LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. – Final preparations are underway as the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic tees off on Friday.
After a weekend of rain, how do the ground crews make sure the greens are pristine for the PGA Tour Champions and spectators, as the course is catapulted into the national spotlight?
69 News crews asked what the key is to perfect playing conditions. According to Director of Grounds John Chassard, it’s all about the course being firm and dry.
“It’s an old classic design, and it was designed with that in mind. It makes the golf course a little more interesting to play because you can play a variety of shots,” said Chassard.
The grounds team at Lehigh Country Club is at the top of their game as the country club gets ready for professional golf and the national attention that comes with it.
“To see it from that perspective is something we never did before, just already some of the coverage with drone shots on social media. I just think the place presents itself very well,” said Chassard.
So how is this prep work different? Other than a little more mowing, it is all about keeping up with what they do every day.
“It is really just condensing the preparation into a short period of time to get out there early in the morning and get it all done before the golfers get out there,” he said.
Here is the ground prep by the numbers:
“I have 25 to 30 people on my crew, and we have another 40 to 45 volunteers we have gathered from area golf courses from Philly, Delaware, and New Jersey,” he said.
As for the weather, the wet weekend made for some extra work this week.
“We had wind, we had debris, there was a lot of cleanup, a lot of branches, we had a big tree go down, so that obviously adds into it a little more,” he explained.
Now, the course is drying out, and the excitement is building for the weekend.