Is Cobbs Creek the Most Important Project in American Golf?

Philadelphia might be the best hole-for hole golf city in America. The problem is it’s almost all private golf. Aronimink, Merion, Pine Valley and Philadelphia Cricket Club— host site of the Truist and Creator Classic May 7th— are all absolute dreamscapes of golf and, yet, most people will never play them.

If you run in the hyper-nerdy circles of Golf Course Architecture you’ve no doubt heard of the Philadelphia School of Architecture, a collection of Main Line Philadelphia Blue Bloods who designed and or influenced almost all of the great courses in the United States. George C. Thomas, William Flynn and A.W. Tillinghast may not be household names, but the courses they designed are an absolute Murderer’s Row of American Golf; Shinnecock Hills, Riviera, San Francisco Golf Club and Winged Foot to name a few.

The youngest member of the group was a man named Hugh Wilson, a Princeton graduate whose first golf project came at Merion, where he was a member and one of the top players at the club.

Wilson, Tillinghast and others were believers that a public course should be built that would serve the 99.9% that might never see Merion, Philly Cricket or any of the other great private clubs of the day. They began plans for a golf course at Cobbs Creek. Members of the Philadelphia School of Architecture banded together to present a plan and the city approved the project in 1915. On Memorial Day 1916 the people of Philadelphia had a world class public golf course.

Cobbs Creek was hosting important exhibitions almost as soon as it opened. The club was the site of the USGA PubLinks Championship in 1928. The PGA TOUR would visit Cobbs Creek in 1955 and ‘56. The 36-hole facility was delivering for amateurs, professionals, men, women, white, Black— if you loved golf, you were welcomed at Cobbs Creek.

Somehow, this historic place in one of the most golf-crazed cities in America, fell into disrepair and eventually closed in 2020.

Today, the Cobbs Creek Foundation is working diligently to bring back the golf course— and a lot more. There will be a golf course, a short course, a driving range, public spaces for people to recreate, a learning center, and programs for area youth to receive educational, social and emotional support. All of this while being stewards to their environment and community.

Land Steeped In History

Philadelphia, our nation’s first capital, was founded by William Penn who was a Quaker. The influence of the Quaker faith to the culture and politics of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was massive. Quakers viewed slavery as not only a peculiar but also a dishonorable institution. By 1780 the Commonwealth began working towards the abolition of slavery— the first such political stance in all of the Americas— which led to a society where free people of color could move in relative safety when compared to other parts of the young United States of America.

Because of this cultural climate, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia became a popular destination for those seeking freedom in the North. The land that Cobbs Creek occupies is part of that story in that safe houses that were part of the Underground Railroad are within a stone’s throw of the first tee. Given this history of freedom it’s no surprise or coincidence that one of America’s first great Black professionals, Charlie Sifford, developed his game at Cobbs Creek.

A Place For All

A beacon for public golf in America, Cobbs Creek opened to rave reviews and was patronized by both men and women— a rarity in 1916. Women have always been a part of the Cobbs Creek story from the beginning. One of the highlights being an exhibition match featuring four of America’s top amateur women golfers in 1926 attended by over 2,000 golf fans.

The aforementioned Sifford is the most famous Black golfer to call Cobbs Creek home, but Cobbs Creek was the home for almost all the Black players in Philadelphia. Butch “Pancho” Thornton, Jr. remembers one important character you won’t find in the history books. “They called him Oscar the Computer,” Thornton said, “And he would sit and take bets all day, taking action on what people would shoot on what we called The Back Five."

The Back Five was a natural loop in the routing of the Karakung course at Cobbs Creek (a 36-hole facility with the Olde Course and the Karakung.) Oscar the Computer would sit on a bench and take action. “The brothers would play in the afternoon, and Oscar would ask them when they got to the tee, “what you think you can shoot on these five?” and people would say 2-over par or whatever, and Oscar would give them a bet. They could take it or leave it. Oscar made a lot of money.” Thornton said through a chuckle.

We need this place, man. We all need it.

Pacho Thrornton grew up in West Philadelphia, just a quick bus ride or long walk to Cobbs Creek. His father Butch Sr. ran the bar at Rolling Green Country Club where Pancho would first hold a club and learn the basics. But it was at Cobbs Creek where he learned to play. “I caddied at Cobbs when I was eleven and twelve. Made a lot of money for a kid back then.” he recalled. Mentored by the old timers that frequented the club, Thornton would grow to be a scratch player, a top local caddie (he guided Matt Every to the Round of 32 in the 2005 U.S. Amateur) and he now teaches golf at the Strawberry Green Driving Range. He is passionate about Cobbs Creek and excited for its rebirth. “We need this place, man,” he told me, “We all need it.”

A Community Rises

Whenever a course closes, a passionate group of folks will inevitably pop up with eyes set on taking over. There have been a few such groups with dreams of revival for the property, but in the end it is the Cobbs Creek Foundation that appears to have the vision, the drive, and the acumen to bring the course back to life. An essential part of this effort is the philanthropic Maguire Foundation.

The Maguire Foundation was created by James and Frances Maguire after James had built a fortune in the insurance business. As a child James was bright and hard working but struggled academically. He served in the Korean War and enrolled at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s University upon his return. It was at St. Joe’s that he learned that he was dyslexic which explained his early academic struggles. Today, much of the charity and philanthropy the Maguire Foundation supports has an academic element. Cobbs Creek is no different.

The Foundation entered a lease with the city of Philadelphia in 2022 with a vision to create far more than a golf course. Their goal is to bolster the surrounding community with educational, social and emotional programs for youth. Beyond that, they aim to be stewards of their immediate environment, and the environs that are affected up and downstream of Cobbs Creek. And, yes, the hope to build a great golf course for all to enjoy.

It’s easiest to look at the renovation project in phases.

The first phase of the project features the completion of the TGR Learning Lab (of course Tiger Woods, who named his son after Charlie Sifford, is involved.) We’re talking about a 30,000-foot facility that will operate year-round. Students and their families will have access to STEM curriculum, design labs, and support staff for guidance. “There may be another Charlie Sifford or Tiger Woods who comes out of West Philadelphia, I don’t know,” Chief Operating Officer Enrique Hervada said, “but I do know that every kid that comes through here is going to be better off for being part of what we’re doing. This is about a lot more than just golf. It’s about helping these kids find a path to achieving their full potential.”

Other parts of the first phase include a driving range, a reservoir, a short course, a heritage center with food and beverage offerings. Completion is set for May of 2025.

The last piece of the first phase is the civil engineering of the work done on the creek itself. It is important that any work done on the golf course will not negatively impact the flow on the creek both upstream and downstream. The plan is to create an environment that is flood-resistant, creates over 25 acres of new wetlands, and effective water distribution. Don Dissinger, a licensed architect with a degree in civil engineering who was a critical part of restoration work done at Merion, heads this effort for the Foundation.

The second and final phase will deliver 27 holes of golf designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. It’s a special project for the dynamic duo of modern architecture as they are both passionate Philadelphia residents. Wagner even competed at Cobbs Creek as a junior.

In review, a property that the city viewed as a “stranded asset” will now render; a two-story driving range, 36 holes of golf, a TGR learning center, a restaurant, and a heritage center. The entire project is on schedule (for now) to be completed by the end of 2027.

None of this work is easy. All of it will benefit the communities that border Cobbs Creek. Job creation and educational opportunities are the low hanging fruit. Environmental efforts will also benefit many who never set foot on the property. The more subtle need is for public spaces that can galvanize people over a common pursuit like golf. We need that now, maybe more than ever.

The Cobbs Creek foundation has made tremendous strides but there is still a long way to go. The PGA TOUR’s Truist Championship has recently announced a $750,000 donation. Jordan Spieth also made a sizable $250,00 contribution and will be on site during the tournament week to give a clinic and raise awareness.

While the effort to date has been funded by private individual and corporate donations, there is hope that public funds may come available as they near completion. As the old saying goes, “nobody does anything great alone.” You can help with a donation here.