Gimpel excited to compete in Valley Forge Invitational

Pottstown >> Many years ago, a tiny blonde-haired girl, a Whitemarsh Township native, began hitting golf balls at the driving range, and attracting attention from the adults who wished they could perform with such efficiency. That was the start of a dream.

For Emily Gimpel, that dream grew — through a junior career that culminated in two Montgomery County Junior Championships, through a high school career that led to a pair of Pennsylvania state championships and through a standout career at the University of Maryland.

Three years ago she turned professional and put her talents to the test on the LPGA Symetra Tour. The ultimate goal was to compete on the LPGA Tour.

Her improvement has been steady and now she is ready to show off her skill in front of the home crowd. Yesterday Gimpel returned to the area yesterday and stood in front of full room in the clubhouse of Raven’s Claw Golf Club in Pottstown. She represented the Symetra Tour as it was announced that the new Valley Forge Invitational would be coming to the area, May 21 through 26.

“It means so much to me to have a Symetra Tour event here in Montgomery County, one that my family and friends will be able to come and watch,” said Gimpel. “Between winter practice in Florida and tournament travel around the country, she gets to spend little precious time in her hometown area.

“It’s definitely hard to be away from my family and everybody but it’s a sacrifice I know I have to make for my career,” she admitted. “But it’s the dream of a lifetime and I’m loving every minute of it. I’ll love it even more when I come back for a week and get to sleep in my own bed.”

Gimpel knows Raven’s Claw well. She played it a few times in the early years of her amateur career.

And she knows Raven’s Claw architect Ed Shearon well. Her family were members at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, where Shearon played most of his golf and also plied his trade.

“I used to go out to watch the PGA Tour’s IVB Classic at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club,” said Shearon. “It made such an impression on me that it has lasted to this day.”

In an ironic way, that impression came full circle. Many years later, Shearon did an acclaimed renovation to the historic layout at Whitemarsh Valley.

Many of the principles from the designers of the classic golf courses in the area — Whitemarsh Valley (George Thomas), Manufacturers Golf & Country Club (William Flynn), Merion (Hugh Wilson) and Kennett Square (Donald Ross) – became a part of what Shearon incorporated into the Raven’s Claw design.

“What we produced was a strategically designed golf course,” said Shearon. “It’s not just the most powerful players who will win here. The players need to think their way, strategically, around the course.”

His vision was to attempt the intricate balancing act of making Raven’s Claw Golf Club both a haven for the area’s amateur golfers, as well as a layout that would test the best players in the world.

Talk about trying to serve two masters.

But Shearon saw something special in the natural topography of the rolling hills just off Ridge Pike in Limerick Township.

“I knew we had an exceptional piece of property,” explained Shearon. “The tree-lined areas, creeks, plateaus, ridges and wetlands were perfect for a golf course.”

Those same stunning natural features have caught the eye of golf officials from across the country.

“This has been an eye-opening experience,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer for the LPGA Symetra Tour. “Montgomery County is golf heaven and we are very fortunate to be bringing one of our Symetra Tour events to the area.

“Our first mission was to find a course that would be of the quality of the courses these women will play, one day, on the LPGA Tour. Raven’s Claw is the best daily fee course in Southeastern Pennsylvania and certainly fills that bill. Then we needed a venue that could host our gala Meet the Pros Party, on the Tuesday of tournament week, historic SunnyBrook Ballroom proved to be another eye-opener. If anyone has not seen that facility, and all of the improvements done lately, it is absolutely spectacular.”

The announcement of the new tournament was the culmination of months of coordinated work between the LPGA Tour, the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board and management at Raven’s Claw GC.

“We had a mission to build awareness for the great golf we have in Montgomery County,” said Ed Harris, vice president of marketing and communications for Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board. “We just needed some good partners.”

Bob Davis, owner of Raven’s Claw Golf Club, proved to be the perfect partner.

“There is a natural connection between our passion for golf at Raven’s Claw and what is being done for the sport, and the economy, in Montgomery County,” said Davis. “This event shows the area’s focus on commitment to golf … and especially an involvement in women’s golf.”

Tournament week will be a myriad of activity in the Pottstown area.

Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22, will be practice rounds for the players in the tournament. On Tuesday night, May 22, all players, pro-am participants, sponsors and invited guests will be part of the Meet the Pros Party at historic SunnyBrook Ballroom. It will be a great opportunity for the community to roll out the red carpet for its guests.

Wednesday, May 23 is a full day of golf — as three player amateur teams join with a pro. There will be a morning shotgun start event and another afternoon shotgun start event. A festival of food and entertainment is planned throughout the golf course on Pro-Am day.

“This is the most unique aspect of the experience,” said the LPGA’s Nichols. “Amateurs get to play alongside some of the best women players in the world, on the same course. When people go to a baseball game, they don’t get to take batting practice with the players.”

The official tournament rounds will take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – May 24, 25 and 26. This is a departure from the normal schedule. Due to the Memorial Day weekend, organizers decided to end the tournament on Saturday so that golfers throughout the area could play the same course – from the same tees – as the professionals on Sunday and the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.

“This will bring an extra air of excitement to the week,” said Jim Bromley, head golf professional at Raven’s Claw. “Golfers like to see how they stand up against the professionals.”

Bromley is now in the process of coordinating volunteers who will work the event. Veteran tournament volunteer Jim Serratore has been named Volunteer Chairman and will be assisting Bromley in the task. Up to 150 volunteers are needed for the week.