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JC Jones

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The Philadelphia Experiment
« on: October 19, 2010, 01:11:37 PM »
Prior to this past weekend I had never set foot in the city of Brotherly Love.  Philly is widely known as a phenomenal golf city so when an invitation to play Merion came to be, I immediately felt this would be a great opportunity to get an introduction to to Philadelphia area golf.  I tried to get an audience with the pope of Philadelphia golf but alas, I could not find my way on to his calendar.  Instead, my shepherd for the weekend suggested that we play Manufacturer's Golf and Country Club as it is a Flynn gem and very typical of Philadelphia private country club golf.  He also suggested that we play a modern Philadelphia area gem, the Coore & Crenshaw beauty, Hidden Creek.  So, with the itinerary set, I made my way to the northeast to get my introduction on golf, Philadelphia style.

Making my way around the city on 476, I was amazed by the staggering topography.  When passing a slate/shale wall on the highway I couldn't tell if I was in a major metropolitan area or somewhere between Pittsburgh and Breezewood on the Penna Turnpike.  I can't believe how foothills-esque the land is in this area and how abruptly the elevation change is from the Delaware river.  So, as I worked through the turns and the hills with the sun shining on the turning leaves, I knew I'd be in for a great time.

First on the list is the Flynn course, Manufacturer's (or, as the locals say, Mannie's):

The clubhouse at Mannie's is perched on top of a ridge over looking a (Cobb's) creek valley.  The first tee shot sends you down into the valley where you make your way across, along and around the creek.  The course feels anything but contrived and the ability of Flynn to take you seamlessly through the property is magnificent.  I am a routing sucker and I have to say that Mannie's has a tremendous routing.  The holes take you in all different directions up, down and over ridges providing for great variety in holes.  The par 3's range from 180 up hill to 90 yards down hill and the par 4's are of all different lengths and styles.  Sometimes when one play's a course they are faced with repeating or similar tee shots and approach shots on several holes.  At Mannie's, that is not the case.  Below you see the 9th hole as it makes its way back to the clubhouse and the approach on the 17th across the creek.





If Mannie's is "typical" Philadelphia golf then MAN is this city (and its residents) spoiled!!


Next on the docket was the reverential Merion:

One of my good friends and playing partners said to me yesterday that he felt he was "playing golf in a history book."  I would take that one step further and say then when the car pulls into 450 Ardmore Ave, you feel as though you are living in a history book.  That being said, I will not focus on the experience of Merion as I do not want anyone to think that the history, the clubhouse, the frozen mugs, the showers, the locker room, the archives, the best burger in the world nor anything else has ANY bearing on the quality of the golf course.

Merion is the best golf course I have ever played.  At one point in the round I recall saying that the current hole or green site was the best I'd ever seen, only to have it replaced by the next hole.  With every course I have played to date, upon reflection, I have found one or two shots or holes that don't or didn't live up to the rest of the course.  Or, there are sections of the course that are "great" with other sections being "very good."  At Merion, every shot, every approach and every hole is great.  There is no let down on the entire course except for the walk off the 18th green.

Merion is not cramped and Merion is not crowded and I remember walking from the 11th green to the 12th tee where one of my playing partners said that he couldn't believe this was only 120 or 170 or whatever small acreage it actually is.  Truth be told, I had completely forgotten that and the thought hadn't crossed my mind.  I never felt cramped or restricted at Merion (despite pumping two on to Ardmore on the 2nd tee).  The course moves so flawlessly through the property and each hole works so well with the previous one and the next one that as I recount my steps I am ever the more impressed.  Build in the strategy of the bunker placement as they help signal and guide the golfer around the course and the 18 holes make for a brilliant journey.  The greens are, of course, other worldly and worthy of a discussion in their own right.  Being below the hole is never more apparent than on the 12th hole when I made a par from 20 feet below the hole (back right pin) and a playing partner barely breathed on his putt from 15 feet above the hole and was faced with a putt of 20+ feet coming back.  What is ever more impressive is how the greens work so well with the approach shots and the drives in that they reward the previous shot(s) with opportunities and punish those poorly executed.

Below you'll see the 16th.  A wonderful green that protects this relatively short par 4 where a wedge over the quarry is no easy feat when you know that the green is as severe as it is.



What a special day on a special course.  I will forever cherish my time at Merion.


Later that night we made our way about 45 minutes south east of Philly to the sandy soils of south Jersey.  After a wonderful meal in the grille at Hidden Creek and a relaxing night in the phenomenal lodge, I awoke on Sunday morning refreshed and ready for a nice walk on this acclaimed course.

