Tilly in Philly
In a town where the conversation around golf seems to revolve around familiar names and phrases like George Crump, William Flynn, scotch broom, and pine trees, Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon course breaks the mold.
“Cricket” as it’s affectionately referred to by locals is truly unique, blending the brawn of Tillinghast’s work an hour or so north in New York and the gentle, winding hills of greater Philadelphia. Wissahickon exists not just as a golf course, but as an extension–a handshake between two of the greatest golf cities in the world.
The creek where Tillinghast’s ashes were scattered
Founded in 1854, Philadelphia Cricket Club is the one of the oldest clubs in the country, hosting two U.S. Opens in 1907 and 1910 at the St. Martin’s campus in Chestnut Hill. In the following years, Cricket members set their sights on building a new golf course in nearby Flourtown, PA and called upon a member and Philadelphia native who had been cutting his teeth in the golf architecture business around the country: Albert Warren Tillinghast.
A.W. had already worked on familiar names like San Francisco Golf Club, Quaker Ridge, and Winged Foot. He had helped revolutionize a movement of great architects in Philadelphia, yet had never received an opportunity to lay out a true original masterpiece in his hometown.
In Tillinghast’s time, the campus was called Flourtown in honor of its location; the property was renamed Wissahickon in 2002 after the creek and tributary that flows throughout the property, most notably bisecting the twisting downhill 18th. The very same creek was where Tilly’s ashes were spread as a stamp of approval over his tireless work to create an everlasting venue fit for the game at his home club.
Today, Wissahickon is one of the finest representations of Tillinghast design. The golf course has an exceptional sense of timing and variety, rarely letting a player make the same swing twice. Look no further than the exceptional par threes, ranging from just over 120 yards to 240 yards as an example of Tillinghast repeatedly asking the modern golfer a variety of questions. Tillinghast took pride in working for his homeclub, leaving behind trademarks of his architectural gift and style like the maze of bunkers on hole 7’s “Great Hazard” or the bemusing tilt of hole 9’s green.
The routing of Wissahickon is a testament to the hard work taken by Philadelphia Cricket Club members to locate a piece of land fitting for Tillinghast’s genius. The golf course dapples over the traditional Philadelphian hills and winds itself around the now defunct train line that used to bring business to this section of the suburbs.
The 122 yard par three third hole
Most importantly, however, Tillinghast and Philadelphia Cricket Club never lost sight of the fact that the game of golf in Philadelphia is not solely meant to test players, but to bring them closer together; after all, it is the City of Brotherly Love.
Cricket Club’s commitment to being a walking club which honors the game and its traditions can be found in the caddie yard, on the range with members, up the stairs in the understated locker room, on the patio overlooking the 1st tee, and in every step you take at Wissahickon.
Cricket does not tell you it’s history, it shows you it.
