Philadelphia 1922

[Thomas MacWood]

What were the best golf courses in Greater Philadelphia in 1922?

[Geoffrey_Walsh]

I would guess Merion, Aronomink, Philly Cricket, Pine Valley, Atlantic City and Cobb's Creek

[TEPaul]

We generally call it the Delaware Valley so we can include Pine Valley in New Jersey. ;0

How many are you looking for----2, 4, 6, 10?

[Thomas MacWood]

Yes include PV. Ten or more.

[TEPaul]

Geoffrey:

You know in 1922 with Aronimink you'd be talking about the old course not the present one. Sort of odd for me to say it because others seem to admire it more than perhaps I do but I think in 1922 I'd have to include Ross' Gulph Mills. There's a sort of odd fact about it---when it opened it was actually longer than it is today and probably one of the longest around at over 6,700 yards. That must have been pretty challenging for that early era. Not to even mention that the 18th hole in 1917 was listed as a par 4 at the same yardage it played as a par 5 for about the next 75 years.

[Mike Sweeney]

Best is subjective. I would think that Merion, The Philly Cricket Club course (not the club) and Pine Valley were the new money clubs and that Overbrook, Sunnybrook and Gulph Mills (all Ross I think)were up there. However with Walter Travis as a US Amateur Champion in 1901 did anything touch the Willie Park Atlantic City CC?

PS. Forgot Whitemarsh.

[Phil_the_Author]

Tom,

You got to it first, but I wanted to thank geoffrey for recognizing Tilly's Aronomink! 

[Kyle Harris]

Merion East
Merion West
Gulph Mills
Huntingdon Valley Noble Course
Pine Valley
Whitemarsh Valley
Torresdale-Frankford
Llanerch CC
Cobb's Creek
Lulu

[Kyle Harris]

Best is subjective. I would think that Merion, The Philly Cricket Club course (not the club) and Pine Valley were the new money clubs and that Overbrook, Sunnybrook and Gulph Mills (all Ross I think)were up there. However with Walter Travis as a US Amateur Champion in 1901 did anything touch the Willie Park Atlantic City CC?

Isn't the Willie Park ACCC actually today's Greate Bay?

[Geoffrey_Walsh]

1. Merion (East)
2. Merion (West)
3. Aronimink
4. Philadelphia Cricket
5. Pine Valley
6. Atlantic City CC
7. Cobb's Creek
8. Huntingdon Valley
9. Philadelphia CC
10. Lancaster

[Geoffrey_Walsh]

Geoffrey:

You know in 1922 with Aronimink you'd be talking about the old course not the present one. Sort of odd for me to say it because others seem to admire it more than perhaps I do but I think in 1922 I'd have to include Ross' Gulph Mills. There's a sort of odd fact about it---when it opened it was actually longer than it is today and probably one of the longest around at over 6,700 yards. That must have been pretty challenging for that early era. Not to even mention that the 18th hole in 1917 was listed as a par 4 at the same yardage it played as a par 5 for about the next 75 years.

I know it was the old course at Aronomink for two reasons... the Library Company of Philadelphia mislabled an aerial and gave me a photo of the old course at Aronimink instead of Cobb's when I went there.  Second, after Stout and Ball were DQ'd and then reinstated by the judge the paper suggested they might try and replay the 1928 Publnks at the old Aronimink course!

Let's substitute out Atlantic City and slot in Gulph Mills.  Atlantic City is a bit far for the Philadelphia area.

[Mike Sweeney]

Best is subjective. I would think that Merion, The Philly Cricket Club course (not the club) and Pine Valley were the new money clubs and that Overbrook, Sunnybrook and Gulph Mills (all Ross I think)were up there. However with Walter Travis as a US Amateur Champion in 1901 did anything touch the Willie Park Atlantic City CC?

Isn't the Willie Park ACCC actually today's Greate Bay?

I don't think so:

http://www.greatebay.com/course.html

[TEPaul]

MikeS:

I believe the 1901 Atlantic City course was designed by the peripatetic pro John Reid not Park. Park's contribution I believe was later, and that was followed by Flynn.

[Lester George]

Ross's original course at DuPont was very strong.  Not many people knew about it.

Lester

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The original Philmont course(South) by Reed opened in 1907 and Ashbourne by Meehan opened in 1921. I don't know where they would fit in here. When did Tillinghast's NLE Cedarbrook open?