With my only other experience with Coore & Crenshaw being the very underwhelming Sugarloaf Mountain, I was most excited to see some of their better work.  I have to say that I understand now their vision and their work.  Hidden Creek provides such great variety and so many strategic options that I need (and want) many more plays to figure it out.  Although the fairways are very generous, bunkers are well placed to guide the golfer towards the preferred angle and if you want to have the best angle, usually you must negotiate a well placed bunker to take you out of your comfort zone.  The easier driving angles are given the harder approaches to the greens, often times over or around massive bunkers.  Of course, getting to the green is only half the battle as the greens are large and undulating.  Many greens within greens exist and my favorite is the drivable 8th where the member informed me on the tee that there was a "Volkswagon buried in the center" to separate the right side from the left.

Hidden Creek is also a course that builds through the round.  From the relatively benign tee shot on the 1st to the very difficult uphill approach on the 18th, HC works you to a crescendo.  I am glad to have seen this course as it cannot be more different from Merion in topography and style and yet it provides for a great challenge and is a wonderful golf course.  I love the sandy soils and how the course was designed to play firm and fast with all of the greens being open and accessible in the front, ready for you to putt the ball from many yards away.

Below you see the par 3 7th.  A longer par 3 but as you can see there is room to bring the ball in along the ground for a player who can execute a left to right shot.




Is there any question that Philadelphia is in the top 5 for golf cities?  If you don't include Monterrey in the discussion of San Francisco, is there anywhere besides Long Island that can compete?  From the pine/sand barrens to the rocky hills, Philadelphia golf has much diversity and a whole lot of greatness.

My weekend in Philadelphia has me wanting to see more golf in this great city, more Flynn, more C&C, more cowbell (sorry, had to throw it in there) and of course, more handmade wicker baskets.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2010, 01:28:46 PM by JC Jones »
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

jonathan_becker

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2010, 01:18:11 PM »
JC,

Well done.  :)

"At Merion, every shot, every approach and every hole is great.  There is no let down on the entire course except for the walk off the 18th green."

I felt the exact same way during my visit.


Dan Herrmann

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Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2010, 01:26:29 PM »
JC - I'm so glad you noticed the topography of the area.   I live about 30 miles west of Philly, and my golf club is right at the western border of Chester County.  Driving the PA Turnpike from there into NJ is a really amazing journey - you go from the piedmont through the Delaware River valley to the NJ coastal plain.  That all leads to fantastic golf architecture.  It never ceases to amaze me just how lucky Philly is in the golf arena.    And, if you're ever a guest out here, you'll probably notice how low key most of the clubs are. 

You played three wonderful courses, and I agree with you that Merion East is the best course I've ever played.  It's just such a fun experience that you pine to get back.  Combined with Merion West, Merion GC may have just about the perfect blend of world class golf examination and world class golf fun.

I remember playing Hidden Creek and thinking, "Wow".   I told the owner after the round that he really had something special and to never take it for granted.    He smiled and said, "Worry not - I don't!".

I haven't played Manny's yet - I was set to play there in the GAP matches, but it fell through the day before.

Oh yeah, the GAP matches.   Does any golf association come close to the GAP matches?  I've met some great guys and played some great golf.  It's another reason I find Philly so special.


Steve Strasheim

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Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2010, 01:31:10 PM »
Very nice thread.

Enjoyed reading about your trip.

Jeffrey Conners

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Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2010, 02:16:11 PM »
Great post, JC.  I played Manny's on Friday.  The par-3s there are excellent and diverse.  I think #13 is well over 220 yards, though. 

Merion is also the best course I've ever played.  Glad you enjoyed Philadelphia.

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2010, 02:19:21 PM »
Great post, JC.  I played Manny's on Friday.  The par-3s there are excellent and diverse.  I think #13 is well over 220 yards, though. 

Merion is also the best course I've ever played.  Glad you enjoyed Philadelphia.

I agree with your assessment of the par 3's at Manny's.  In fact, in the grille after the round I brought up and we discussed the diversity of the par 3's.  But for the modest similarity between #4 and #11, the par 3's at Manny's are among the most diverse I've seen on a golf course.

We played in some pretty heavy wind last Friday (we must have missed each other!!), thankfully #13 was downwind!
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

JESII

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2010, 02:38:54 PM »
Now you're learning, JC...

TEPaul

Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2010, 03:15:24 PM »
JC:

I'm sorry I was out of town and sorry to have missed you. Come again, there is plenty more to see. I have also always felt that Merion is unusual in that every hole really is good and pretty unique. I feel the same about PV. Just about every green on both courses is something to admire and learn from and that's pretty rare in golf.






"Oh yeah, the GAP matches.   Does any golf association come close to the GAP matches?"

