GAP’s Chip Lutz Continues Carving Out Legacy

Q Is there a story behind the golf-themed names in your family? Did your Mom and Dad disagree on this?

Chip: I have never heard them disagree on names and it became apparent they needed to do something with 3 boys coming along when they decided to legally name us all John. We each have different family middle names but somewhere along the way we got Wedge, Chip (Chipper) and Putt (Putter). Likely my Father’s sense of humor and it obviously went with our golf history. My favorite is perhaps our dog’s name, Divot. Perhaps if there was any disagreement it came with our sister who they named Courtney (no golf name like Sandy).

Q What are your earliest memories of watching, playing golf?

Chip: My early moments watching golf really revolve around the copious amounts of time we spent at the Reading CC, watching our Dad and many of the other characters playing at the club and having an opportunity to caddy and observe. I remember my brother Wedge who was exactly one year older than I, imitating some of the nuances and idiosyncrasies of the many swings and personalities around the club. I think that helped our games by observing and seeing what worked best for our games. Of course Dad was always around to give us guidance but that was limited. We knew how good he was and that set a strong example of how to do it. So watching golf on tv came later in our youth but watching Arnie, Jack and the others go at it was fuel for the fire.

Q Was your Dad your primary teacher? If so, what kind of teacher was he? Do you remember specific lessons on/off the course?

Chip: Yes, Dad was our primary teacher but again it was more observation on our part and guidance on his at times when he felt necessary. A great deal of experimentation was extremely helpful with a watchful eye. Later on as I progressed and grew older, Dad was often there to watch and give gentle guidance that was often more of the basic and fundamental encouragement that helped us along the way.

Q Did your dad spend any time with Byron Nelson at Reading CC? IF SO, Is there a story about Nelson that sticks with you?

Chip: Dad took lessons from Byron and my earliest picture of them together was in 1938 of Byron giving him instruction. Byron was the Head Pro at the Reading from 19371939. Henry Clay Poe succeeded him and also helped my father greatly with his game. Byron won the 1937 Masters right before coming to the Reading and then won the 1939 US Open at Philadelphia CC in his last year in Reading.

Q You played with a bunch of future pros at Florida. Anyone you admired or about their games?

Chip: Yes, I played as a walk-on my first two years at University of Florida in 1972/1973 and 1973/1974 seasons where we won the NCAA in my first year. I did not start any matches and when I realized that with Title 9 reducing scholarships and only graduating one from our championship team that my odds of breaking into the lineup were remote. We had likely the two most notable players, Gary Koch and Andy Bean as our standouts that year. The thing that I recall vividly was how far Andy hit the ball and that was truly amazing. He also had a short game that complemented that as well. Gary was just a great all round player who was also successful as a player but is more well known as a golf announcer. A number of other players did not reach national prominence as players but were successful in many other ways, like Fred Ridley and Steve Smyers.

Q It appears you took time away from competitive golf when you were building your career/family. If so, was it hard to step away and did you just practice more?

Chip: Living in the Northeast I always took time off from the game in the off seasons (winter) so it was never difficult for me to take a break and rather enjoyed that, however my prolonged time away was from 1993-1998 (5 years) where I did not play at all. Family and business took my attention and by the end of 1993 I had done all the things I wanted to do competitively in our local area of Berks County, PA. I decided to take time off and if I was to come back I would look to bigger venues to compete and challenge my abilities. I was nearing the end of my Mid-Am days leading up to the Senior competitions where I focused my energies and time. By then the kids were off to college and beyond and in business I was in a good position to take the time to advance my game.

Q You have had a lot of success on the senior amateur circuit. What accomplishments stand out?

Chip: Besides numerous invitational tournament successes my most important accomplishments in order are the US Senior Amateur, three British Senior Amateurs and two Canadian Senior Amateur Championships. Close behind were one Silver medal in the US Sr. Open and 4 Silver medals in the British Sr. Open for Low Amateur. Local, Regional, State and National Sr. Hall of Fames are other notable accomplishments.

Q Is there anything you still want to accomplish? Any trophies that have eluded you?

Chip: I am quite satisfied with all I have accomplished and I am slowing my calendar and competitive schedule down a bit but still hope to compete in the National and International events and also play select events more for fun.

