Philadelphia Cricket Club

Philadelphia Cricket Club
The logo of the Philadelphia Cricket Club
Formation	1854
Type	Private Country Club
Legal status	Open
Location	415 West Willow Grove Avenue Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States of America and 6025 West Valley Green Road Flourtown, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Coordinates	40°03′52″N 75°12′31″W
Region served	Delaware Valley, Nationwide
Official languages	English
President	Algot Thorell
Website	Club Website

Philadelphia Cricket Club

The Sesquicentennial logo of PCC
Club information
Location	Philadelphia and Flourtown, Pennsylvania, United States
Established	1854
Type	Private
Owned by	Philadelphia Cricket Club
Operated by	Head PGA Professional - Jim Smith Jr.
Total holes	27
Tournaments hosted	United States Open Championship (1907 & 1910)
Saint Martin's Course
Designed by	A.W. Tillinghast
Par	70 (2 nine hole rounds)
Length	5106 yards
Wissahickon
Designed by	A.W. Tillinghast
Par	71
Length	6052 yards
Course rating	71.3
Slope rating	130
Militia Hill
Designed by	Dana Fry & Michael Hurdzan
Par	72
Length	6653
Course rating	72.2
Slope rating	131

The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854, is the oldest country club in the United States. It has two locations: Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, and Flourtown, Pennsylvania.

History

It was founded in 1854 by a group of English expatriates while studying in the University of Pennsylvania. It was one of the founding members of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), hosting the women's singles championship (today the U.S. Open) for many years, and its original golf course was the site of two U.S. Open golf championships.

The Philadelphia Cricket Club has two locations: one 40°03′52″N 75°12′31″W in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia where the main offices are located, along with the tennis and squash facilities and the eight-lane, twenty-five meter swimming pool. There is a short, nine-hole golf course there as well. The second location 40°06′31″N 75°13′25″W is ten minutes away in Whitemarsh Township, near Flourtown, which holds two 18-hole golf courses.

First building, designed by G. W. & W. D. Hewitt, (1883-84, burned 1909).

Originally, the cricket team did not own any grounds to play on and used various venues as available. This changed in 1883, when grounds and a clubhouse were donated by Henry H. Houston. The team was disbanded in 1924 as the club's other sports became more prevalent, but cricket was revived in 1998.

Throughout this time, swimming, golf, tennis, and squash have also thrived at the country club. It is highly dedicated to the growth of juniors in these sports. In 2006, for example, the junior swimming team placed fourth at the Country Club Swimming Association of Greater Philadelphia's League Championships led by the William Penn Charter's high school swimming coach Kevin Berkoff.

Tennis

Chestnut Hill in December 2010.

National Women's Tennis Tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Photo: circa 1910-20.

In 1881, the club was one of the founding members of the United States Lawn Tennis Association, today the USTA. The club hosted the inaugural U.S. Women's National Singles Championship in 1887, and continued to host the event until 1921, when it moved to Forest Hills. The Women's National Doubles Championship (which started in 1889) and Mixed Doubles Championship (which started in 1892) were also held at the club until 1921. These events later combined with the men's singles and doubles championships to form the U.S. Open.

Trapshooting

Trapshooting has become more and more of a prevailing sport at PCC. Shooting dates are held November through April on Militia Hill golf course.

Golf

The Philadelphia Cricket Club was one of the founding members of the Golf Association of Philadelphia when it was organized in 1897. Today it operates three courses, each opened in a different century.

St. Martin's Course

This course is named "St. Martin's" after the adjacent episcopal church St. Martin's in the Fields. The club originally opened a 9-hole course in 1895, which was quickly replaced by the 18-hole St. Martin's course in 1898, designed by Willie Tucker. This course hosted the U.S. Open championships in 1907 and 1910, won by Alec Ross and Alex Smith respectively. Today, this course has been reduced to a 9-hole layout. Despite the reduction, the 7th, 8th, and 9th holes are the same layout as they were played during the 1907 and 1910 U.S. Open championship.

U.S. Open Champions and Scores

Year	Champion/Country	Score
1907	Alec Ross/Scotland	76-74-76-76=302
1910	Alex Smith/Scotland	73-73-79-73=298

Course Scorecard

Key	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Par	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	35
Handicap	5	7	1	6	9	4	2	3	8	-
Yardage (Men's Tees)	343	257	322	289	110	316	368	326	222	2553

Wissahickon Course

Because the St. Martin's course was built on land not owned by the club, an additional tract of land in Flourtown was bought in 1920. In 1922, a new course designed by A. W. Tillinghast was opened. Tillinghast was a world famous designer. Some of his famous course designs include The Black Course at Bethpage State Park, which has hosted the U.S. Open twice, as well as Winged Foot, which has also hosted the U.S. Open five times. The Wissahickon course is one of the few remaining courses designed by Tillinghast that has had minimal changes over the past 80 years. The name "Wissahickon" comes from the Lenape word for "Catfish Stream." The Wissahickon Creek runs adjacent to the course. Lorraine Run, which eventually dumps into the Wissahickon Creek, runs through the Wissahickon Course. An abandoned Reading Railroad track runs through the course, along the 9th and 11th holes. Although the track was ripped up several years ago, the train bridge over Lorraine Run still stands. The Wissahickon Course has hosted several local tournaments. The course is dedicated to A.W. Tillinghast, who was a Philadelphia native.

Course Scorecard

Key	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
Par	4	4	3	5	4	4	5	3	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	71
Handicap	3	7	17	5	9	11	15	13	1	18	4	12	10	16	6	14	8	2	-
Yardage (Men's Tees)	394	393	120	493	341	345	492	164	420	144	390	492	392	350	189	391	387	433	6052

Militia Hill Course

Because of the huge interest in golf at PCC, an idea for another 18-hole course adjacent to the Wissahickon Course came about. The fact that golf memberships were limited, the need for a second golf course was almost necessary, not only for more golf members, but also for some tournaments, both interclub and intraclub. So, on April 27, 2002, members found themselves standing in front of a brand-new 18-hole golf course. The name "Milita Hill" comes from the name of the adjacent hill, Militia Hill. Militia Hill was the site of the last encampment for the soldiers of the Pennsylvania Militia before their march to Valley Forge. The course was designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, who wanted to combine some of their own ideas with some of the classic Tillinghast ideas. Just like the Wissahickon Course, a train track runs through the middle of the golf course. Although this line is active, and golfers pass through a tunnel (which was constructed well before the golf course) twice each round. The course is dedicated to Willie Anderson, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, who at one point, early in the 20th century, was the head golf professional at the club.

Course Scorecard

Key	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
Par	4	4	5	4	3	5	4	4	3	4	3	4	4	5	3	4	5	4	72
Handicap	15	7	3	11	17	5	1	13	9	8	18	14	4	6	12	16	10	2	-
Yardage (Men's Regular Tees)	384	380	480	380	172	552	410	379	201	404	138	361	429	508	168	369	537	411	6663

Practice Facility

With the construction of the Militia Hill Course, the Flourtown complex is complete with a driving range (also used by the trapshooters in the fall), practice chipping area, and putting green. The driving range features two different places where the players can hit. There is also a training hut, which is used by the professionals for lessons. It is a great facility to work on every part of your game.

See also

• Philadelphian cricket team
• Merion Cricket Club
• Germantown Cricket Club
• Belmont Cricket Club

External links

• Philadelphia Cricket Club
• History of Chestnut Hill Academy, which is across the street and shares some history