Classic Courses and The Modern Game

This week the PGA Tour made a one-off stop at one of my favorite classic golf courses in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Cricket Club. The 7119-yard par 70 Wissahickon Course stands as a classic A.W. Tillinghast course who was also a member of the club. If you are not familiar with the work of Tillinghast, here are some of his well-known designs: Baltusrol (Upper and Lower courses), Bethpage Black and Winged Foot (East and West).

Having Philadelphia Cricket Club host the PGA Tour’s Truist Championship for one-year came about due to the normal host site, Quail Hollow, hosting the PGA Championship this year. The Tour decided on a classic, old track the golfing public has rarely if ever seen. I personally love these old courses. I love how they look on TV and how amazing they look in person. Philadelphia Cricket Club stands as one of my favorites in Philadelphia below Merion and Aronimink. To be honest, there are many great courses in Philadelphia. It would be difficult to list them all. I applauded the Tour when I saw this decision.

But this decision has brought up a big issue which faces the golf world, the increase in distance.

There are many who feel these old, classic courses are becoming obsolete with the length modern day pros hit the ball. Rory McIlroy chimed in saying the strategy in playing these older courses today is to bomb it off the tee.

First, these courses were built in an era where hickory shafted clubs and the rubber core Haskell balls were being used. Obviously, the equipment used during this timeframe was a far cry from the 460 cc composite drivers and the modern golf ball such as the Pro V-1. The concern carries weight. McIlroy added it would be fun to play Philadelphia Cricket Club using a shorter ball to get a sense of how Tillinghast wanted the course to play. As a sidebar, the tour pros scored fairly low for the week, but they didn’t set any records either. The course held its own.

Second, the scoring at Philadelphia Cricket, especially during the first round, went pretty low. However, using low scores to prove the point may not be a good barometer because the course became deluged with rain during the week of tournament and during Friday’s round. With conditions being so soft, tour players will tear up any golf course. Essentially, the course played easier due to the soft conditions.

Third, I will argue forever bombing it off the tee as a strategy is and always should have been the way to play the game. Statistics bear this out. Check out Lou Stagner if you want to take a look at distance and scoring. From a common sense standpoint, golf is a game of proximity to the hole. For instance, if getting the ball closer to the hole on a green equates to a better opportunity to make a putt thus leading to a lower score, then it stands to reason the closer the ball is to the green the better the opportunity to get the ball close to the hole to produce a lower score. Stats show golfers of all abilities score better the closer they are to the hole regardless of being in the fairway or the rough. Hitting the ball as far as you can off the tee should always be your strategy.

In my opinion, the old classic golf courses built by the likes of Tillinghast, Ross, Raynor, Flynn, MacKenzie and more stand the test of time. Many of these courses continue to be selected for the majors because they still provide the best challenges to the best golfers in the world. Even the Old Course at St. Andrews remains on the rota for the Open Championship. If the weather is as it should be for a links course, the Old Course remains a stern test. I want to see more courses like Philadelphia Cricket Club host professional tournaments.

As always, be grateful when you play. Be thankful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!