1927: Flynn's Philly Country Club is introduced

[Joe Bausch]

To continue a theme of Golden Age (IMO) golf courses, here is the introduction of Philly Country Club in the Public Ledger on May 29, 1927.




And a couple of cheapo pictures:

[TEPaul]

If the photographer in that bottom photo valued his health and well being I sure hope he got out of the way of those two old coots. Do you think that old guy on the left with his bottle-bottom glasses can even see which golf course he's on?

[Joe Bausch]

If that guy in black would start his backswing, well, that fellow in the Coke-bottle glasses will be sorry!

"Fore!....  I guess I should have yelled 2!"

[TEPaul]

Joe:

Can't you just see that guy in black taking his swipe at the ball and then after about fifteen seconds and while holding his finish just keeling over dead?

[Peter Wagner]

Nice grip Mr. President!

These two guys would fit right in at the card room at LACC.  Every time I go there I make a point of visiting the boys in the card room where average age has got to be 100.  You should see the fights about cheating!  My favorite dirty trick is to walk in and say "hi boys!", they all look up and nod and then nobody can remember whose turn it is.  It's really fun.

Mr. Brown on the left would be referred to as a whipper-snapper at Thunderbird CC where the average age is 89.  Wonder how long the member-member takes?

Best,
Peter
 

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom/Peter,

Edward T. Stotesbury also drove the inaugural teeshot from the first tee at Cobb's Creek on May 30, 1916.

At the time, he was President of the Fairmount Park Commission, and I believe he started to play golf around this time.   I saw a later account of him playing on vacation in Florida.

From the look of that stance and grip, and a picture I have of him teeing off at Cobbs, it doesn't appear that he learned much about technique during the intervening years before the opening of Philly Country Club. 

[Bill Shotzbarger]

That picture of the clubhouse is eerie for me - I drove by there everyday in high school for practice. The building literally holds dirt, sand and lawnmowers these days.

[Peter Wagner]

That picture of the clubhouse is eerie for me - I drove by there everyday in high school for practice. The building literally holds dirt, sand and lawnmowers these days.

Mr. Brown and Mr. Strotsbury will not be happy to here that.  Bummer.  Makes you wonder what will happen to our current local home clubhouses in 80 years?

- Peter

[TEPaul]

MikeC:

It looks like Mr Stotesbury's valet forgot to tell him that day was not the day to go to the bank but the day to go to the golf course. 

[Joe Bausch]

J.E. Ford wrote an article on Philly Country Club in May of 1925, not long before the Spring Mill course was about to be built.  The review is long and in two parts.  To me the most interesting part of the article is that it seems many architects might have been called in for the job of the upcoming Spring Mill course (Scheme A is listed as being done by Colt and Allison), but Flynn apparently got the job.

[Joe Bausch]

They apparently did not take much time to lay out the Spring Mill course, including bunkers!  That Ford May 10 article suggests the building of the Spring Mill course has not started, but this November 15 article from the same year (out of the Public Ledger) announces the construction is complete and all that remains is for the grass to grow in:



part 2 of the article:

[David Stamm]

 


 

Is it me, or does this photo of the clubhouse look very California like? The roof looks like Spanish tile and there are some very Moorish looking arches on the side there. It's hard to tell, but it also looks like it has some stucco going on. Does the clubhouse look like this today? Am I way off?

[Mike_Cirba]

I'm not understanding what hole that last article is describing as the 4th, which requires a 200 yard drive over water and which follows a one-shotter?!?   

[TEPaul]

That clubhouse is what is now the maintenance building. It's to the right of the present 14th tee. Edward Stotesbury, the president of this club back then was a big timer. His estate (basically gone now) was unbelievable.

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom,

Mr. Stotesbury drove the first ball at Cobb's Creek.  In fact, this story is pretty cool, so I'll re-type it here;

"The course was officially baptized yesterday by Edward T. Stotesbury with a long mashie shot off the first tee to the rough.  The presiding golfer was much like Jerry Travers, open champion.   He did not like the click of the camera shutters that took his action, and in this way accounts for his opening shot, which was slightly off the line.   It was a clean shot, though, and the large gallery of prominent citizens and city officials woke the country with noisy plaudits."

"The transit magnate was so pleased with this first shot that he immediately teed off again.   He looked up as his club came around to see the birdlike flight of his ball.   Instead of the ball, however, he saw a huge chunk of turf, and thereby had the honor of taking up the first divot on the new course, a million of which are expected to be taken up by the scores of beginners who will play the course in the first week."

