The Links & Tee’s Golf Dome on Lake Street in Addison, is open for the winter. Come take part on a wild kicking country music special this Friday night. Discounts for those who wear cowboys hats and clothes. Addisonparks.org or call (630)-233-7275 Ext 4.
Golfersongolf.com by Rory Spears. Editor & Director of Content. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy FB or Linkedin.
The nations oldest country club is not in New York or Boston or even Rhode Island. It’s in Philadelphia and it’s not Merion, no it’s the Philadelphia Cricket Club (PCC).
Philly Cricket is located on multiple sites as it has moved around over the years. But there is golf on the original site of the club. It might not be 18 holes anymore, but the St. Martins Course is still a treasure especially after having some renovation work done by architect Keith Foster during his time spent on PCC’s Wissahickon Course.
If you haven’t heard of the Wissahickon Course at Philly Cricket, you soon will. Fosters renovation work has put the course back on the map. Most if not all of the major golf publications are ranking it the top restoration project of 2014. Don’t be surprised if it enters Golfweek Magazine’s Top 100 Classic Course list.
The famed par 4, 18th on Wissahickon. One of the great closing par 4’s on a classic golf course.
Wissahickon is an old A.W. Tillinghast design. In fact Tillingahst loved the club and area so much, he not only spent a lot of time there, his ashes were spread into the creek that runs across the 18th hole (at bottom of hill) just to the right of the road to the right of the 18th green.
Foster has done a magnificent job on restoring the golf course, as a result Foster landed projects on Long Island at Sands Point, and at the Baltimore Country Club, both Tillinghast designs. Sands Point reopened in 2014 (coming up soon in this segment of GGOACD) and Baltimore CC East Course will be open this coming June or July.
Wissahickon holes 4 green front, Par 3, 5th in rear.
Philly Cricket is the only club in America that has opened a new golf course in each of the past three centuries.
The first course St. Martins opened in 1895, it was a Willie Tucker design. The course hosted two U.S. Open’s the first one in 1907 won by Alec Ross, and the second one in 1910 won by Alex Smith. A loop around the 9-hole course, is like going back in time to play golf.
The 9th hole at St. Martins, that takes you into the main building that makes up the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Tillinghast was not only the architect of the Wissahickon Course, but he was a club member as well. While the St. Martins course is located in Chestnut Hill, the Wissahickon Course and the newest member of the Philly Cricket Golf complex Militia Hill are a few miles away in Flourtown.
While the Wissahickon name was given to the golf course in 2002, the golf course itself first opened in 1922.
When Foster was brought in to renovate the golf course, the plan was to restore Tillinghast features. Tillinghast was known for eye-catching bunker designs, contoured greens, and for fairways with a unique style to them. One hole has a mix of cross bunkers, and is called the “Great Hazard,”. The course has hosted numerous championships and will host the PPNC (The PGA’s Club Professional Championship this summer). It would not be surprising to see the course host other top level championships in the years ahead.
The par 4, 9th hole at Militia Hill
The latest course in the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s rotation is called Militia Hill, it was designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry (Erin Hills designers) and it opened in 2002.
Militia Hill is named in honor to the surrounding parkland area, that was the last encampment for George Washington’s army before it moved to Valley Forge. There are some old ruins on the golf course you will see in the first few holes. With a few holes shaped in around a quarry and a railroad tunnel that helps separate Militia Hill from Wissahickon.
The club has dedicated Militia Hill to one of it’s former golf professionals Willie Anderson. Anderson is one of only four players to win the U.S. Open on four occasions.
The dog leg right sixth hole, on Militia Hill.
The club has an outstanding practice area, that has been named a Top 50 Private Facility by Golf Range Association America (GRAA).
While many clubs are looking for ways to recruit new members, and are short of their maximum numbers of members. The PCC is not one of them. In fact both golf course and other recent improvements, have been paid in part by adding some new members off the waiting list. The club still has a waiting list for memberships. For more information on the club, the golf courses, the tennis program and other activities, please visit online philacricket.com.