Hershey Golf Club to be Remodeled

In early October, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company announced a comprehensive renovation of Hershey Golf Club. The project involves building a new clubhouse, swimming pool and year-round pavilion. The project will begin this fall and is due for completion by April 2006. Company officials estimate the renovation will cost approximately $18 million.

The existing clubhouse will be torn down and replaced with a 43,000 square-foot building. The top floor of the new clubhouse will feature a ballroom that will accommodate as many as 250 guests and a club dining room that will seat 150. A new pro shop will highlight the golf course level, and it will be joined by men’s and women’s locker rooms, a fitness center. Also to be constructed is the Hogan Grill, a casual dining venue named after Ben Hogan, who served as Hershey’s club professional for 10 years in the 1940s. A new practice putting green will be built adjacent to the Hogan Grill. The lower floor’s hallways will feature historical displays and photographs, a tribute to the rich history of golf in Hershey.

The renovation’s first phase calls for a new swimming pool to be built at the existing tennis complex. The new pool is due to be completed by Memorial Day weekend 2005. It will include 31,000 square feet of deck space and a six-lane Junior Olympic swimming pool. Other features include a splash area for toddlers, a kids’ game room, outdoor play area, shaded seating, and a snack bar with poolside service.

A 6,500-square-foot entertainment pavilion overlooking the finishing holes of both the East and West Courses will be erected in the second phase. Boasting nice vistas, the all-season pavilion will be able to accommodate more than 250 guests.

The new, two-story clubhouse is the centerpiece of the renovation’s second phase. While the existing structure will be demolished, the foundation will be preserved and Pennsylvania stone and bedrock will be used in the new clubhouse.

“History and tradition play a major role in all that we do at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts. We are honored to announce this significant project, which will allow us to continue the excellence and tradition that is connected with golf and Hershey,” said Scott J. Newkam, CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company.

In keeping with the tradition of Milton S. Hershey and his vision for a country club almost 75 years ago, officials at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts have decided to return to the name Hershey Country Club.

“We intend to carry Mr. Hershey’s vision into the future with the new Hershey Country Club by offering our members a unique lifestyle experience,” said Renee Holloman, the club’s GM. Holloman, who was appointed to the position in August, brings more than 10 years of hospitality experience to the club.

Member privileges include a personalized concierge service that will handle reservations and arrangements, and coordinate premiere services for members, which include special access and pricing throughout many of the Hershey Entertainment & Resorts entities, such as the dining, spa, entertainment and hospitality venues.

Atwood Architects in Charlottesville, Va., was hired to design the new clubhouse. The firm has been involved with numerous golf and resort projects, including Colonial Williamsburg and the Virginia State Golf Association Foundation.

Hershey – the so-called “Golf Capital of Pennsylvania” – features 36 holes of golf on the East and West Courses of Hershey Country Club, which hosts the Nationwide Tour’s annual Reese’s Cup Classic. Additionally, 18 holes are open to the public at Parkview Golf Course and nine holes at Spring Creek Golf Course, which was designed primarily for junior golfers. The Hotel Hershey and Hershey Lodge and Convention Center offer 900 guest rooms, more than 120,000 square feet of meeting space, and the European-style spa at The Hotel Hershey.

In addition to Hershey Country Club, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company owns and operates Hersheypark, ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park, The Hotel Hershey, Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey Nursery, Hershey Laundry and the Hershey Bears a team in the American Hockey League.

Hershey, Pa., is also known as “The Sweetest Place On Earth.” The year-round destination was rated as a top family vacation spot by Smart Money and Family Fun magazines and was included in the 2003 Reader Survey, World’s Best Golf Resorts, by T&L Golf. Located in Central Pennsylvania, Hershey is three hours from New York City, two hours from Philadelphia, and 90 minutes from the Washington/Baltimore metro area.

For more information or a tee time, visit www.hersheypa.com/accommodations/golf_hershey or call 800-HERSHEY.