"President Robert W. Lesley, of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, was the next golfer to mount the teeing ground.   As an acknowledged golfer, he was expected to show the crowd how the trick was done, and the "honorable prexy" did not disappoint.   He took up a wooden club and landed on the tiny pill with a sweet smack that picked it off its sandy tee for a pretty carry far out in the fairway."

"The last baptizer to step to the bat was Benny Sayers, the granddaddy of golf, both in this country and abroad.   He is one of the most famous characters in the game.   He has taught most of the Kings, Queens, and other royalty, both ancient and modern, the game of golf, and the gallery stepped forward as Benny picked up the famous "dreadnought" driver that he invented, and waggled the huge head over the ball."

"His midget body twisted in perfect balance and the ball sailed away like a bullet from a gun."

""It hasn't stopped yet", said Golfer Stotesbury in amusement some minutes later, as all stood entranced by the shot."

"Benny just missed his putt for a 4 by a fraction of an inch on the first hole.   President Lesley also played out the first hole and got a 6."

[TEPaul]

Well, Mike, if Edward Stotesbury drove the first ball at Cobb's Creek, perhaps he helped fund the course too. Stotesbury was a really rich guy who ran Drexel Co., a financial firm that we will find was a major financer of a lot of stuff going on in America at that time, particularly the American railroads and particularly the Pennsylvania RR which around the beginning of the century apparently had the largest capitalitization of any company in the world.

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom,

Mr. Stotesbury's not still around, is he? 

We sure could use his deep pockets and civic-mindedness these days!     

[TEPaul]

Mike:

In the Depression Stotesbury lost a fortune. I think it took him down to something like a worth of $4 million dollars which is pretty shocking compared to what he was once worth in the Golden Age of the teens and 1920s! 

By the way, Mrs. Stotesbury was a doyen of Palm Beach and the lady who essentially made Addison Mizner, the famous building architect down there. He built the spectacular clubhouses of Seminole and Gulfstream and Boca Raton, but he built the Stotesburys a spectacular house down there I believe called Ille Mirasole, a house on the beach that eventually was owned by Yoko Ono.   

Let's call Yoko Ono to see if she's interested in investing in the restoration of Cobbs Creek. I mean, why the hell not? Why should we be picky? 

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom,

I have no objection to renaming Cobb's Creek to "Strawberry Fields Forever Field Club", or "Imagine Golf Links" or even "Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine National" if that's what it takes to get the job done.   

[TEPaul]

Great idea. Cu Cu Cachoo!

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom,

If you play "Imagine" backwards I think it says;

"Here's another clue, the walrus was Hugh..."

Little known historical fact...

[Mike_Cirba]

Here's Mr. Stotesbury with Robert Lesley and Benny Sayers hitting the opening shot at Cobb's Creek in May, 1916..

[Bill Shotzbarger]

I'm not understanding what hole that last article is describing as the 4th, which requires a 200 yard drive over water and which follows a one-shotter?!?   

The routing was much different than it is today. There's a story about Sam Snead making an 8 on the 18th hole of the U.S. Open, which is now the Par 5 3rd hole. I'm pretty sure this article is describing the present 17th hole, which might have been preceded by the present-11th hole? Not sure which par 3 they're describing.

[Tom_Doak]

I only speed-read the article, but I did not see a mention of William Flynn's name, and no indication that he attended the Grand Opening.

I guess they didn't place as high a value on ribbon-cutting then as now.  Most modern clients INSIST in the design contract that the architect attend the opening, for p.r. purposes.  Although I am sure most architects would show up anyway to take a bow.

[Mike_Cirba]

I only speed-read the article, but I did not see a mention of William Flynn's name, and no indication that he attended the Grand Opening.

I guess they didn't place as high a value on ribbon-cutting then as now.  Most modern clients INSIST in the design contract that the architect attend the opening, for p.r. purposes.  Although I am sure most architects would show up anyway to take a bow.

Tom,

I see you missed it, but William Flynn did play in the first foursome on the course.   It's in the first article Joe posted on this thread. 

Bill,

Yes, I see what you mean..it is mostly likely today's 17, but I have to say I do like that hole late in the round as it is today.   Too bad today's 18th hole isn't as good as the original finale of today's 3rd.

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