Lincoln Hills golf course has rich history

Ben Hogan, Slammin' Sammy Snead, Dr. Cary Middlecoff, Arnold Palmer, Lew Worsham, Ed Furgol.

Sounds like tee time at Augusta or St. Andrews or Pebble Beach.

Think again. At one time, those golfers, four to five decades ago some of the biggest names in the sport - as well as some of the biggest names the sport has known - demonstrated their remarkable talents at Lincoln Hills Country Club, then known as Baldoc Hills, near the Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance/exit at Irwin.

Of that group, Hogan won four U.S. Opens (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953), two Masters (1951 1953), two PGAs (1946 1948), and one British Open (1953); Snead bagged three PGAs (1942, 1949, 1951), three Masters (1949, 1952, 1954) and one British Open (1946). Middlecoff, a dentist, was a two-time U.S. Open champion (1949, 1956), and won the Masters in 1955; Worsham took the 1947 U.S. Open; Furgol, the 1954 U.S. Open; and 'local boy' Palmer won the U.S. Open in 1960, 1966, 1967, the Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964, and the British Open in 1961 and 1962.

Not a bad group of names to have visited not only the area but to have also played at Baldoc.

In the seven decades of its existence, the course has gone from public to private to semiprivate, and still receives raves from its patrons. Chris Hirshberg, whose husband's father, Edward Hirshberg, purchased the course shortly after World War II, said that the course's 'appeal has been both local and national, with area and nationally known celebrities, including sports figures, having played there. Beside pro golfers, the Pittsburgh Pirates held outings at Baldoc, and non-sports celebrities, such as entertainer/singer Julius LaRosa, also played there.' The Dapper Dan Charities (two-day) tournament was also held at Baldoc.

Another visitor was former Olympian and later film star, Johnny Weismueller, who portrayed Tarzan in the movies.

In 1930, Will Craig bought the house on the property and developed the course. Edward Hirshberg, whose son, Spencer and his wife, Chris, and children, still live on the course, had graduated from and played football at the University of Pittsburgh. After serving in the U.S. Marines, he acquired the course.

'Edward was a businessman,' Chris Hirshberg said, adding that he was a member of the University of Pittsburgh Rose Bowl team in 1933, 'and eventually became business partners with Joe and Harry Soffer, who started the South Hills Village Mall. The Soffers purchased the course from Hirshberg, eventually selling it to its members, who turned it into a private club.'

'At one time Lincoln Hills was open to everyone,' said current owner, Greg Liprando, of Greensburg. 'Eventually it became a strictly Jewish country club and I was the only non-Jewish member. Then I bought the course.'

That was in 1977. Liprando had already purchased Irwin Country Club, in 1968; Norvelt, in 1970; Valley Green, in 1976 and would later build Mannitto Golf Course in New Alexandria in 1990. Today, Liprando's sons, Larry and Tom, own the Norvelt and Irwin courses, respectively.

Liprando got his start in business working as a personnel manager for a company in Irwin prior to purchasing Lincoln Hills. 'I was not really happy as a personnel manager,' he said. 'The outdoors have much more appeal to me. I would rather be out on the course or hunting and fishing, than be inside.'

In fact, Liprando, an avid hunter, has hunted for elk in Colorado and recently shot a ram in Alaska. While hunting there, Liprando was informed that he was the oldest man to climb a certain mountain. Not bad for a guy who became a septuagenarian last September.

Liprando's business background opened the door for his acquisition of the Irwin Country Club in 1968. Owners John and Alan Vial were interested in retiring and sold the course to Liprando.

'I bought the course, and also Lincoln Hills, because I am an entrepreneur,' he said, adding, 'I was born to be an entrepreneur. Every year or two I do something major, either building a course or buying one. (Despite my age) I have not thought about stopping my involvement.'

Born in White Valley and a 1947 graduate of Franklin Regional High School, Liprando entered the U.S. Navy after high school. With his service commitment behind him, Liprando earned a bachelor's degree in labor management relations (personnel relations and industrial engineering) from Penn State in 1958.

In addition to the golf course acquisitions, Liprando's entrepreneurial tenacity led several years ago to the construction of the Holiday Inn at Lincoln Hills. Several factors worked in his favor on the hotel. 'I had some extra money and looked at the turnpike area and realized there was not a single franchise hotel in the area. Nothing major in fact. I wanted to get into the hotel business when I was younger and the perfect opportunity presented itself.' Liprando also owns mobile home parks and apartments in Florida.

As the Lincoln Hills owner, Liprando maintains a hands-on consulting role regarding the operation of the course, while his son-in-law, Dave Rusnock, and other managers are involved in running the day-to-day operation of the course. Steve Shefchek is the club pro.

'This is a well-respected course,' Liprando noted. 'We maintain the course in good condition. Everyone who plays Lincoln Hills has been happy with the course conditions.'

Since his involvement with Lincoln Hills, there have been no significant changes in the course layout, aside from putting a lake in front of the 18th green, and nothing has been neglected. 'Whatever the course needs, whenever it needs something, such as fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, is what we do. Lincoln Hills is a well-groomed course with some interesting holes, full clubhouse facilities, and a long history.'

Recent discussions, however, have centered on the possible commercial development of the golf course property. While golfers may not agree, Liprando notes that 'commercial development would be good for the area. It would revamp the area. I've thought about putting in sidewalks, trees, ponds, doctors offices, and retail centers.' Liprando is currently waiting on word regarding a new zoning classification for the area, which could determine the direction the course takes.

Until he turned 38, Liprando played a lot of golf. 'I was never really very good,' he laughed, 'but when I started buying courses, I became more interested in golf as a business than for recreation.'

Lincoln Hills has essentially gone full circle regarding its membership in its 70-year history. Originally a public course, then private, Lincoln Hills is considered a semiprivate golf course. There are some 200 members, down from a peak of approximately 400, Liprando noted. Even though Lincoln Hills is designated a semiprivate course, 'we want to get rid of the notion that Lincoln Hills is a private course and we actively welcome the public to play our course. Everyone is welcome. However, we will maintain certain standards, such as a dress code. The only restriction is that morning tee times on weekends are reserved for members.'

While Liprando has never kept track of the numbers of rounds of golf played each year, he has retained the scorecards of some of the famous pros and celebrities who have played Lincoln hills.

'Snead shot a 69,' Shefchek said, referring to the old cards. 'Hogan was a little higher. He didn't have a really good day.' Shefchek added that the course plays 6,462 yards from the blue championship tees, 6,083 yards from the men's white tees, and 5,353 yards from the ladies tees. The course record, 63, is held by Bernie DiLoretto, recorded some 15 years ago.

'No matter how you look at it, it's an excellent course, and challenging,' Shefchek added.

In addition to having been challenging for the players - remember, pros like Hogan and Snead played the course cold, without having the luxury of seeing the layout prior to their rounds - it was actually doubly so for the caddies, who lugged the bags over the terrain, prior to the onset of golf carts.

'We were paid $7 for a double (carrying two bags),' laughed one Irwin-area caddy, who would walk to the course through a corrugated pipe drain tunnel near the turnpike under Route 30. 'But $7 was a lot then.'

Whether the course remains or not, the rich history and memories will never go away.