Q The game has taken you all over the country and world. Can you give us a quick top 5-10 courses?

Chip: This is a hard one indeed because there are so many great clubs, courses and venues. I have never met one I don’t like for many varied reasons. They are all unique and distinct and whether you consider those for their historical significance, beauty of location or newness in style and character makes this a difficult question. It is easy to look at the top 100 courses and pick any number so I would rather not…

Q Chip, you wear the Chervo clothing brand. Why Chervo?

Chip: It not only looks the best but it feels great on! The fabrics are fantastic and the fit is outstanding. There are very light weight materials and also water resistant ones in addition to warmer models, so they make clothing for all occasions which is extremely important when you spend a lot of time outdoors in many climates! Besides the style is incredible and it makes me feel fabulous!

Q You certainly have your place in GAP history with amateur greats when it’s all said and done. Who are the top 5 Pennsylvania players you would rank in the history of the GAP?

Chip: We are blessed with many greats but I would have to go with Bill Hyndman and Jay Sigel as my top two. TSG

Registration Now Available for 79th U.S. Women’s Open Volunteer Opportunities

Online volunteer registration is now available for the 79th U.S. Women’s Open, which will be contested at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club, May 27-June 2, 2024.

Approximately 1,600 volunteers are needed to fill positions on 13 committees, including marshals, merchandise and corporate hospitality. Early submission of the application gives volunteers a better chance of being assigned to one of their three committee preferences. Interested volunteers should visit uswomensopen.com.

“The U.S. Women’s Open provides one of the best fan experiences in sports, and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated team of volunteers,” said Championship Director Allison Burns. “We’re thrilled to be back in Lancaster, which hosted one of the most popular and successful U.S. Women’s Opens in the championship’s history in 2015 with a community that displayed an incredibly engaged and energetic volunteer base. We are excited to invite you to join us next year as a volunteer.”

Priority groups, including USGA members, Victory Club members, Golf Association of Philadelphia members and those involved with marshal clubs, received early access to volunteer registration, resulting in an impressive 800+ volunteer registrations.

“Every U.S. Women’s Open is special, but I feel especially lucky to have won at my U.S. hometown, Lancaster,” said 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun. “The community really embraced the event, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of my Lancaster friends, family, and amazing fans, and seeing the incredible volunteers who help make this championship the most important and special in our game.”

In 2015, more than 2000 individuals filled the volunteer program in under 30 days, so interested parties are encouraged to act quickly. Volunteers can select between Eagle and Birdie package options. A volunteer commitment consists of working six shifts (Eagle) or four shifts (Birdie) ranging from four to five hours each throughout the championship as well as a requirement to purchase an apparel package for $175 (Eagle) or $140 (Birdie), plus applicable shipping and tax. The apparel package includes two golf shirts (Eagle) or one golf shirt (Birdie), a logoed hat, championship compliant bag, a water bottle, a commemorative lapel pin, as well as a volunteer credential valid for all days of the championship week.

Volunteers will have access to a dedicated hospitality tent on the days they are working. This tent will serve as volunteer headquarters, and the USGA will provide complimentary food, snacks and beverages throughout the week, along with appreciation surprise and delights for volunteers to enjoy.

This will be the second U.S. Women’s Open contested at Lancaster Country Club following the 2015 championship which set records for both entries (since broken) and attendance. Chun claimed the title by one stroke, and due to her strong connection to the club and community, founded the In Gee Chun Lancaster Country Club Educational Foundation, which continues to provide scholarships for local students.

Considered the world’s premier women’s golf championship, the U.S. Women’s Open is one of 15 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. The championship began in 1946 and its winners include Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Meg Mallon, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park and Michelle Wie West. Most recently, Minjee Lee claimed a four-stroke victory at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club to capture the championship’s 77th edition, and this July, the U.S. Women’s Open will be contested for the first time at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.

Inside Nemacolin’s Elevated Golf in a Vacationer’s Paradise Director Of Golf Operations Chris Anderson Offers A Primer On Golf Season In Pennsylvania’s Majestic Laurel Highlands.

