Hershey Country Club's West Course to be Renovated

The West Course at Hershey Country Club (Pa.) will undergo a complete restoration renovation this fall. Designed by Maurice McCarthy and opened in 1930, the West Course remodel will be overseen by Lester George of Richmond, Va. The revitalized course is slated to reopen in spring 2010.

"We are excited to begin planning for what is the first complete renovation in the history of the West Course," said Ned Graff, Director of Golf at Hershey Country Club. "Our focus is to preserve and honor the legacy of the West Course. We want to be great caretakers of its legacy."

George has an outstanding track record of renovating older golf courses. Virtually each area of the West Course will be upgraded. The project involves modernizing drainage and irrigation systems, and elevating the soil and turfgrass quality to USGA standards. There will be a total redesign of four holes - Nos. 8 and 9 on the front and Nos. 16 and 18 on the back - as well as new bunkering on each hole.

"Preserving the personality of an established golf course is an integral aspect of our designs," said George, who conducted the restoration of the Old White Course at the Greenbrier. "The modernization of Hershey's West Course will result in improved playability and sustainability. I call it a 'resto-vation.' We will follow the footprint of Maurice McCarthy's best work and provide the qualities that were missing."

The West Course boasts considerable history. It hosted the PGA Championship in 1940, when Byron Nelson defeated Sam Snead 1-up in the finals of what then was a match-play event. The course has also hosted events on the PGA, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

"This is a special project," George said. "It is important to restore Hershey Country Club to its past prominence as a staple of championship golf."

The Hershey Golf Collection features 63 holes of golf - the West and East courses at Hershey Country Club, the newly added Hershey Links (formerly Wren Dale Golf Club) and the historic Spring Creek Golf Course. During renovation of the West Course, all three of the other courses will be open for play.