Dan:

Frankly, no. The GAP Team Matches (formerly the Suburban League Matches) include something like 3,500+ players over that 3-4 weeks on the spring and it's been going on that way for over a century. The GAP Team Matches is the biggest reason clubs want to join GAP. It did get a tad hard to manage logisitically, however, when GAP's radius went from 50 miles (from Penn's Hat) to 150 miles some years ago.

Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2010, 03:26:28 PM »
What I took away from my time spent at Merion is what a privilege it was to have spent a few hours of my life walking around a place with so much history. Great golf history. Legendary golf history. The limited knowledge I had of the history of Merion, mostly from books and videos about Jones and Hogan, has been greatly enhanced by spending some quality time with others who know a good bit about the club while perusing the walls and trophy cases in the many different rooms of the clubhouse.

Here's JC taking it all in...


History is evidenced out on the golf course as well...




Merion no doubt has wonderful gca. JC wrote earlier about the golf course having no let downs and I agree with him.  It was an 18 hole thrill ride.  I couldn't help but be impressed with the bold bunkering.  It was very old world looking, menacing at times, and unlike any I have seen in person. The way you come over the hill on 8 after getting past those flanking bunkers and then boom, there is this monster pit with a big hairy lip protecting the green, just begging you to hit it in there! There are so many more killer bunkers and greens...4 is just wow! The green ringed in bunkers, looks like it was dropped in from the UK. Standing in the fairway you have no idea just how much that green tilts towards you. 5 green....are you kidding me? That one is nuts!! The pin was cut all the way up on the right edge.  We had more fun watching each others balls roll back down from there. Fortunately, all in our group likes and appreciates a little tough love on the golf course! 12 green, from above the hole to that pin, nobody is going to two putt that one.  If there is a next time, I won't play my approach so aggressively! I parred 14 and 18 and felt like a world beater. And the wind was blowing 30mph all day!! This kind of golf can't be beat.

One other stand out trait that Merion possesses is it has members and staff who care a great deal about their guests - who are most gracious hosts. I couldn't have felt more at home.  Larry in the locker room....what an asset to the club he is!  Surely, the world of golf is a better place because of Merion Golf Club.  I really had no idea how much I was going to love it but it is off the charts heart pumping love. Funny how golf can do that to a grown man isn't it?
« Last Edit: October 19, 2010, 04:06:34 PM by Eric Smith »

JC Jones

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Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2010, 03:39:49 PM »
Great stuff, Eric.  Thanks to GCA.com we've been able to have a few of these great experiences together and have plans for more.

I want to reiterate Eric's comments regarding the hospitality of the members and staff of Merion.  Our host (and even some of his friends) was very gracious and the staff did not (patently) treat us any different than a member.

I would also extend that to each course I was fortunate to play on this trip.  The members and staffs of Manufacturer's and Hidden Creek were second to none.  Philly is not only a city where the clubs have great golf courses but also a city where the clubs have great people.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Peter Zarlengo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2010, 03:51:27 PM »
JC,

As a newcomer to the Philly area, I've also been excited by all of the great golf there is in the area. But certainly not surprised. It seems like you can't spit in Delaware, Montgomery, or Chester County without hitting a solid looking golf club. And, like you, I'm amazed at the depth and variety. You could show up every weekend for the rest of the year (if you're crazy enough to play golf in PA in December, that is), play three different courses, and probably still not be underwhelmed. Especially when you consider that in all of the other golf course "Meccas" around the globe, Philadelphia seems to have the least going for it in terms of landscape.

Merion seems to epitomize that as it's really nothing more than two tilted parcels of land with creeks running through them, bisected by a road. Still, as TEPaul alluded to, there's not a "just ok" hole out there. It's been a thrill and education for me to be out there so much (sadly, most of my time is spent on the ripped up driving range, where I'm probably just out of the shot of your photo of #16 green).

Glad you enjoyed your time here.

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2010, 03:58:44 PM »
JC:

I'm sorry I was out of town and sorry to have missed you. Come again, there is plenty more to see. I have also always felt that Merion is unusual in that every hole really is good and pretty unique. I feel the same about PV. Just about every green on both courses is something to admire and learn from and that's pretty rare in golf.


No worries, Tom, I will be back again (and hopefully soon).  I will admit that when you told me that I didn't need to know anything prior to playing Merion I did not see the brilliance in that remark at first.  You told me to contrast my vision and what I actually saw and now I see how brilliant that was.  Merion is unlike anything I had envisioned and I think that actually visiting and walking the property is the only way to understand and appreciate what Merion is.  Unique is a great word to describe it.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Joe Bausch

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #12 on: October 19, 2010, 04:28:55 PM »
JC, if you would like to learn more about Merion via the 1916, 1924, and 1930 US Amateur tourneys they hosted, check out this web page I put together from my microfilm searching over the years:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/golf/merionweb/merion_web.html
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

George Pazin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #13 on: October 19, 2010, 04:55:11 PM »
Hope you had the chance to enjoy a good cheesesteak.

