Founded in 1916, Gulph Mills Golf Club had an 18-hole layout in play three years later, once Donald Ross had built the course for the membership. Unusually, the modern day course retains a short set of par five holes.
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Founded in 1916, Gulph Mills Golf Club had an 18-hole layout in play three years later, once Donald Ross had built the course for the membership. Unusually, the modern day course retains a short set of par five holes.
According to the book The Life and Work of Wayne Stiles by Bob Labbance and Kevin Mendik, “Gulph Mills is located on rolling property just southwest of Philadelphia on part of the original land grant in 1684 from William Penn to Peter Yocum. Portions of that property were then sold to the Hughes family in 1697 and named the Walnut Grove Farm. The next change occurred in 1916 when a portion was sold to the newly formed Gulph Mills Golf Club.”
Donald Ross designed the club’s course and it opened for play in May of 1919 at a construction cost (excluding land acquisition) of $92,277, which was more than three times the original estimate. For some reason, all of the putting surfaces were rebuilt after only five years in operation, though Donald Ross recommended renovating four of these new greens in 1926.
Perry Maxwell changed five greens (the 8th and 10th in 1934, the 11th and 14th in 1937 then the 7th a year later) before Wayne Stiles drew up a comprehensive hole-by-hole report for the club in 1940, focusing mainly on the replacement of the Ross bunkers. William Gordon became the club’s course consultant for a time then Robert Trent Jones was called in to advise on modifications to several holes in 1966.
"I've simplified the [architect] credits for this course", commented Tom Doak in The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses , “everyone from Flynn to Bill Gordon to Robert Trent Jones tinkered with it at some point, but Gil Hanse has thankfully sorted through the hodgepodge of styles and restored the best of Ross' and Maxwell's work. There are a few holes that would rate with Philly's finest, including the short 4th across a deep valley, and the 6th and 11th with their distinctive and severe Maxwell greens – but there are also some clunkers, and the cramped and hilly site does not allow it to surpass the second tier of Flynn’s many fine courses in the area.”
Correctly accrediting architectural provenance, especially for historical courses, can be error-prone. David A. contests: “William Flynn was mistakenly credited with re-doing a number of the greens, but as it turns out, merely assisted in re-grassing them in the early days of the course.”
It has a fascinating architectural history with names such as Donald Ross, William Flynn, Perry Maxwell, William Gordon, RTJ, Tom Fazio, and most recently, Gil Hanse attached to the club’s history. Included below is a summary of the design evolution until 1999, paraphrased from a book written by Tom Paul and Charles Lighthall (courtesy of Golf Club Atlas):
1916 - Ross designed and constructed.
1925 - Toomey and Flynn regrassed 17 of the original 18 Ross greens.
1927 - Ross recommended changes on eleven holes in a hole by hole report. Most recommendations were minor tee and bunker alterations. Recommended regrading of greens #2, #8, #16 and #18. Greens #2 and #18 were approved. #8 no longer exists, and #16, although apparently approved, does not appear to resemble Ross' specifications.
1934 - Maxwell reconstructed the 8th hole and relocated the 8th and 10th greens.
1937 - Maxwell reconstructed 11th & 14th holes, relocated 11 & 14th greens and tees (pars were swapped).
1938 - Maxwell reconstructed the 7th hole. Par was likely reduced from par 4 to par 5, relocated and reconstructed green, rerouted fairway, added rear tee boxes and recommended the hole by played from the shorter tees (425-465).
1940 - Stiles made numerous but mostly minor changes throughout the course, particularly with bunkering and tees to holes #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #8, #9, #10, #11, #15, #16 and #18.
1947 - McGovern reconstructed hole #7 (fw and green), and hole #9 (tee and green). Greenside and fairway bunker alterations were made to hole #1.
1956 - William F. Gordon remodeled holes #1, #4, #11, #13, #14, particularly bunkers and tees.
1958 - Gordon enlarged pond on hole #10, and added alternate tees on holes #5, #6, and #7.
1966 - RT Jones sited the present practice range on the original 10th fairway. Relocated 10th tee to the site of the original 9th green. Remodelled 9th green in the process of constructing 10th tee above it. Rerouted 10th fairway, appropriated 12th green and the last third of the original 12th fairway and remodelled the 10th green, extending the front of the green to the pond edge. Rerouted the second half of 12th fairway (dogleg left) and constructed new 12th green. Sited and constructed present 13th tee boxes, remodelled 13th fairway and routing, and constructed the left fairway bunkers in place of the berm.
1992 - Tom Fazio recommended mostly minor changes relating to tees, bunkering, cart routing, etc. It appears most of the changes were approved and implemented.
Most recently, Gil Hanse began working closely with the club in 2000 to restore this Philly gem to its Ross routes. This includes large-scale tree removal and opening playing vistas that were once lost to time. Many of the original Ross features have been brought back to life, making it one of the true standout designs in the Philly area.
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