Chris Anderson is no stranger to the wonderous Allegheny Mountains resort property known as Nemacolin. In fact, he’s been intimately familiar with each of the resort’s Pete Dye designs there since he joined the staff five years ago as the director of turfgrass, moving from The Greenbrier in West Virginia. In January, he was elevated to the director of golf operations and shares a distinct excitement for the 2023 peak golfing season at Nemacolin.

While Anderson arrived a year after Nemacolin opened its Shepherd’s Rock course, he’s seen plenty in his time. Two years ago, updates were made to Mystic Rock’s bunkers, playing surfaces and tee boxes with Pete Dye associate Tim Liddy on hand for the project. Last year, the resort celebrated its 35th anniversary and earned 22 Forbes Stars for the third consecutive year and with renovations to the property’s storied The Grand Lodge set be unveiled this fall, the future for this larger-than-life destination looks particularly bright.

With such anticipation for another terrific summer in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Anderson opened up about what his ideal golf trip would look like here, some of his favorite holes and what he tells his peers about what it’s like working at the 2,000-acre beauty.

Q When you talk to your friends in the golf industry, how do you describe to them the uniqueness of Nemacolin as a golf vacation destination?

Chris: I would describe it as a big property with more activities than you can accomplish in one stay. There are so many different things you can do on property, from golf, obviously, to the swimming pools, to jeeps, to rock climbing walls, paintball, and horseback riding. The variety of different things our guests can do from here is one of the things that attracts a lot of people.

Q Nemacolin is home to two Pete Dye courses, and some may assume that each course is exceptionally challenging. But playing from the proper set of tees makes the experience immensely enjoyable. How do you help set expectations for playing both Mystic Rock and Shepherd’s Rock?

Chris: Mystic Rock and Shepherd’s Rock to me are so different in the design concepts, you can see how Pete Dye designed courses in the 90s and how he was designing courses as his career was winding down. We basically offer two different time frames in his career. Mystic Rock (which opened in 1995) is a tighter, narrowedfairway course with subtle greens. A little more shot-making and angles come into play there. We have tees for everybody. The bunkering on Mystic is a lot different than Shepherd’s as well – they’re a lot grander in size.

Shepherd’s (which opened in 2017) has 10 more acres of fairways, so they’re a lot bigger and wider. There are more fescue areas and bunkering, as I mentioned, there are more, potstyle and smaller bunkers. The kind he used later in his career. It’s a little shorter, but the front side is a lot longer than the back. It also offers tees for every level of play.

Q What are some of your favorite holes on Mystic Rock, and why?

Chris: I like No. 5, it’s a par-5 that’s a riskreward. It’s short enough from the proper tees to go for it in two. But the risk you take to go for it – there’s a double green that we move the pin on, but the bottom green that we use a couple times a week is surrounded by water on two sides. So, if you’re going for it in two you have to mess with the bunker on the right and water on the left and backside of the green.

Thirteen on Mystic is a short par 4, but the bunkering is some of the best we have. It’s a nice little simple par 4 that if you hit a good drive, you should be able to make a good score on that hole.

Then, 18 really changed from a playability standpoint. We added a bunch of bunkers on the right-hand side, so it’s a good look for a nice finishing hole now.

Q Shepherd’s Rock takes you through some distinct natural settings and landforms. There’s extreme variety. Which holes stand out as some of your favorites?

Chris: On the front nine, the par-3, No. 5. From the Resort Tees, it’s a 150- to 160-yarder, but it has an infinity green look where the green disappears into the big pond behind the green. It’s a nice look.

Playing No. 9 from the back tee, which plays 700 yards – playing that par-5 from the back tee is a pretty fun hole. It’s even uphill the whole way.

On the back nine, No. 11 has a nice wide fairway and a wetlands area down the left-hand side, and a wetlands area in front of the green that you have to carry. It’s in a great spot on the back nine there.

Eighteen has a good waterfall finishing hole there. It’s very nice.

Q What’s your career low score on both courses?

Chris: I shot 75 on Mystic once. At Shepherd’s, I think my low is 78. Maybe 79. That’s one of the unique things about the resort and having two Pete Dyes; they are vastly different. The concepts are the same but how they’re laid out and how they play are so different from each other. TSG