Bedford Springs, Pa. – July 13, 2007 – Retracing the footsteps of three revolutionary American golf course architects, the restored Bedford Springs Old Course has been unveiled, a highlight of the grand opening celebration at Bedford Springs Resort, the historic and meticulously restored Pennsylvania landmark.
The Bedford Springs Old Course has evolved through original contributions by three forefathers of American golf course design:
Spencer Oldham (1895), A.W. Tillinghast (1912) and Donald Ross (1923). Select golf holes at Bedford Springs are thought to be some of the first golf holes installed in America.
"Although we have created a new course, we were able to blend the vision of the past with the technology of today," said golf course architect Ron Forse, who directed the Old Course restoration project.
"It is really gratifying to see how the golf course has turned out.
It already looks mature, with the wetlands growing in beautifully."
In celebration of the golf course unveiling, ceremonial tee shots were taken in unison on the first hole by Michael Fay, Executive Director of the Donald Ross Society, John Yerger of the A.W.
Tillinghast Association, as well as Forse, of Forse Design Inc., the Hopwood, Pa., firm renowned for restoring classic golf courses.
Also among the guests from around the world on hand for the ceremonies were representatives of Bedford Resort Partners Ltd., owners and developers of Bedford Springs Resort; Benchmark Hospitality International; and community officials.
"The return of this remarkable golf course is a result of years of planning, persistence and our commitment to the preservation of the history at Bedford Springs Resort," said Keith Evans, Managing Partner, Bedford Resort Partners Ltd. "The Old Course is integral to the past, the present and the future of Bedford Springs Resort."
This unique and historic collaboration of golf holes stretches across the foot of the Allegheny Mountains along Shobers Run creek, a tributary of the Juniata River, weaving amid the 200-year-old oaks, serene meadows and marshes of picturesque Bedford Springs Valley.
"I’ve been to 145 Donald Ross golf courses, and the work done here is A-plus, one of the best I’ve ever seen," said Fay, after teeing off in plus fours and a Lindsay tartan cap, looking very much like Donald Ross might have looked over a century ago.
Benefiting from the golf industry’s 21st century technology and advanced turf management, the newly transformed golf links would surely satisfy the course’s original master architects. The par 72, which ranges from 5,050 to a maximum of 6,795 yards, features Bentgrass greens, fairways and tees, with rough consisting of bluegrass and fescue.
There are 11 routings that are Ross designs and four that remain from Tillinghast, whose lasting overall influence on the course is most evident at the 14th hole, named "Tiny Tim" – a remarkable downhill par 3 derived from a Tillinghast sketch that accompanied his famed writings in, "Gleanings From The Wayside."
Bedford Springs features deep bunkering and flared greens. Shobers Run comes into play and/or is in view throughout the front nine holes, as well as on holes 11, 14, 15 and 18. Despite some slightly hilly terrain, the golf course is conducive to walking.
Forse Design Inc., a golf course architectural firm of Hopwood, Penn., renowned for its work in preserving and restoring classic golf courses throughout the United States and Canada, directed the project.
LandStudies of Lititz, Lancaster County, Pa., a specialist in watershed restoration, restored more than a mile of Shobers Run stream channel and floodplain. Also restored was an important tributary leading into the stream, providing an ideal native trout habitat.
A third Pennsylvania-based firm, Frontier Golf of Jones Mills, was the construction contractor and is one of the country’s most trusted course renovation specialists.
The Old Course is open to the public, with preferred tee times reserved for resort guests. Green fees range from $110 to $135; twilight rates are also available. For information about the Bedford Springs Old Course and for tee times, access www.bedfordspringsresort.com or call (866) 623-8168.
Close to the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 70, the resort is a convenient two-hour drive from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., 90 minutes from Pittsburgh, three hours from Philadelphia and four hours from New York City. Bedford Springs Resort is just 129 miles from Pittsburgh International Airport and
113 miles from Harrisburg International Airport. Bedford County Airport offers a 5,000-foot runway and can accommodate a wide array of private aircraft.
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Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd., is the owner and developer of the Bedford Springs Resort project. The partners include The Ferchill Group of Cleveland, Ohio, a real estate development company that specializes in historic rehabilitation projects, Chevron TCI, Inc., a leading investor in tax credit rehabilitation projects in the United States and The Bedford Springs Company, LLC.
Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, operates resorts, conference centers, hotels and condominium resorts both domestically and internationally. For locations of Benchmark Hospitality properties and for additional information, visit Benchmark’s web site at www.benchmarkhospitality.com .
Contact:
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations – East
908/876-5100
908/963-6013 (cell)
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
www.hunter-pr.com
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