Throughout golf's history, course designers have copied hole designs, usually from the most famous, old courses in the British Isles and Europe. Often called Template Holes, architects C.B MacDonald and Seth Raynor made a career out of using these templates to build their courses. Often they used the templates as a way to create something... Continue Reading →
A few years ago I found a great website while researching old courses - the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, DE. Their digital archives have all kinds of photos and print materials from years gone by. The most interesting collection for golfers is the Dallin Aerial Surveys photograph collection. There are hundreds of aerial photos of... Continue Reading →
In the northwestern suburbs, along the 422 corridor, there is a bounty of public golfing options compared to the rest of the region. One that stands out among the 16 courses in the area is Bella Vista Golf Course. Opening in 2002, it was designed by Jim Blaukovitch and is set over rolling countryside. While... Continue Reading →
Despite all the challenges of 2020, the sport of golf has seen a resurgence. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have flocked to golf courses as it's a sport that allows easy social distancing and enjoyment of the outdoors. Since courses reopened in May, most have been packed, even into the Winter. The Golf Association... Continue Reading →
As I've learned more about golf course architecture, I've become fascinated with mid-20th century design. Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was the most influential golf course architect of the post-World War II era up through the 1980s. He was most widely known as the "Open Doctor" for his work altering Golden Age courses to fit the... Continue Reading →
Over the last week there have been a lot of visitors to the website as a result of searching for things like "golf course closed" in Google. Many people have landed on our "Here today, gone tomorrow" post about permanently closed courses from the fall. Since that's not quite the information most people are looking... Continue Reading →
Philadelphia boasts golf courses designed by most of the great Golden Age architects. We have numerous contributions from Donald Ross, William Flynn and A.W. Tillinghast. However, there's only one surviving local course with the design influence of either Perry Maxwell or Alister MacKenzie - JC Melrose Country Club in Cheltenham, PA - and it's open... Continue Reading →
In the fall of 2019, three Philadelphia area golf courses will close for good - Limekiln Golf Club, FDR Golf Course and Upper Dublin Golf Club.
In the borough of Langhorne, in lower Bucks County, sits the oldest public golf course in the Philadelphia region. Built in 1913, Middletown Country Club has retained a lot of old-school charm despite several changes over the years. Like many municipal courses, Middletown certainly needs some TLC (tree management), but provides fun and affordable golf... Continue Reading →
Conditions are a big factor in how Americans judge a golf course. While the quality of the playing surface is certainly important to a golfer's experience, this has taken on too much importance in considering how "good" a golf course is. Why is it this way? The largest influence is certainly what we see weekly... Continue Reading →
If you follow the Schuylkill River out 50 miles or so from 30th Street Station - past Conshohocken, King of Prussia and Pottstown - you'll come to the 5th largest city in Pennsylvania. Most familiar to Philadelphians based on it's railroad history (like the Terminal Market and the property in Monopoly) and minor-league baseball team, the... Continue Reading →
One of the great things about being a golfer is dragging your clubs around the globe to experience all the different types of golf the world offers. Philadelphia golf is an opposite of Florida, which is very different from the deserts of Southern California and Arizona, which is nothing like Scotland. The Getaway section will... Continue Reading →
PhilaGolf 