SFCC trivia

In 1998, Spring Ford was preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary and Tony DeGisi thought the occasion deserved a better club logo. They had been using the Mingo Creek logo since the 1970s.

Tony looked around the club for artifacts that might inspire a logo. Then he remembered the old pump that was in the Grove in earlier days. Back in the day, thirsty golfers pumped water and shared the same tin cup that hung on the pump. The pump was removed in the mid-1980s when the pavilion was built. Tony had no idea what had become of the old pump so he asked Dana Getty, who had recently retired as superintendent after 34 years. Dana not only knew what had become of it, he still had it, so he brought the pump to the club.

Tony enlisted the help of his daughter, Crissy, who worked with him in the pro shop, to develop the logo idea. Tony and Crissy arranged the pump and a golf club in several different ways and took 10-12 Polaroid pictures of the various arrangements. It was more difficult to digitize images at that time, so Tony called Izod in Reading and explained what he wanted. He and Crissy took the pictures to Izod and they created three or four different versions of the logo. Izod gave the proofs to Tony who presented them to the Board, which approved the iconic pump logo that we use today.

SFCC’s pump logo is well known and recognized throughout the area. The original pump, which Tony used for inspiration, is mounted in the flowerbed by the 9th green.

In 2024, the Board has retained an architect to create a Master Plan for the clubhouse.  In the 100 years that the club has existed, the clubhouse has seen many changes, and the layout and design of the building has its share of quirks. If you ever wondered why there’s no easy, direct route to the business offices from the main floor, it’s because the plan for an elevator in the dining room foyer was scrapped. The elevator shaft remains, hidden by drywall, and a grandfather clock occupies the spot where the doors would have opened. Here’s the timeline of the major clubhouse changes:

• The Gottshall farmhouse, located about where the equipment sheds are today, served as the original clubhouse alongside the 9-hole course that members began playing in 1925. When the farmhouse was damaged by fire in 1927, the club decided to build a new clubhouse on the hill overlooking the course.
• The grand opening for the new, brick clubhouse was marked with a celebration on New Year’s Eve in 1928. The original building with a main floor, ground floor and attic, measured about 40 feet by 80 feet and provided the starting point for all future additions. 
• 1930s – 60x12 foot addition to provide a larger dining area.
• Early 1950s – 12x20 foot section was tacked on to double the size of the kitchen.
• 1958 – 35x100 foot expansion again enlarged the kitchen, plus it added a cocktail room, additional dining area and banquet area.
• The late 50s also saw the expansion of the golf course to 18 holes and the construction of the swimming pool.
• 1966 – The ground floor was enlarged to create the Men’s Grill. 
• 1984 – The detached Pro Shop and bag room were constructed.
• 1986 – The women’s locker room was moved from the attic to its current location. 
• 1986 – The pool was replaced with a larger, more modern pool.
• 1994 – This large addition more than doubled the size of the clubhouse, creating a new dining room, board room, pub, entrance vestibule, restrooms, and wrap-around deck on the main floor. The new spaces opened for use in early 1995.
• 1997 - The new dining room was deemed too small, so more seating was created by enclosing the outside deck and incorporating it into the inside space.
• 1997 – The Men’s Grill became the Mixed Grill and welcomed all members. The only construction necessary was to modify the door to the men’s locker room so that it did not swing in both directions and to cover the interior window, affording some separation between diners and those using the locker room. 

Ira, who was hired as GM in September of 1994 in the midst of the construction chaos during the large addition, recalls some details from the project.  He calls it the “Field of Dreams” expansion because interest in the community over the greatly expanded club facility created a membership surge. They built it and the community came. Members who joined in 1995 and are still at Spring Ford include Joe and Kathy Sterchak, Pat and Donna Kelly, Dave and Lillian Evans, Steve and Jean Earhart, and Dick and Lynn Minnich.

While the building was under construction, Ira, Ronda, and Linda Murphy (Heather’s mom) ran things from a construction trailer in the parking lot while sharing one computer. A food truck was parked next to the Grill Room while the kitchen was being expanded.

This large expansion suffered multiple hiccups. One problem was revealed with the arrival of the 100 new chairs that had been ordered for the new dining room. It was quickly discovered that the chairs were too tall for regular dining tables. Luckily, the balance had not yet been paid. Ira called the supplier and said he would cut the check only after they came and cut an inch off every chair leg. They agreed. These chairs, refurbished 7 or 8 years ago, are still in use in the dining room. Other than some redecorating and other cosmetic changes, the 1994 and 1997 expansions created the clubhouse as we know it today.