There is a hidden gem that’s starting to glow for golfers in Hamilton Township. It’s a place that has been there all along but, under new operators, is offering more options while becoming family friendly.
Formerly a township-run facility, the Hamilton Township Golf Center is now being operated by L&S Golf Enterprise, which has brought in quality golf people and made some necessary improvements since taking over in January.
With PGA pros now running the operation, the facility has become more than just a run-down driving range and miniature golf course.
“All the upgrades were necessary,” said Mike Lanzetta, a partner in the operation with Sal Silverstone. “We made sure that when you come you’re gonna feel welcome and not just an outcast coming to the range. The quality of everything was not up to the standards of the township. They make their parks real nice, their pickleball courts real nice and they felt they needed a new look here.
“Not to fault anybody, but it needed somebody to come in with some revenue and additional funds to correct things. We decided we could make this facility a place for families to come.”
Lanzetta and Silverstone are PGA professionals and long-time friends who played against each other in high school. Both of their dads were teaching pros. Silverstone went to Montgomery and Lanzetta, a 1977 Hightstown High grad, is considered by many the greatest golfer in Rams history.
While Lanzetta spends much of his time running the Mansfield Golf and Learning Center, he and Silverstone are both in on any decision that is made concerning Hamilton. Silverstone, who runs the facility, has managed five other courses dating back to 1987 and he was head pro at Battleground Country Club and Glenwood Country Club.
Silverstone and Fred Zola, another PGA pro, provide the brunt of group and private lessons while Lanzetta will give a lesson on occasion.
When the new regime took over, there were challenges.
“The facility was pretty run down,” Silverstone said. “We went soup to nuts to make it better.”
A key addition was automated service for the driving range. Whereas previously no one could hit balls unless the facility was open, customers can now arrive at 7 a.m. and use cash or credit in a machine that will dispense a bucket of balls.
Along with that, improvements are continuously being made on the miniature golf course and driving range.
“We re-did the miniature golf; we upgraded the turf and fixed it up,” Silverstone said. “The first thing we did was put new carpet down and did maintenance on it, and we’re continuing as we go. It’s a beautiful miniature golf course. It’s got a waterfall and three ponds throughout the area. We’ve already done quite a bit and it’s still a work in progress.”
The same goes for the two-tiered driving range, on which the mats have an overhang so rain is not a problem for those wishing to whack a few.
“We’re flattening it out, we’re filling in some of the holes,” Silverstone said. “There are some new mats, new golf balls. That’s the key to a driving range is having good golf balls. We’ll have plenty of new golf balls for a long time.”
Another popular addition was the installment of a new pro shop, which offers “discount pricing for all major manufacturers,” according to Silverstone.
Hamilton celebrity Fred York works part-time at the desk. As an avid golfer he cannot say enough about the facelift.
“I love it here,” York said. “It’s a great addition to Hamilton Township. These guys did a great job and I think that this place is gonna be a real asset for people in Hamilton to go and get lessons and play mini-golf.
“The improvements are tremendous in every way. The new golf balls, a pro shop that gives people the opportunity to not have to drive far away to buy quality equipment. They do fittings here, which they don’t do at a lot of places. And just the people who are working here.”
York’s last observation is important, as Lanzetta felt that was one of the most important challenges to be met.
“The immediate thing was to be customer-service-oriented and have the community be able to come and utilize the facility like it should be,” Lanzetta said. “We want to give them the opportunity to buy equipment from somebody local, somebody knowledgeable.
“You now have the idea of coming in and, with us being PGA professionals for a long period of time, we understand the customer service and the customers. We promote golf in all ways – playing-wise, tournaments for juniors and seniors.”
They also provide lessons from teachers who truly know the game and understand how to pass along their knowledge.
“An individual lesson lets them progress along a lot quicker,” Lanzetta said. “Someone new to the game may be a little shy about it, you can get them to understand the fundamentals, and as they work through you’re able to get them involved with playing a lot quicker.
“Group lessons are a little more economical, you spend the time explaining aspects of the game along with the teaching part. Maybe you go over some rules, go over the care of a golf course, then go through the different facets of the game — the putting, the chipping, the bunker, grass hitting, drives, irons.”
The long-range goal is to make the Hamilton Golf Center another family option in the township to go along with the parks, tennis courts and athletic fields.
“A lot of adults are bringing kids into the game of golf sooner,” Lanzetta said. “This gives them a chance to do that with the driving range and the miniature golf course, or junior and adult lessons. This gives young kids a taste of it. They probably hadn’t felt comfortable coming here and doing that but now if they have a question, the PGA pro is here. He answers the questions, he sizes you up , he gives you the equipment that’s proper. In general that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Hightstown High Hall of Famer is hoping that word of mouth will spread and more folks will start visiting the facility. He is confident they will feel more one than welcome.
“You start to get that camaraderie,” Lanzetta said. “Whether it’s club repair, club hitting, helping their child, getting their wife involved with golf so they could get on the golf course more. Being family-oriented is very big in golf. Some of the country clubs are extremely into family golf. Not all of them are stuck up.”
Silverstone credited Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin for the overall project, saying “he’s a nice man, he’s very happy about this. He’s the one who wanted to upgrade the place and he helped get it going out here.”
Lanzetta added that, “the mayor is thinking this is a wonderful thing we’ve done. He’s come over to see what was done and he’s very satisfied with our relationship with the community.”
A relationship they hope will grow larger and tighter in the coming years.
The Hamilton Township Golf Center is located at 5 Justice Samuel Alito Jr. Way, just past the library. For more information call 609-581-4048.
