 The
Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 7, 2006 - Benchmark Hospitality International
has announced the appointment of David Swartzel as head golf course superintendent
for the historic Bedford Springs Resort. The landmark property near
Bedford, Pennsylvania, which dates to 1796 and has served seven US Presidents,
is engaged in a comprehensive restoration and expansion program.
Included in the restoration is the Donald Ross Course, which is scheduled
to reopen in June of 2007. Select golf holes at Bedford Springs date
to 1895 and are thought to be some of the first golf holes installed in
America. Greg French, vice president for Benchmark Hospitality, made
the announcement.
"I am pleased to welcome David Swartzel to Benchmark as the head golf
course superintendent at Bedford Springs Resort," said Mr. French.
"David brings solid experience in golf course management to this position,
having worked for top courses in Ohio and Pennsylvania."
As head golf course superintendent, Mr. Swartzel will oversee the construction
and restoration process for the circa 1923 Donald Ross Course at Bedford
Springs Resort.
Previously, David Swartzel was employed as head superintendent at the
renowned Philadelphia Cricket Club of Flourtown, Pennsylvania, for the
club's Hurdzan/Fry-designed Course completed in 2002. In this role,
he gained valuable experience in overseeing the construction, grow-in and
management of the all-important first years of operation, which he will
utilize in his new appointment at Bedford Springs Resort.
Swartzel originally joined the property as assistant golf course superintendent
for the 1922 Tillinghast-designed course that is in the Top 100, according
to Golf Digest. The historic facility hosted the United States Open
Championship in 1907 and 1910.
Mr. Swartzel worked previously for the Double Eagle Club in Galena,
Ohio, and later for the Tom Fazio-designed Sand Ridge Golf Club in Chardon,
Ohio. He is a graduate of Ohio State University, where he earned
a Bachelors degree in Agronomy, specializing in turf grass management,
with a minor in Agricultural Business and Applied Economics. He and
his family are relocating to Bedford Springs.
About Bedford Springs Resort
The historic Bedford Springs Resort, which dates to 1796, is undergoing
a comprehensive renovation and expansion program to create a 216-guestroom
Four Star-quality destination resort and conference facility. The
property is expected to reopen in the summer of 2007.
The National Historic Landmark resort has hosted such distinguished
guests as Aaron Burr, Daniel Webster, and seven US Presidents, including
James K. Polk, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ronald Reagan (while
Governor) and James Buchanan, who used Bedford Springs as his Summer White
House. In 1857 in the Grand Lobby, President Buchanan received the first
transatlantic cable from England's Queen Victoria.
A classic 'springs resort' with many of the original buildings and
architectural elements still in place, the restored and expanded Bedford
Springs Resort will feature the Crystal Room restaurant, a colonial frontier-style
tavern situated in the original stone building, over 19,000 square feet
of meeting and event space with pre-function areas to accommodate a wide
variety of groups, a restored 1905 swimming pool and solarium �
one of the first in America, and the new spa complex. The spa
complex will total 30,000 square feet and have a full range of treatments
designed around the seven unique springs that are part of the property
and the history of the resort. There will also be a fitness area and a
full service salon.
Outdoor amenities will include the restoration of the Donald Ross 18-hole
golf course and a new pro shop. Ross, widely considered the father
of American golf course architecture, re-designed the existing course in
1923 and added his signature features, such as small greens, serpentine
bunkers, 'doughnut' bunkers, false fronts on greens and more. Also,
the resort will offer three tennis courts, an outdoor pool and spa with
sun decks, a snack bar, miles of hiking trails covering the surrounding
2,000 acres of natural wooded landscape, a mountain biking program, and
a Kids Camp program.
Additional activities and amenities are an historic outdoor wedding
grotto, spa garden, an outdoor pavilion on Red Oak Lake, fly fishing streams,
river rafting, carriage rides and day excursions, and cross country skiing
in season.
Situated on 2000 acres just outside the charming borough of Bedford
in south central Pennsylvania, the Bedford Springs Resort is located on
Highway 220, three miles south of Exit 146 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Close to the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 70,
the resort is a convenient two-hour drive from Baltimore, Washington, DC,
and Pittsburgh, and two and one half hours from Philadelphia and four hours
from New York City. To learn more about Bedford Springs Resort, visit
www.bedfordspringsresort.com.
The property is owned by Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd. Benchmark
Hospitality International operates the resort.
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 Website at www.benchmarkhospitality.com.
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