The ACE club in Phillie. What's the story?

[Matt_Ward]

I read somewhere about a new private club in the immediate Phillie area called The Ace Club -- I trust that's the name. Understand the course will max out to 7,500 yards and is on some decent terrain.

Can anyone fill in the gaps for me?

Thanks!

[Mike_Sweeney]

http://www.theaceclubonline.com

Matt

One of the principals has posted here. It is on the site of Eagle Lodge GC where I played a few high school matches. Sounds like Eagle Lodge is gone and now a new Gary Player design, looks like a corporate deal all the way. Looks like a summer opening.

[Dave_Miller]

Matt:
This, I believe, is a Corporate deal all the way.  Conferences and Golf.  Probably will be a Corporate CCFAD.  TEPaul may be able to provide definitive answers (as always Oh where's Pat Mucci )

[Mike_Cirba]

The really interesting part to me is that Warren Henderson of Arcadia Bluffs fame is doing the design for Gary Player.  

I plan to stop by soon because it is clearly interesting land, if challenging in spots.  

[Dexter_Gresh]

Eagle Lodge was owned for years by The Cigna Insurance Company.  It was initially used as a club for it's employees, but they had opened it to the public as well some years back.  There is a conference center on the site as well.

The club and conference center were part of the sale of the Cigna property-casualty division to Ace (a Bermuda-based insurer) 3-4 years ago.  Ace tore up the old course and tore down the old clubhouse and are building a new Gary Player designed course in it's place, and it's my understanding that it will again be a private club.

It's a shame, as I quite enjoyed the Eagle Lodge course.  I don't have any details on the new layout.

[Dan Herrmann]

Any news on the ACE club (suburban Philly), now that it's been open for a few years?

I noticed that they don't have a team in the Philadelphia Golf Association "GAP" matches this year.

It's a Gary Player design that I haven't seen in person.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Membership sales,or lack therof, have hurt this club since the beginning.

[Jason McNamara]

For those wanting a look at the course, it was featured on the Golf Channel - Playing Lessons with the Pros.  And yes, the pro was Gary Player.  Don't remember much, other than Gary hitting a 45-yd bunker shot to ~5 feet.

[TEPaul]

I think the ACE Club is like the third or fourth iteration of a course and club on the same property. I think I remember something about Eagle Lodge as essentially being the club and course that the local PGA section pros around here used for many of their tournaments. If anything around here was, that place was sort of like their home course.

I think that was what is the ACE Club now used to be but maybe I'm thinking about another one over in that area.

You have to understand I've gotten a bit goofy these days. Actually I probably have been for about a dozen years but being on the boards of GAP and the PA Golf Associations for so many years I sure did see most all the clubs in this over-all area and plenty of others around the state.

But even back when I played a lot of tournament golf sometimes I'd get a bit mixed up. Thinking I was going to a particular club I'd get it mixed up with another one I knew, I'd go to the wrong one and I'd have to sometimes hie on across town at high-speed just to make my starting time without getting DQed.

[JESII]

You're thinking right Tom...at least as right as we've come to expect...

[TEPaul]

Well, I'm right most of the time but there is the occasional exception. Generally I just hope the mistake isn't too bad like that time I was really speeding from New York to Palm Beach through the night. I still don't know where I took a wrong turn but I didn't realize it until I saw the lights of New Orleans!

[JESII]

I can see that. Shoot west out of Jacksonville by mistake and you don't see anything out of the ordinary for about 200 miles...

[TEPaul]

"I can see that. Shoot west out of Jacksonville by mistake and you don't see anything out of the ordinary for about 200 miles..."

Actually, to me pretty much everything you see down that particular 200 mile corridor is out of the ordinary but extremely consistent nonetheless.

[JESII]

Consistently out of the ordinary...I love it. Sounds like a recipe for good golf.

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom,

You're right, that's the 3rd course on the same property.

It began around 1927 as Roxborough Country Club designed by Herb Jewson.

Then Rees Jones built Eagle Lodge in the 80s, followed by Gary Player/Warren Henderson and the Ace Club.

[TEPaul]

"It began around 1927 as Roxborough Country Club designed by Herb Jewson."


MichaelC:

Is that right? I'm not going to let a piece of research info like Herb Jewson designed that 1927 Roxborough course just slip right through the GOLFCLUBATLAS.com investigative kitchen without some serious grilling.

Who the hell is Herb Jewson??

I want you two Uber-research moles, you and Joe Bausch, to do a complete passenger manifest list search on Herb Jewson including when he first arrived in this country. And that's not all----I want all the records from when he went through Ellis Island's Immigration Center, including the Immigration counter he was at and the name of the US Immigration Officer who interviewed him. I am not ready to accept, at this time, that Herb J's family name was Jewson, and if it wasn't, I think a lawsuit against US Immigrations and that US Immigration officer who may've given him that name, is definitely in order.

I want your full report on my desk first thing tomorrow morning!!! You and Bausch better ACE this assigment in the next 24 hours or you both are going to be in some deep do-do.

[Craig Disher]

Tom,
I'm surprised you didn't have H. Jewson's c.v. in your rolodex.    He was an Irish golf pro living in Phildelphia. He left Huntington Valley for Roxborough around 1920.

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom Paul,

I'm shocked...stunned really...at your obvious lack of knowledge at Roxborough Country Club's history, not to mention the classical architectural work of one Herb Jewson. 

Get with the program, will you?   

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Jim Furyk hosts the Exelon Invitational there on June 8 this year:

http://www.exelongolf.com/schedule.html

[TEPaul]

“Tom,
I'm surprised you didn't have H. Jewson's c.v. in your rolodex.       He was an Irish golf pro living in Phildelphia. He left Huntington Valley for Roxborough around 1920.”


“Tom Paul,

I'm shocked...stunned really...at your obvious lack of knowledge at Roxborough Country Club's history, not to mention the classical architectural work of one Herb Jewson. 

Get with the program, will you?”   




Craig and MikeC:

Well, shit, fellows, why do you think I’m on here all the time if not to learn these incredibly important golf architectural historic facts from you furry little research moles?

[Joel_Stewart]

The really interesting part to me is that Warren Henderson of Arcadia Bluffs fame is doing the design for Gary Player.  

Warren use to post here until getting into a pissing match with Doak a few years ago.   

I've tried to follow his career after doing such a great job at Arcadia Bluffs and then he fell into oblivion???  Maybe working for Player will do that.

I hope this turns out great and wish him good luck.