Thanks for the pics and thoughts.
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Peter Pallotta

Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2010, 05:10:46 PM »
JC - for a crab-apply type, you sure do engender a surprising amount of affection and good will amongst the golfing fraternity. It must be that pensive and slightly perturbed pose you so artfully assume, as you did there by the Merion trophies. Also, is that Par 3 7th at Hidden Creek all that a fellow needs, or what? It sure looks it to me.

Best, happy for you

Peter

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #15 on: October 19, 2010, 05:16:16 PM »
JC - for a crab-apply type, you sure do engender a surprising amount of affection and good will amongst the golfing fraternity. It must be that pensive and slightly perturbed pose you so artfully assume, as you did there by the Merion trophies.

The shirt is actually more of a granny smith color than crab-apple.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Tony Weiler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #16 on: October 19, 2010, 05:17:35 PM »
JC - for a crab-apply type, you sure do engender a surprising amount of affection and good will amongst the golfing fraternity. It must be that pensive and slightly perturbed pose you so artfully assume, as you did there by the Merion trophies. Also, is that Par 3 7th at Hidden Creek all that a fellow needs, or what? It sure looks it to me.

Best, happy for you

Peter
Peter, I think JC is in a "beard puller stance," if I'm not mistaken. 

Peter Pallotta

Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #17 on: October 19, 2010, 05:23:29 PM »
You are not mistaken, Tony. He is the 'granny smith' of beard-pullers; always has been. He is also a tad flinty, like they say Tom Kite was back in the day....

(What they hell am I doing - TRYING to peg myself as some dead-weight adding nothing to threads?)

Peter

Tony Weiler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #18 on: October 19, 2010, 05:44:15 PM »
Eric, thanks for the pics.  I see the many divots close to the place where Hogan hit his one iron.  Does it appear that many drop a ball there and try to "replicate" the shot?  How far is it, and does anyone really carry a one iron anymore?  I think that perhaps you do, or something similar, like a "driving iron." 

Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #19 on: October 19, 2010, 08:16:56 PM »
Eric, thanks for the pics.  I see the many divots close to the place where Hogan hit his one iron.  Does it appear that many drop a ball there and try to "replicate" the shot?  How far is it, and does anyone really carry a one iron anymore?  I think that perhaps you do, or something similar, like a "driving iron." 

TW,

I didn't try a shot from Hogan's plaque -- but Jason did and he stuck his shot a foot from the cup!  Well his ball mark was a foot from the cup, but still it was thrilling while in flight seeing his hybrid strike on a frozen rope towards the orange wicker basket.

Rob_Waldron

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Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #20 on: October 20, 2010, 08:09:34 AM »
JC

Glad you enjoyed your visit to tht City of Brotherly Love. There are some truly hidden gems (I hate that term however in this case it is very appropriate) in the Philadelphia area. BTW the creek at Manny's is Sandy Run Creek. The creek runs through Lu Lu. Manny's and of course Sandy Run CC.

The routing at Manny's is unique considering that if you play #18 as a par 5 there are five par 3's, five par 5's and only eight par 4's. The tram from the lower 18th green up to the clubhouse is also a special. I caddied there from junior high through college and still consider the course in my top 10 favorites. You never get bored witht he course. They also used to have the best half way house dogs on the East Coast. Nothing like one of George's well done Dietz & Watson dogs with some Guldens mustard!

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #21 on: October 20, 2010, 08:19:36 AM »
Rob,

There were some members playing the upper green on #18 as sort of a par 3 19th hole so we played the lower, ridiculously great, green.

I didn't have a hot dog but the Sheep House is really special and shows off the character of Manny's and the history of the land on which it sits.  There is so much variety in the holes out there I can easily see how one would not tire of playing there on a regular basis. 
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #22 on: October 20, 2010, 08:52:01 AM »
Did you go to Pat's or Geno's? I hear their rivalry is only matched in Philly by TEPaul/Cirba vs. Macwood/Morarty  :) ;)
H.P.S.

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #23 on: October 20, 2010, 08:54:56 AM »
Did you go to Pat's or Geno's? I hear their rivalry is only matched in Philly by TEPaul/Cirba vs. Macwood/Morarty  :) ;)

Neither.  Was too busy with the snapper soup!
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Philadelphia Experiment
« Reply #24 on: October 20, 2010, 09:09:58 PM »
I don't mean to embarrass my friend, well maybe a little bit, but has anyone who has played Merion ever seen someone play their 3rd shot from here on 13?


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