A.W. Tillinghast’s gem was restored by architect Keith Foster using aerial photographs from the early 1930s.
PHILADELPHIA – A.W. Tillinghast built a handful of golf’s greatest cathedrals but before he died in 1942, the famed golf architect known far and wide simply as “Tillly,” requested that his ashes be scattered into the Wissahickon Creek, a stream that flows through one of his beloved designs, Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course.
Why here and not at Quaker Ridge, Winged Foot, Bethpage Black or even on the west coast at San Franciso Golf Club? The Cricket Club, circa 1922, is where he wasn’t just a designer but also a member. It’s where he called home. As a plaque on the Wissahickon Course so succinctly put it, it’s “where he loved life the most.”
This week, Tilly’s gem, restored to past glory in 2013-14 by architect Keith Foster using aerial photographs from the early 1930s, will be tested by a 72-man field at the PGA Tour’s Truist Championship, a signature event.
“It’s as old school as old school gets,” said Lucas Glover.
Foster removed more than 1,000 trees and rebuilt numerous bunkers including the iconic “Great Hazard,” a 13-bunker waste area in the middle of the fairway on the par-five 15th (in this week’s routing), highlighting the strategic bunkering (118 of them!), contoured greens and narrow fairways of Tillinghast’s original design. Philly Cricket is pinch-hitting for one year as tournament host for Quail Hollow Club, site of next week’s PGA Championship.
So, players are faced with learning a new course — albeit a classic one — on short notice this week. What can they expect?
“It’s very similar to a lot of these old-school courses that have been renovated over the past few years. A lot of trees have been taken out. The green complexes are, for me, the interesting thing about the golf course,” Rory McIlroy, the defending champion and reigning Masters champion, said. “It sort of to me feels like a smaller version of Oak Hill, not a lot of strategy off the tee because there’s no real hazards. There’s some fairway bunkers, but if you avoid those, the rough’s not that long so it’s not a huge penalty.”
McIlroy, who played nine-hole practices the last two days, later elaborated on his strategy to tee it high and let it fly.
“It’s basically open season,” he said. “I go back to Oak Hill a couple years ago at the (2023) PGA, and I tried to play the golf course strategically over the first couple of days, and I just realized that these new renovated old school courses, like the strategy is just hit driver everywhere and then figure it out from there. That’s sort of the strategy of this place this week.”
Rory McIlroy plans to hit driver a lot at Truist Championship
Rory McIlroy: “These new renovated old school courses, like, the strategy is just hit driver everywhere and then figure it out from there.”
So, prepare for the pros to grip it and rip it and while 31 under, last week’s winning score at TPC Craig Ranch, likely won’t be sniffed on Sunday, Vegas is predicting a 72-hole aggregate that will threaten 20 under.
“It probably would have held up to the distances that were being hit, but even now 10 years on, I feel like every par 4 out there is like 430, 440. They sort of feel like they’re 40 or 50 yards than what they need to be. Still, it’s a cool track to play,” McIlroy said.
Xander Schauffele seconded that notion.
“The course is awesome. It seems like hopefully the weather kind of stays away and the course gets a little bit firmer. For some reason, whenever courses seem to be really, really hard, guys seem to shoot low,” he said. “I think this course is kind of the middle of the road in terms of difficulty. I think there’s some hard holes on there and some holes that are really gettable. So I think scoring is going to be relatively low.”
Schauffele is a fan of the par 3s, which range from 120 yards to 240 yards – and the shorter one may give players more fits. “I think the par 3s on the property are probably, to me, if you want to talk about architecture, they’re the coolest looking holes to me,” Schauffele said.
Two things to note this week at Truist Championship
All 18 holes of the course were rerouted for logistics to allow for bigger structures at the finishing holes so more fans can enjoy watching the action there.
Also, internal out of bounds will be in use. While playing the 11th hole, the 12th hole is out of bounds. The boundary is identified by two small white stakes at each end of the boundary and will also include the edge of the fairway. A ball that comes to rest on or beyond the fairway of hole No. 12 is OB.
“It’s to protect the integrity of the design of the golf hole,” explained Gary Young, the PGA Tour’s vice president of rules and competitions.
What other big events have been at Wissahickon Golf Course?
Philly Cricket has hosted the 2015 Club Professional Championship, the 2016 Constellation Senior Players Championship, the 2024 U.S. Amateur Men’s Four-Ball as well as the Big Ten Men’s Championship. But here comes the best of the best with a plan to overpower a soft, 7,119-yard par-70 layout.
Justin Thomas described the fairways as generous and the greens receptive, saying it was a shame that more inclement weather is expected Thursday night into Friday, which could leave the course even more defenseless to low scoring.
“I love these kinds of designs. They’re fun,” Thomas said. “It is meant to play firm and fast, especially the greens.”
Read the full article here
