Big man, big plan: Muransky overhauls Fonderlac

By Pete Mollica

POLAND — Ed Muransky has always been a big guy.

He was a 6-7, 277 pound all-state tackle at Cardinal Mooney High in the 1970s and was probably closer to 300 pounds when he was an All-American at the University of Michigan and then three years in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Raiders.

But Muransky has never been bigger in stature, not size, than he is right now in the Mahoning Valley as he tries to make the place he grew up in a better place to live.

On Sept. 15, Ed and his wife, the former Chris Pipino, purchased Fonderlac Country Club from its membership and since has begun a radical transformation and expansion of the facilities, inside and out.

The club is situated on the shores of beautiful Lake Evans and meanders throughout 120 acres of rolling hills filled with beautiful trees and lush grasses.

So the first thing Muransky did was change the name. It is now known as The Lake Club.

The club opened back in 1966 and enjoyed many years as one of the Valley’s premier clubs, but after several years of declining status and membership, the members decided to sell and Muransky was waiting.

“It just wasn’t Fonderlac; all of the country clubs all over the country were going through some rough times,” said Muransky.

So why get involved?

“The biggest problem at most clubs is that members are getting older and don’t want to play as much golf or go out and eat as much, but to be a member they are still hit with those huge costs and minimums that clubs have,” he said.

Muransky’s first step was eliminating the minimums. Members now have several options, from a limited membership that allows you to play up to 20 times a year, to corporate memberships that include four interchangeable members for $7,800 a year.

“What we are trying to do is create a place for the public in a private atmosphere,” he added.

Muransky, along with chief operating officer Chris Sammartino, general manager Jennie Brewer and new head golf professional Michael Ferranti, have been working non-stop since they broke ground at the end of January.

Other than some cosmetic things, everything will be completed in time for the grand opening on May 23, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Since January, Muransky has had the current clubhouse gutted and completely refigured inside and out, with elegant catering facilities upstairs and a lower level devoted entirely to members and their guests.

The members level will house a comfortable bar and grill serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and will have a well-stocked wine cellar and a private meeting room.

The lodge-like atmosphere will blend the old and new with stone fireplaces and exposed beams alongside granite counter tops, flat screen TVs and plush furniture. Outside, a picturesque veranda features a cozy fire pit and comfortable seating overlooking the lake. This level will also include a fitness center and huge new locker rooms.

The second floor of the clubhouse is a first-class catering facility available for single event rentals that will accommodate parties of up to 450.

The golf course itself will remain pretty much intact with a few changes and a lot of cosmetic work.

“We totally remodeled the pro shop and put in a new practice putting green that is accessible from both the pro shop and the clubhouse,” he added. The old putting green is now a new parking lot.”

Muransky also removed the old lower parking lot and filled it in with tons of dirt and expanded the driving range to more than double its size.

“We also added another full putting green with a practice area for chipping right behind the No. 1 tee, which has also been remodeled, and we probably lengthened the hole some 20 yards,” Muransky said.

The biggest change will come on the par-3, No. 9 hole, which Muransky says now becomes the course’s signature hole.

“That hole was 220 yards and tough to reach for most of our members,” he said. “What we did was build a new tee that will enable us to play the hole from 165 yards down to 95 yards for the women and seniors. We’ll still keep the old tee if we want for tournament play.”

The biggest change will be at the green where there will be a creek that will completely surround the green.

“We’ll have our own island green and Rea’s Creek will be running around it,” he joked.

Muransky also said he’s had up to 350 of the huge old pine trees removed and about 400 new smaller trees replanted.

“We have all these beautiful views of the lake from the course that you could never see before,” he said. “Now we’ve opened it up and the views are unbelievable.

“Now it really is The Lake Club.”

The new owner also has a new fleet of golf carts arriving in time for the opening.

“They just happen to be blue, but not really Michigan blue,” said the former Wolverine.