Story, Video & Photos by Don Backman
“At 8:20 we’ll have the ceremonial swing,” Pat Zweifel said. “I would do it, but I haven’t actually swung a golf club before,” he joked to the group of golfers that had assembled despite the threatening weather at 8 AM at The Mook at Alderbrook golf course to kick off the Grand Re-opening on April 1st. After a long hiatus since the course was put up for sale in 2021, and rumors abounded that it was going to be developed into houses, Zweifel and his partners now have the restaurant, pro-shop, and the course back open.
The day began with raising the American Flag to the national anthem. The VFW honor guard overcame the wait while a hand crank was located to manually raise the flag. “I’m sorry about this,” Zweifel joked to the spectators. “There’s a lot to worry about when you buy a golf course.” The crowd laughed. Evidence of the work put in was visible throughout the course. Soon, the handle was located and the flag was flying above the parking lot.
Peter Harris, one of the group of partners that purchased the course, had the honors of the first ceremonial swing off the first tee. This was immediately followed by the first group of the long line of golfers who had waited since the course closed in 2021 for this round of golf.
“It’s April 1st, our opening day,” Zweifel said. “We’ve had access to the property for two and a half months, and have done a lot of work. Got it open. Got the restaurant open, got golfers out there today. I’m really excited about stage two as far as reconstruction, taking everything to another level. We’re going to make it a lot better, and I’m looking forward to that process.”
He explained that for him, he is just beginning. “A lot of work has happened in the last two and a half months, but that’s just the scale of what’s going to happen in the next two and a half years.” Zweifel also made it a point to repeatedly acknowledge and thank his partners for their tireless work on getting the facility operating.
Mojo Holler provided music entertainment, and the smell of barbecue filled the air. Inside, the once empty dining rooms were filled with tables, and customers were already dining. Out on the course, golf carts moved around as golfers played through despite the early spring weather.
The official ribbon cutting took place at 11:00 AM in front of the main waterfall feature next to the clubhouse. Zweifel thanked everyone for their support and for coming to the restaurant and coming to golf. The team of partners, made up of Michael and Joanna Freeman, Peter and Kristin Harris, Adam and Fauna O’Brien, Monika and Pat Zweifel, Aaron Burris, and Joe and Donna Phillips, lined up for the ceremony. Pat did the honors of cutting the ribbon.
Alderbrook Golf Course, now renamed The Mook at Alderbrook, was first opened in 1924 when 95 acres of dairy farm land was turned into a nine hole course. Over the years, this became the 18 hole course of today. Next year, 2024, will be the centennial, or 100th year since that initial opening in 1924.
The partners plan to continue working on the golf course and turn it into a destination with The Mook at Alderbrook and the Bunker Grille. The Gardens at Alderbrook is a planned extensive network of flower gardens, the first of which has already been started.
For more information, go to https://themook.com/