[David Stamm]

Pine Valley would be the front-runner, I would assume. I'm sure after learning all the info digged up that Cobbs Creek was considered one of the best. Off the top my head I can't remember time lines on Flynn's body of work, so I'm not sure there. Of course, Merion was well respected. Others I would guess:

Gulph Mills
Sunnybrook
Whitemarsh Valley
Bala

[Thomas MacWood]

Does anyone know what courses hosted the major GAP events in 1922 or just prior?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Answering my own question, the Tillinghast Cedarbrook course opened in 1921.

From the club history a gapgolf.org


Today’s Cedarbrook Country Club is a direct outgrowth of Stenton Country Club, which was founded in 1909 and played its golf on leased ground near Stenton Avenue and Washington Lane in the Chestnut Hill section of the city. But within ten years this land had grown substantially in value. Unable to renew its lease, the club examined a number of sites in North Philadelphia, and in 1919 purchased a tract known then as Cedarbrook Farm. It was bounded by Cheltenham Avenue, Easton Road, and Limekiln Turnpike.
The Stenton members who led the move north were George M. Bridgeman, W.G. McKechney, John E. Wick, Al Pierce, Porter Paine, and A. Raymond Raff. A decision was made to rename the organization Cedarbrook Country Club. Michael Hanson was elected president. He was succeeded by George Bridgeman.
A.W. Tillinghast was commissioned to lay out the course. Though most of the designs for which he would become celebrated were still several years in the future, he had already fashioned two of his best, the eighteens at San Francisco Golf Club and at Somerset Hills, in northern New Jersey. While the 45-year- old Tillinghast was bringing his talents to bear here on gently rolling land that had been used chiefly for grazing cattle, the members, whose lease had expired at the Stenton Avenue course in late summer of 1920, were temporarily playing their golf over at Sandy Run, thanks to a special arrangement with that hospitable club.
On the 4th of July, 1921, the course and clubhouse in Cheltenham Township were formally opened. J. Hampton Moore, Mayor of Philadelphia, personally raised the club emblem to the top of the flagpole and, in a brief address, predicted a long and prosperous life for Cedarbrook. He did not guarantee that the club would stay put.

[Joe Bausch]

Does anyone know what courses hosted the major GAP events in 1922 or just prior?

1922:

GAP amateur championship, June 7-10 at Pine Valley
junior championship, June 26-28, Torresdale
open championship, July 20, 21, Merion
father and son tourney, Sept 6, Whitemarsh
seniors tournament, Sept 12, Old York Road
a couple of spring tournaments:  CC of AC, Bala
some other invitational tourneys:  Green Valley, A'mink, Philmont, Huntington Valley, Philly Cricket, LuLu, Whitemarsh.

1921:

GAP amateur championship, Whitemarsh
open championship:  I think it was originally scheduled for PV but I think it ended up at Whitemarsh; this one I'm not quite sure of yet.
junior championship, Philmont
seniors tournament, Old York Road
father and son, Aronimink
dinner tournament, Merion
Pennsylvania open and amateur championships, both at Merion

[Mike Sweeney]

Was Bala always a short course or did it start out longer and the neighborhood grew around it?

[Thomas MacWood]

I've tried to list out all the courses mentioned. Did I miss any?

Merion East
Merion West
Gulph Mills
Huntingdon Valley
Pine Valley
Whitemarsh Valley
Torresdale-Frankford
Llanerch CC
Cobb's Creek
Lulu
Sunnybrook
Old York Road
CC of Atlantic City
Cedarbrook
Philmont
Bala
Philadelphia Cricket
DuPont
Overbrook
Seaview

[Mike_Cirba]

Seaview

I'll send mine in later...gotta get ready for work.

Also, Green Valley didn't exist in 1922.

Steve's correct that Cedarbrook was a biggie for a number of years, but probably not what TM's looking for here.

[Geoffrey_Walsh]

I've tried to list out all the courses mentioned. Did I miss any?

Merion East
Merion West
Gulph Mills
Huntingdon Valley
Pine Valley
Whitemarsh Valley
Torresdale-Frankford
Llanerch CC
Cobb's Creek
Lulu
Sunnybrook
Old York Road
CC of Atlantic City
Cedarbrook
Philmont
Bala
Philadelphia Cricket
DuPont
Overbrook
Seaview

I also included Lancaster and Philadelphia CC

[Steve_ Shaffer]

 Ashbourne and North Hills  were open before 1922.

[Cabell Ackerly]

I think Philadelphia CC only had nine holes until 1927. The club didn't buy the land for Flynn's Spring Mill course until 1926.