FLOURTOWN, Pa.—Two major golf storylines are happening this week in the City of Brotherly Love. First, the PGA Tour returns for the first time since 2018 when the BMW Championship was played at Aronimink.
The Truist Championship is being played at one of the area’s most historic clubs—Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown—located 15 miles from Center City. The club’s founding dates back to 1854. This week, the 72 best players will be competing in the sixth of eight signature events conducted by the PGA Tour.
The 72-hole event is being played on the Wissahickon Course, which was designed by the gifted architect A.W. Tillinghast in 1922. Interesting side note: Tillinghast was a member of the club in his early years as a golfer, and his ashes were said to have been spread at the course when he died.
In 2013, architect Keith Foster updated the layout of the course, which is named for a meandering stream that winds through the area.
The staging of elite-level pro golf in the Philadelphia metro area used to be an annual occurrence. Between 1963 and 1980, the IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic was hosted by nearby Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. The event got off to a rousing start as Arnold Palmer was the initial winner and was followed the next two years with victories by Jack Nicklaus.
Philadelphia’s pedigree in the golf world is led by Merion Golf Club in Ardmore. The club has hosted 19 USGA championships—the most by any club in America. Most notably, the club’s East Course has been the venue for five U.S. Opens—with a sixth planned for 2030—celebrating the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Grand Slam by Bob Jones.
Arguably, with the exception of the New York-New Jersey metro area, no American city has a deeper roster of superior private clubs than the metro Philadelphia area.
During the golden age of golf architecture in the 1920s, Tillinghast, William Flynn, George Crump, George Thomas, and William Fownes placed their fingerprints on an array of stellar courses. But the interesting commonality was that all the key clubs are private and off limits to all but members and their guests.
The public side of the ledger, in comparison, pales in terms of quality, but one specific course engendered a deep love for the pathway provided to the broadest number of aspiring golfers.
Cobbs Creek opened for play on Memorial Day in 1916 and was a landmark gift to the City of Philadelphia. Located in West Philadelphia, the 18-hole Olde Course was designed by Hugh Wilson—a Princeton graduate and the man responsible for the creation of Merion’s East Course.
Cobbs Creek was hosting important exhibitions almost as soon as it opened. The club served as the site for the USGA Public Links Championship in 1928. The PGA Tour would visit in 1955 and 1956.
Cobbs Creek served as a meaningful destination for inclusion—welcoming women and people of color at a time when private clubs remained segregated. At Cobbs Creek, if you loved golf, you were always welcome.
During its heyday, the municipally-owned Cobbs Creek was the key venue for those with modest incomes to begin their introduction to the game of golf. The most acclaimed black golfer to call Cobbs Creek home was Charlie Sifford—the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour.
Sifford won twice on the PGA Tour but was denied an invitation to be the first black to play in the Masters. Lee Trevino noted Sifford’s journey and hailed him as golf’s Jackie Robinson—the first black player to integrate major league baseball.
When Sifford was no longer able to compete, his journey served as inspiration for a young aspiring talent named Tiger Woods. It was Woods who cited Sifford as the grandfather he never had.
Cobbs Creek went through a number of years where the City of Philadelphia invested little into the property, and the layout suffered the consequences. Years of environmental damage and chronic flooding, in concert with haphazard maintenance efforts, prompted a serious demise of the property.
In 2022, the Cobbs Creek Foundation was established. A 70-year lease agreement was signed with the City of Philadelphia. The Foundation is leading a historic revitalization effort, preserving the site’s legacy while building a premier golf and education campus for the next generation.
Among the key features of the updated Cobbs Creek campus are a full restoration of the Olde Course to its original 1916 design. Architectural services will be provided by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. Both men live in the immediate area, and the design duo has been active in updating a number of established clubs—some of which have served as hosts to the U.S. Open.
The design duo will also be responsible for the creation of the Karakung 9-hole course. In addition, there will be a two-story driving range and par-3 short course designed by TGR Design, led by Woods. A Fall 2025 opening is likely for both.
Just opened is the TGR Leaning Lab, which will have a comprehensive education center providing a STEAM-based afterschool enrichment program for more than 4,500 students annually.
The totality of the property will also include a history museum, community event space, and restaurant.
A planned fall opening in 2027 seems likely for the 18-hole Olde Course.
“I know Charlie Sifford had talent and a tremendous work ethic, and what he needed was an opportunity. Cobbs Creek provided that opportunity. I also know that the restored course and Learning Lab will do the same for this generation on and off the course,” Enrique Hervada, chief operations officer for the Cobbs Creek Foundation, told The Epoch Times in an email.
The Cobbs Creek Foundation has made tremendous strides, but more remains to be done. The Truist Championship provided a $750,000 donation, and Jordan Spieth made a sizeable $250,000 contribution through his foundation and was on hand this past Monday to see firsthand.
“A commitment to giving back,” Truist Tournament Executive Director Joie Chitwood told The Epoch Times in an email.
The Cobbs Creek connection is one that showcases how golf can be an invaluable connector on multiple fronts. The genesis of Philadelphia golf centered initially on the very few and their privileged playgrounds. The storyline is now far broader—more impactful—with seeds planted for even more growth and opportunity.
The City of Brotherly Love is reinforcing its motto in the golf lane with a clear eagle effort.
