The Philadelphia Cricket Club, or "Cricket", as it is known locally, was actually founded as a Cricket Club in 1854, by a group of students of Philadelphia University, of English heritage. They had a desire to continue to play cricket together after their university years. The club has two 18 hole courses, and a nine hole course, and is Kingston Heath's only East Coast reciprocal club.
The club did not have any official grounds, playing wherever was available until 1883 when they came to St Martins in Chestnut Hill. A nine hole golf course was constructed on the St Martins site in 1895, designed by Willie Tucker, and was extended to 18 holes in 1897. It has since returned to a nine hole layout.
It was this St Martins course, that hosted the US Open in 1907 and 1910. The club did not own the land that this course was on, and as golf continued to boom in the area, the club wished to acquire their own property, and did so at Flourtown in 1920. Club member A. W Tillinghast suggested the site, and designed the course, which opened for play in 1922.
Like many golf courses, Cricket had fallen victim to an overgrowth of trees, and many of Tillinghast's design features had become hidden. The club wholeheartedly proceeded to complete a full renovation, led by architect Keith Foster, in 2013.
When I say full renovation, I mean full renovation. Every piece of turf on the property was removed, as were the majority of trees (keeping a few landmark trees), and relaid as per Tillinghast's vision. The job was completed very quickly, and the course reopened at the end of 2014.
Five years on and the course has matured beautifully. Tillinghast's clever design features are obvious, and his ability to play tricks visually are there for all to see. The course has an expansive feel, giving you the freedom to go for more than you should from the tee. The course was renamed to be called Wissahickon, a tribute to the local creek that runs close by, and that this, the Lorraine Run flows into.
The property is bisected by a old rail platform which separates the upper from the lower section, which you can see to the right of this picture. Most of the front nine is in the lower half, Tillinghast routed this section to create an intimate feel. The back nine has a much more expansive feel as it makes its way out to the far corner and then back to the grand finish at the clubhouse.
On hole that underwent significant change during the restoration was the par five 7th. This was in an effort to bring back one of Tillinghast’s favorite designs, “the Great Hazard.” Tillinghast wanted to be able to replicate the impact that a water hazard has on play through mass bunkering. His intention was for the Great Hazard to come into play when a player misses either his drive or his second shot.
Along with the 7th at Philadelphia Cricket Club, Tillinghast also used this design at Bethpage Black, Baltusrol and what many believe to be his design of the 7th at Pine Valley. A good tee shot on the 7th gives the long hitter a chance at hitting the green in two. However, it’s not an easy shot as the 7th green is guarded by deep bunkers in front, requiring players to hit a high, soft long iron in, which very few have in the bag. It’s a terrific par-5 design, and I am glad it has been resurrected.
The view from behind the green on short par four 9th. This hole doglegs slightly to the left, requiring a draw from the tee. Control is vital on the approach to the green that slopes front to back, to give any chance of making the birdie.
You then head across the bridge to the par three 10th.
One of Tillinghast's great skills was to visually include other features to play with your mind. Regularly greens, or greenside bunkers from other holes will appear to part of your target. Here, and also on the approach to the 2nd, it is the Pro Shop and locker rooms that get in your head. Not just visually intimidating, they are actually quite close to the green. You don't want to hit one thin here.
As you work your way out to the back corner of the property, you go past the section of land that was an old quarry. You can see remnants of the quarry buildings on the right. This area is now the Militia Hill course, named for its position overlooking an area steeped in Revolutionary War history. The quarry land was going to be consumed as housing, which prompted the club to buy the land. After a little time of inactivity, the club was asked to do something with the land, and another course seemed appropriate. Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry designed the layout and it opened in 2002 as a wonderful complement to the club’s existing Wissahickon course. It also give the club a unique feature that it has 3 courses, each created in a different century.
The houses behind the par four 14th would have been a lot closer had the club not proceeded with Militia Hill. This shot shows a great example of the Tillinghast visual effect. The green of the 15th hole sits in behind just to provide enough visual confusion as you approach. Sadly, GPS devices and lasers take away a lot of this uncertainty, but if you were trying to "eyeball" your distance, you could imagine the challenge.
The shot from the back tee of the par three 15th. The green of the 14th appears in your vision on the left, and it's redan style green adds more challenge when playing, regardless of whether you are here at 240 yards, or the more pleasant 190 that we played from.
The approach to the par four 17th. A great hole for those who prefer to play a draw. However, too far left and you have a fairway bunker and trees to contend with. The green is a perfect Tillinghast infinity green. Designed to appear as if it is raised above the surrounds, it is actually the same level as the fairway. Bunkers and surrounds have been dug out to give the illusion of a raised green.
The par four 18th is a great finishing hole. Another slight dogleg left, it also flows downhill, with the Lorraine Run intersecting the fairway before the green. Plenty of thought still required to get you into the clubhouse, which sits behind the green, safely. The green is small, and generally there is a decent sized group of "supporters" on the terrace to let you know how you have performed.
A memorial for Tillinghast. His ashes were scattered in the Wissahickon Creek in 1942.
A truly enjoyable day of golf at Cricket. A great club, and certainly well worth visiting to see the great restoration work. A great sign of dedication to the restoration, by Keith Foster, is that he wanted no reference to himself on any club literature. The scorecard shows that this is a Tillinghast course, and that is how Foster wanted it, he just helped restore it.
Nola Faure was the winner here.
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