Frog Rock Golf and Country Club's main clubhouse destroyed in fire, officials say
Rock Colasurdo said he poured his blood, sweat and tears into Frog Rock Golf and Country Club in Hammonton, New Jersey, for nearly 60 years.
On Tuesday, he could only watch as firefighters raced to save the family business as flames tore through the main clubhouse and banquet hall.
"It's another kid for me, it's another person," Colasurdo said. "My daughter called me and said, 'Dad, Frog Rock burned down.' It was four o'clock in the morning, all the electric went out, and I said, 'What?'"
Crews responded to the club on Boyer Avenue just after 2:30 a.m. Neighbors reported hearing an explosion, and by the time firefighters arrived, the clubhouse was fully engulfed in flames. Hammonton Fire Chief Sean Macri said electrical wires also fell and torched around 50 golf carts parked outside.
"I'd say within the course of about an hour, we had about 100 firefighters here, and we had utilized about 18-19 companies," Macri said.
From Drone Watch 3, you could see the charred wood and complete destruction. Macri said the remainder of the building needs to be demolished after the flames caused the roof to collapse and the walls to cave in.
Jeff Mitsch has been golfing at Frog Rock for 15 years, but he wasn't able to get a round in on Tuesday.
"I guarantee you, knowing Rocky, he's going to have a trailer down here by the end of next week and we're going to be open playing next week," Mitsch said.
A wedding was planned at the banquet hall in about two weeks. Colasurdo said he is working with the couple to find a new venue and plans to reimburse their deposit.
Colasurdo said he helped build the clubhouse block by block. He can remember President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attending an event at the club in the 1970s. He said he also had pictures hanging inside from the day President Ronald Reagan stopped at a rally in Hammonton in 1984.
"I took a picture with him," Colasurdo said. "My pictures with him all burned up in there."
Colasurdo said he plans to rebuild and reopen the course as soon as he can, but it will look a bit different.
"A small building and keep the golf course going, but I don't plan to go into the catering business or the food business immediately," he said.
The New Jersey State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt.