July 1916
THE Philadelphia Public Golf
Course, located in Cobbs Creek Park
was opened to the public on May 30th.
At the close of the day 118 had registered
by paying the registration fee
of $1. One hundred and fifty caddies
had collected long before the caddie
master, William Coughlin, had appeared.
No uniform rate had been
decided upon, and the caddies received
whatever the players chose to give.
All of the lockers, which number 412
for men and 101 for women, have
been taken or reserved. The charge
made for these is $10 for each locker.
Aug 1916
THE BEST score made to date over
the new public course at Cobbs Creek
was turned in by Joe Seka, professional
to the Stenton Field Club. His
card read 78.
Sept 1916
ALREADY the Public Course at Cobbs
Creek at Philadelphia has been a
trouble breeder. A number of players
formed a club for the purpose of conducting
tournaments over the Public
Links and although they announced
that these tournaments would in no
way interfere with the play of others
there were some who strongly opposed
any such procedure. Despite the opposition
the club was formed and is
known as the Cobbs Creek Golf Club
and on the 19th of August they held
a tournament which was won by Mr.
J. J. Moriarty with the gross score of
107 and a handicap of 30. The best
gross score was made by Mr. J. J.
Sheehan, who made the round in 93.
Nearly fifty players competed.
February 1917
A GREAT DEAL of criticism is being
leveled at the public course of Philadelphia
at Cobb's Creek. Some contend
that while most of the holes are
for a good test of the game, they,
nevertheless, are not open enough for
the requirements of a public links.
But it is not the course itself which is
proving unsatisfactory so much as its
government. It is contended that the
fees which are demanded are greatly
in excess of those which the real public
may afford. As it is now Cobb's
Creek offers opportunities to those
golfers of Philadelphia who have been
members of other clubs but who take
advantage of the privileges of the
public courses because it is less expensive
than the regular organizations.
The chief argument which made
Philadelphia's public course possible
brought forth the fact that there were
thousands of working people in the
city, who would play golf if they
might do it inexpensively. At present
these very people seem to be quite remote
from golf as ever before. Certainly
the Park Commissioners have
made a number of ignorant blunders.
Such bungling is inexcusable for the
Commission might have the advice of
those who really know the game, but
evidently they have resented too much
poaching on their preserve.
As an illustration of this, a prominent
Philadelphia newspaper, before
the course was opened, offered to provide
a permanent trophy and annual
prizes to be contested for only by those
who held membership in no golf clubs
and this offer received the endorsement
of the Golf Association of Philadelphia.
Assuredly this was a step in
the right direction, for here was an incentive
offered the very people for
whom the public course should have
been provided. The offer absolutely
was ignored by the Park Commission
and as the newspaper deemed it unwise
to force a gift upon those who
wished not to receive it, no further
move was made. The incident simply
illustrates the conduct of Philadelphia's
public course.
The Quaker City was among the
last of America's big cities to build a
public course, and it is to be regretted
that it seems to be the last to realize
the true significance of one. For a
number of years requests for the
building of a public course were unheeded.
Probably the ridicule and
badgering of the press did more to
secure the course than years of supplication.
Possibly a bit of the same
medicine might be a good thing at this
time. Those who find it necessary to
partake of their meals at an Automat
usually do not have the price of terrapin
in their clothes.
IT IS TO be regretted that more clubs
April 1917
THE PUBLIC links at Cobb's Creek
took a long while to build, principally
because the Philadelphia Council and
the Park Commissioners could not
make up their minds to build them.
Since the Municipal course was
opened there have been many whisperings
of displeasure and assertions
that the real public was not being
given due consideration. Charges
for lockers and incidentals have been
deemed excessive and ever since the
opening of the course an unseemly
number of players, already associated
with club courses, crowded the course
to the exclusion of the humble working man.
No public institution can be free of
criticism, but undoubtedly the conduct
of the Cobb's Creek Public
Course has not been free from blunderings.
This is unfortunate and it
is to be hoped that the committee in
charge will take proper steps to
remedy the evils.
Last year a coterie of players
formed a club known as the Cobb's
Creek Golf Club for the purpose of
conducting tournments over the public
course. Certainly no objections
could be found, for the club declared
that they asked for no privileges other
than those extended to the general
public. Similar organizations exist in
other cities where public courses are
maintained. But evidently the path
of this new club was not destined to
be strewn with flowers. Dissentions
arose and these ruptures furnished a
toothsome morsel for space writers.
First the original officers were blamed
and immediately these injured individuals
naturally were indignant,
which furnished more material for
the public press. Bickerings not only
bring the public course before the
public unfavorably, but certainly they
do the game of golf no good. Unpleasant
things may be written about
golf and all other sports and all other
happenings of life, for that matter,
but certainly nothing can be gained by
unnecessary publicity. However, if
the Cobb's Creek Public Course is not
being governed and conducted as it
should be, the Park Commission
should be advised by the heads of
Philadelphia golf and above all else
no stone should be left unturned to
provide a golf course for the people
of Philadelphia who cannot afford a
membership in a golf club and these
public privileges should be offered
with as little expense as may be possible.
June 1920
But for genuine golf activity, the most
enthusiastic type can be seen at
Cobb's Creek, the lone Philadelphia
public links, any day in the week.
The official figures on attendance
how that the number playing there
has doubled since the first year,
1916, and from the start there this
year so far, it looks as if the
figures would be trebled. The
month the course was opened only
230 played it, but the next month
the figure jumped to 2500, and even
during the war the statistics month
by month in fair weather show a
steady climb upwards. In f a c t t h e
numbers playing have increased so
that the golf there, to a mere onlooker,
does not appear in any degree
comfortable. The majority of
players are duffers, liable to hit
the ball 200 inches or 200 yards.
From sixsomes down to onesomes
they are strung along every bit of
fairway, tee, green, rough and
water of the course; some within
one-shot distance of the next
match, some creeping up on
another in stealthy, topped-midiron
shots; some playing through a
match that has just found that
"lost ball." upon which the "lost
ball" match hits the ball regardless
and eagerly enters a race to regain
its lost position while the match
that has gone through ducks a golf
ball barrage, but is powerless to go
through the match ahead in turn.
Players even come there from New
Jersey, automobiles are parked
there as if at a ball game, and
doing work on the course is becoming
increasingly difficult owing
to the fact that it is hard to flag
the unending parade of players
over the course to get a chance to
do any repairing or constructive
work on the much-tramped links.
All this is turning the attention
of the more enthusiastic players to
the possibilities of urging an otherwise
engaged city council to set
out other public links. It has been
argued that at least three more
such courses are essential, as there
should be one in each of the four
corners of the city. There has
been considerable talk of placing
one on League Island to take care
of the southern portion of the city
and another one in Frankford for
the northern population, both of
these being crowded sections of
Philadelphia where a great playground
such as this would be a
blessing. These new courses will
doubtless come in time. Meantime
Cobb's Creek is outdoing itself
in the matter of accommodations
and getting the golfers off the tees
without a hitch.