SOUTH HADLEY — Ledges Golf Club hosted a Mass Golf championship tournament event this week for the first time in its history. The course has hosted other qualifying events in the past, but never a championship proper until Tuesday and Wednesday’s 43rd Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship.

When the staff at Ledges found out their course had been selected to host in 2024, they went right to work to make sure there would be no flaws.

That all starts with Amanda Fontaine, the course’s superintendent.

Fontaine, who was on the grounds crew at the 78th U.S. Women’s Open last year, is one of the best superintendents in the business, according to Ledges head golf professional Rick Leal. The grounds crew grew their fescue out to emulate a links-style course on some holes, and with how the wind was blowing throughout the week, the course certainly played difficult for almost everyone in the field.

The greens were rolling pure, fairways were in terrific shape and the rough was thick and healthy. And even when it rained a bit both days of the tournament, Fontaine and Co. ensured the conditions were plenty playable regardless of the weather.

“All year they’ve been working hard, and right from the start of the year this has been their goal,” Leal said of Fontaine and the grounds crew. “They were excited about this tournament. They grew out the fescue. They’ve worked tirelessly the last couple of weeks especially, I mean they’ve really been working their butts off.”

Having the opportunity to host a championship event of this magnitude felt surreal to Leal. Over the past few years, Ledges has continued to improve all aspects of its course. The 120 golfers who competed for APL title had nothing but positive things to say about the course throughout the week.

Those words helped Leal reaffirm just how much the hard work has paid off.

“For us here, it’s a great way to show off the golf course and how good of shape it’s in right now to some of the best players in the state,” Leal said. “I’m glad they all got to see it, and they all were very impressed based off what they said. Everybody was very complimentary, so it was good. It was a fun week.”

No. 2 caused the field the most trouble

As expected, the second hole wasn’t a favorite among competitors this week. When the Daily Hampshire Gazette asked Leal his thoughts on the course’s hardest hole during its summer series about the toughest golf holes in Hampshire County, he answered right away.

It was No. 2.

The scoring over the course of the week backed that up, especially during the first round on Tuesday. At one point, the second hole, a 448-yard par 4, was playing almost a shot and a half over par. By the end of the day, it averaged a score of five shots, exactly 1-over par. Only No. 12 (230-yard par 3) featured more bogeys (52) than No. 2 (49), but No. 2 had nearly twice as many double bogeys (24) than any other hole.

On Wednesday, the second hole again played the hardest – 0.02 shots easier than Tuesday at 4.98 strokes. The wind picked up significantly as the day went on during Round 2, which made it even tougher as it played dead into that breeze. The 14 double bogeys were by far the most on any hole.

That wind also made the 12th hole equally as difficult. Again, playing well over 200 yards and into the wind, the par 3 became more like a par 4 for most competitors. The most bogeys either day were made on No. 12.

The easiest hole score-wise on both days was the 18th, a nice birdie opportunity to end the round. A combined 58 birdies were made throughout the week, and the scoring average on both Tuesday (4.92) and Wednesday (4.75) were under par for the 524-yard par 5.

Both the 18th and the 15th (287-yard par 4) saw three eagles each this week, tied for the most on any hole.

Lenane’s dominance turned locals’ heads

Leal knows how difficult Ledges can play – especially from the tips – due to how narrow it is. Getting off the tee is extremely important. That’s why he was so shocked when he saw champion Joseph Lenane (winning score of 13-under) post an 8-under 64 on Tuesday and a 5-under 67 on Wednesday, especially when most of the field struggled to get lower than a couple under par.

That just goes to show how dialed in Lenane was, and the confidence he felt in each part of his game.

“When a guy wins by 11 [shots], that’s a little crazy,” Leal said. “He had everything working, and on all cylinders. Everyone else was playing their own tournament. It was two separate tournaments. I don’t know him, but he obviously had everything working for two straight days, for sure. Congrats to him.”

Michael Murray, who tied for second this week, played in the final group with Lenane on Wednesday. Watching him go on a tear – including a chip-in eagle from off the fourth green – left Murray shaking his head in disbelief.

“[Lenane] is lights out, man,” Murray said. “Every wedge shot was to 10 feet or better. He makes pretty much every putt.”

Cody Miller, who joined Lenane and Murray in the final group, is a member at Ledges. He had a feeling a low round was out there because of the soft conditions and overall pristine shape of the course.

What surprised Miller more than Lenane’s 13-under score was the fact that nobody knocked on the door really all week – aside from Miller’s 5-under first day that left him three shots back heading into the final round.

“I thought [Lenane] could do it. I knew someone out there could if they were hitting the ball well off the tee and their short game was on,” Miller said. “I’m surprised that nobody else gave him a run for his money, to be honest. But props to him for a great week.”