Recognized by the Wyoming Valley Country Club for being men’s members for 50 or more years are, from left Ron Swank, 54 years; Robert Jones, 50 years; James Mileski, 50 years; Joseph “Max” Hritzik, 57 years; John Churnetski, 56 years; Todd Materna, 54 years; Edward Sinkevich, 53 years; and George “Rx” Kempinski, 52 years.

Recognized by the Wyoming Valley Country Club for being men’s members for 50 or more years are, from left Ron Swank, 54 years; Robert Jones, 50 years; James Mileski, 50 years; Joseph “Max” Hritzik, 57 years; John Churnetski, 56 years; Todd Materna, 54 years; Edward Sinkevich, 53 years; and George “Rx” Kempinski, 52 years.

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<p>Shown during a program recognizing women golfers of the Wyoming Valley Country Club with more than 50 years of membership, are from left, Carol Lippincott, 53 years; Nancy O’Donnell, 69 years; June Olszewski, 64 years; and Kenneth Pollock, representing his mother Marion Pollock, a WVCC member for 63 years, who was absent when the photo was taken.</p>

Shown during a program recognizing women golfers of the Wyoming Valley Country Club with more than 50 years of membership, are from left, Carol Lippincott, 53 years; Nancy O’Donnell, 69 years; June Olszewski, 64 years; and Kenneth Pollock, representing his mother Marion Pollock, a WVCC member for 63 years, who was absent when the photo was taken.

Crystal Hritzik was a dear friend and golf fanatic. We worked together at Geisinger, but it was when we began co-chairing the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Golf Tournament long ago that we truly became friends.

The 31st annual tournament tees off on Monday, Aug. 9, at the Wyoming Valley Country Club (WVCC) in Hanover Township after taking a year off in 2020 due to COVID-19 precautions. This will be the first tournament since Crystal’s passing in 2019, but her presence will still be felt.

I think about her whenever I’m at WVCC, especially now as the club celebrates its 125th anniversary. There are four par-3 holes at WVCC, and Crystal holds the distinction of having a hole-in-one on all four. Talk about being memorable.

Crystal’s husband, Joe “Max” Hritzik, the longest serving men’s member who joined the club in 1964, and her friends, Carol Lippincott, Jean Elinsky, Sally Price and Mary Zabreski are also annual volunteers at the Geisinger Tournament. Once Crystal became involved in something, it was a safe bet they would be there, too, Joe doing just about everything, and the ladies handling registration and other details.

In addition to the great golf played there, WVCC also has a significant positive impact on our community by hosting charity golf tournaments and events. In addition to the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center tournament, the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Wyoming Valley, American Cancer Society and Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO), among others, benefit from events held at the club.

The WVCC’s Women’s Golf Association has raised approximately $100,000 for breast cancer research and care through its annual Isabelle McGuire Spohrer Memorial Golf Tournament, held to honor a beloved member and friend who passed away from cancer in 2001. Crystal was always working on this project, and at the end of the Geisinger tournament each year I gave her golf balls and other prizes to use at the Spohrer tournament. She was thrilled when I found pink ribbon gifts and donated them to the ladies’ charity event. After 19 years supporting the Susan G. Komen Foundation, this year’s Spohrer event also honored Crystal and benefits Candy’s Place in Forty Fort.

The club’s longest serving member is Nancy O’Donnell, who joined in 1952 and has been a member for an amazing 68 years. Veteran club members insist, though, that the course offers plenty of variety and they never tire of playing there.

“We have a golf course that is second to none,” said WVCC Board of Governors President Joe Butcher. “Every day you go out to play, it’s almost like playing a different course.”

I’ve also known longtime members Marianne and Dennis Puhalla well over 40 years. Like Joe Hritzik, Dennis grew up near WVCC and worked as a caddie when he was a youngster. “Being a caddie was like hitting the lottery,” he said. It’s no wonder they know the greens so well. Joe once caddied at a 1961 exhibition for a group that included golf great Sam Snead. Joe and Dennis literally grew up at WVCC and Dennis is serving as chair of the 125th Anniversary Committee.

It was Conrad Schintz, a 125th Anniversary Committee member, who got me playing golf more regularly. During last year’s lock down and social distancing, the golf course was one place you could still go and have fun. The clubhouse was closed, so there was no celebratory 19th hole, but Connie made sure Gerry O’Donnell and I played almost every week. Connie and I even played on WVCC’s closing day last December despite the cold weather.

Wyoming Valley Country Club is the fifth oldest golf club in Pennsylvania and the 45th oldest club in the United States. It was designed by world-renowned golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast, who also designed heralded courses such as Beth Page Black, Baltusrol and Winged Foot. Tillinghast disliked overly long courses that emphasized strength over finesse, favoring tightly bunkered greens and highlighting the approach shot as the essence of golf. “Make the player think a little, and then he’ll glory in the knowledge of having accomplished something,” he said.

Tillinghast was often joined in designing courses by PGA golf professional George Jacobus, the first American born president of the PGA of America. I had no idea, way back when my long-time friend and colleague Ron Jacobus asked me to teach him how to play the game, that his father was a well-known golf pro. Growing up, Ron wasn’t interested, but later came to enjoy golf, played well into retirement and carded a hole-in-one.

Wyoming Valley Country Club is also the home of PGA Tour professional Ted Tryba, who was on the leader board at the recent US Senior Open and finished tied for 34th. Tryba will visit the club to present a junior golf clinic, exhibition match, and fireside talk later this year. Other upcoming 125th anniversary events, according to WVCC Golf Professional Pete Korba, include an anniversary tournament in September and a black-tie gala in October.

To further honor the club’s history, the anniversary committee is planning to create a historical marker and permanent display designating the site of the original clubhouse. “The original clubhouse was located in the area between the number four tee and number five green,” Schintz said. “You can find the original stairs of the clubhouse tucked in the brush just left of the number four tee.”

Sitting on the club’s patio recently with past president Henry Pennoni and others, I looked around at tables full of friendship and laughter. That’s what golf and WVCC are all about. Eagles and birdies come and go, but your friends and good works are there forever.

David Jolley is a public relations and marketing communications consultant, writer and the author of “A Good Cup of Coffee … Short-Time Major Leaguers and Their Claims to Fame.”