Congratulations to Dick Bryan for his first hole in one, made Dec. 21 on the 129-yard par three fifth hole at Rehoboth Beach Country Club. Bryan said he used a seven iron because a 10 mph wind blew in his face and created a virtual 139-yard challenge.
Equally avid local golfers Bob Viscount and Bob Gough witnessed his triumph. The Lewes real estate broker described the experience as a nice early gift to himself.
Golf course maintenance
Golf course maintenance projects are a recurring topic for this column in January.
It provides an opportunity to remind Cape Region golfers that keeping their favorite acres playable requires a dedicated year-round effort, even if snow or ice temporarily close the courses during the off-season.
The challenge is even more daunting in better weather. The annual number of rounds played has increased dramatically at every Cape Region golf course since the pandemic. It’s the same story at many locations throughout the United States, regardless of their status as publicly owned, public access or private.
The national average of rounds played ranges from 25,000 to 30,000 annually, according to various internet sources. That number comes with a high degree of variability depending on the course, weather conditions and location.
In the Cape Region, local courses often host more than 200 players on sunny, pleasant days during late spring and early fall. That number goes even higher during the midsummer tourist season.
Keeping up with grass cutting, bunkers and unexpected emergencies like a broken irrigation pipe is hard enough, but even more so when dozens of golfers are playing the course at the same time.
Last June, I had an extended interview with Bill Leedom, the superintendent at the Seaview Resort, host for the ShopRite LPGA Classic. The South Jersey property features two layouts, the Pines and the better-known Bay Course, where the ShopRite is held.
Our conversation touched on nearly every element of what it takes for greenskeepers to maintain busy golf courses. Leedom’s comments often matched almost word for word what Cape Region superintendents have told me about their experiences.
The two Seaview courses also share some common design elements and therefore similar maintenance challenges with Cape Region layouts.
The Bay Course sits next to Reeds Bay, like Rehoboth Beach Country Club and Kings Creek Country Club along Rehoboth Bay, as well as Cripple Creek Country Club and The Peninsula Golf & Country Club next to Indian River Bay. The Pines Course shares tree-related similarities with Mulligan’s Pointe Golf Club near Georgetown, as well as Southern Delaware Golf Club in Milton and Peninsula Lakes in Millsboro.
For this series, I will intersperse Leedom’s interview with parallel elements from the local experience.
Introduction
Leedom is 34 and just completed two years as the superintendent of Seaview Resort.
“I’m originally from Bensalem [Pa]. I started doing grass work with my family when I was 14. My dad encouraged me because I liked it,” he said.
He later worked at a nine-hole course in the Poconos for an internship and returned home.
“I reached out to courses in the area. Philmont reached back out so I started with them. I got my feet wet as an assistant in training and learned the ropes,” Leedom said.
Philmont ran into financial difficulties, so his old boss recommended Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he found a spot.
“I did whatever I was told to do. If I do my job, opportunities usually open up,” he said.
Leedom spent 30 months at the Cricket Club.
“I learned a lot of the details of what it takes to separate the bottom-level clubs from the top-tier clubs,” he said.
Seeking advancement, Leedom contacted Fieldstone in north Wilmington.
“The super was Greg Eisner. I hadn’t met him before. He was coming from Ferry Point in New York, where he oversaw the grow-in there. He came to Fieldstone in April 2017. I began there at the end of May 2017. I came to Seaview January 2024,” he said.
“Fieldstone is a Troon property and so is Seaview. I like working for Troon. The resources you get I really enjoy,” Leedom said.
The 2025 ShopRite was his second LPGA tournament.
“We have a lot of other events such as American Junior Golf Association tournaments along with outings and other tournaments,” Leedom said. “Seaview is a golf factory, and that’s a good thing.”
Leedom estimated the resort’s number of rounds to be 30,000 to 35,000 each per year.
“The Pines [course] closes in mid-November and doesn’t reopen until early April,” he said. “The Bay course is open all year. During the off-season, the majority of our rounds is almost all member play, if it’s nice. We don’t get the resort golf at those times because it’s brutal out there in the winter.”
Leedom’s comments about his wintertime schedule matched what every Cape Region superintendent has told me.
“We keep everything as best as we can. By November, I go from keeping grass alive to project work. I set up projects and pick at them,” he said.
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Fritz Schranck has been writing about the Cape Region's golf community since 1999. Snippets, stories and anecdotes from his columns are included in his new book, "Hole By Hole: Golf Stories from Delaware's Cape Region and Beyond," which is available at the Cape Gazette offices, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Biblion Books in Lewes, and local golf courses. His columns and book reviews are available at HoleByHole.com.
Contact Fritz by emailing fschranck@holebyhole.com.
