Woodcrest CC is a neat William Flynn course in Cherry Hill, NJ. Its less than a half hour to downtown Philadelphia . Built as a 9 holer in 1929, it was lengthened soon after . It later became a private enclave for Jewish golfers who couldn't gain membership at some of the prestigious clubs in the area . Its is a hidden gem , always in spectacular condition with challenging twisted and turns. Some excellent greens only increase the fun .
I caddied there , starting at 11 years old before graduating to PIne Valley after high school. My friends and I who worked there loved the place , and would never have been exposed to golf without Woodcrest. It was a club full of characters both as members and in the caddy yard . No working papers , just show up and keep quiet!
When it was purchased a few years ago I was lucky enough to sit in on an early meeting where the new owners discussed their plans. Having such fond memories of my youth there it was really fun to share in the meeting. It became an interesting case study on golf course operations and perception for me.
I might be off on date, but Woodcrest did a big time renovation of the clubhouse , I'm guessing circa 1990-1995. Very expensive $ One of the keynotes was a beautiful veranda with great views of the course , specifically a difficult par five over water . I'm guessing that the thought process was to see everyone finish on this challenging hole. So they flipped the nines . Makes sense , right ? Not really! Its really a tale of two nines.
When we caddied there the first hole (par 4) played alongside the practice range , almost due east . There was plenty of room so the range didn't pose an issue. Its now the 10th hole. The nine was challenging but fun , with a neat short five (2) followed by three beautiful holes. Three is one of the better four pars in Philadelphia , with water and enough length to challenge the best player. Four is a nice par three up a hill, and five gently turns left off an elevated tee. The nine finishes with the aforementioned par five , by far the toughest hole for most players. That's the rub.
The back nine was shorter , with precision trumping distance . I often thought ten was the hardest tee shot on the course, its now the first one. Eighteen was a short par four (365) which afforded lots of pars and an occasional birdie for players. Plenty of good golf between but easier than the other nine .
So , do we go for a trunk slamming finish or not ? I'm thinking 40-37=77 or 51+46=97 make for happier campers . Then there's the pace of play issue. , oh boy !