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For Matt and Hilary Lapham, Egypt Valley is a beautiful getaway from the crazy parts of their personal and professional lives.

Originally from Brighton, Matt is President of Packaging Compliance Labs, which works in sterile barrier packaging for medical and pharmaceutical devices. Matt’s history with golf goes back to when he was 12, when he decided to leave hockey behind to try something new.

“Turns out he was pretty great at it—though he'd never say that about himself!” Hilary said, noting that Matt and his partner Mike Simms won their league flight at the Club this year.

Matt played the No. 1 slot at Hope College for four years and broke many MIAA records, played in four D3 National Championships, competed in many Michigan Amateur events, and in two U.S. Amateur events. After college, he went to Texas to play on the Hooters mini tour and then to Florida to play on a different tour.

Hilary, who is the Founder of Train to Retain LLC, grew up in Grand Rapids right down the road from the Club and is a systems consultant for small to medium sized businesses. She got her start in golf six years ago when the family joined the Club.

“You learn quickly as a golfer's wife, ‘If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!’” she said. “I have achieved nothing beyond feeling comfortable playing nine holes!”

The Laphams find Egypt Valley offers plenty of opportunities for their three children—four-year-old Brody, two-year-old Brooks, and five-month-old Lennox—to get involved.

“We LOVE how family oriented the club is, with all the family events and kid related activities,” Hilary explained, noting the Club’s 36 holes make hitting the course as a new golfer much more relaxing due to player traffic being spread out. “Nothing is worse than when you're new to golf and another group is on your tail! The course is super challenging, so it's great for Matt to be challenged, and it’s great for me to learn on a hard course.”

When not on the golf courses at Egypt Valley, the Lapham family could almost certainly be found lounging by the pool (when the weather allows, of course).

A family of adventure travel seekers, the Lapham family loves to plan fun trips to crazy places, chasing trains and renting cars in places they don't know.

“We can't wait for [the pandemic] to be over so we can get back to it, with three kids in tow!” Hilary said, explaining that in addition to traveling, their family enjoys spending time with friends and staying active. “We run—a lot!”

The family also could be found skiing in the winter, visiting Hilary’s parents on their lake and anything that revolves around having fun with their kids.

If you see the Lapham family around the Club, be sure to say, “Hello!”