing tourism.
“I know how critically important golf is to the Massachusetts tourism industry,” he said.
Players, too, were impressed, whether it be by the new carts or the course itself.
Bill Johnson of Westfield, Josh McComb of Montague and Joe Hutchinson of Greenfield, coworkers at SWM, attended in celebration of Hutchinson’s 30th birthday Friday. The three said they appreciated the beautiful landscape, and noted how the tree removal made the course more fun, but still challenging.
The open house will continue Saturday, and special rates apply. It is $50 per person to play 18 holes with a golf cart before noon, $35 per person after noon, and children 12 and under play for free if accompanied by an adult. There will also be sales, with 20 percent off apparel and up to 50 percent off clearance items.
Reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 257