2014 Best U.S. Private Renovation

Best U.S. Private Renovation 2014

In the January 2015 issue of GOLF Magazine, Philadelphia Cricket Club was recognized for the best Renovation at a Private Club in 2014 for the work done on the Wissahickon course by Keith Foster.  Thanks to Keith and everybody who helped!  You can read the full article from Golf Magazine here

Pat Miller Named Superintendent at Hawthorns Golf & Country Club

We are excited to inform PCC members that Wissahickon Superintendent, Pat Miller, has recently accepted the Golf Course Superintendent position at Hawthorns Golf and Country Club, in Fishers, Indiana.

Pat joined PCC in January of  2013, as the assistant superintendent of the Wissahickon course.  Pat came to PCC from Crooked Stick GC to be part of the historic restoration project on Wissahickon.  He played an integral role during the project, and made sure the course was in championship condition before the grand opening.  This included overseeing construction of the new patio at the Flourtown clubhouse. 

Pat and his wife, Michelle, who most of you know from the golf shop, are looking forward to going back to the Midwest and being closer to family.  If you are ever in the Indianapolis area, please look up Pat and Michelle! We thank Pat for all of his hard work and sacrifice during his time with PCC! 

We also wanted to be sure to thank PCC members.  Whether reaching out to your personal contacts, or helping perform mock interviews, PCC members have always played an integral role in helping our superintendents become their best and achieve their own positions.  Pat was the 5th PCC superintendent to be promoted  in such a manner in the last five years.  This form of positive turn-over helps PCC to continue to recruit top talent from across the U.S., which in turn, continues to help our courses constantly improve.

In 2015, we are fortunate to be hiring from within as Andrew Goehler will assume the Wissahickon Superintendent position.  Andrew played an integral role during Wissahickon’s restoration, and was previously the Golf Course Superintendent at St Martins during the restoration project that saw St Martins transformed into the course it is today.

For those members who would like to congratulate Pat, we have placed a link to his email below.

Patrick Miller

Congrats Pat!

 

 

 

 

 

2014 End of Year Update

Thanks for a great 2014

It's hard to believe just a year ago we were putting the finishing touches on Wissahickon!

Wissahickon #7 with the reestablished "Great Hazard"

Fast-forward a year later and the work performed on Wissahickon has helped the club attract nation-wide attention, provide our existing members an enhanced golf experience which they will enjoy for the rest of their lives, and grow our golf membership.  Visitors who toured Wissahickon spoke of the transformation in jaw-dropping terms.

 Wissahickon #18 with the new patio in the background

It is fitting that the one year anniversary of the completion of the Wissahickon Restoration comes during the Season of Thanks.  Work of such scale is rarely seen in the club industry, which made the commitment level of our entire membership all the more special.  Thanks to every PCC member for the trust and faith that they placed in our hands.  We feel fortunate to have been able to serve our membership during a critical time in the club's history.

Church Pew bunkers on #4 Wissahickon during sunset

Flourtown in 2015

Next June 28 - July 1, PCC will host the PGA of America's 2015 Professional National Championship.  Both courses will be "going live" on the Golf Channel to over one million television viewers.  Tournament preparations, many of which have permanent, season-long benefits to our membership, are underway.  We are currently creating discreet, perimeter paths along certain areas of the course to allow PCC staff and PNC tournament contractors to better navigate the property and minimize traffic on the courses.  Most of these paths are hidden, but visually, they look similar to the ones we have at St. Martins.  During everyday play, these paths will allow us to be even quieter during your rounds.

Path to the left of #2 Militia Hill

 Path behind #3 Militia Hill makes getting to and from the shop less intrusive to play

Members visiting the golf shop this winter will also notice the large, temporary scoreboard, which is currently under construction for the PNC tournament.  This board will also serve to recognize PNC tournament-partners and patrons, many of which are likely to be PCC members.

PNC scoreboard currently under construction

St Martins Winter

Now that the East Wing project is finished as far as the building and the interior, we will finish the landscaping and hardscaping on the outside as weather and ground conditions allow.

Brick work being down outside of the new East Wing Project

We have utilized all of the excess soil from all of our St Martins projects to recreate a smaller recreational field that is positioned parallel to and just outside the perimeter fence of the pool.  This field is surrounded by a privacy-berm for those using the pool and field.   Select gates surrounding the field will be alternated in how they open and lock to provide a safer drop-off area for children participating in Camp Cricket and for safer general use of the field.  When not in use for Camp Cricket, the field will serve as a a nice overflow play area for children using the pool.  The additional space beyond the berm outside of the field and out of view from members using the pool, will be used for daytime employee parking.  By shifting more of our employee parking to this area, it will free-up more parking spaces for members in our general parking lot.

Preparing the athletic field and privacy berms

Laying Sod on the berm

View of the athletic field from the paddle tennis parking lot

Athletic field with drainage installed

We also repaired areas of the parking lot that were disturbed due to any construction work.  Following the winters plowing and salting, we will seal and re-stripe the lots in a similar fashion to the work which was performed at Flourtown parking lot prior to the spring 2014 opening of Wissahickon.

We hope everyone has a happy holiday season with your family and friends, and look forward to seeing you all in 2015! 

Wissahickon #16

 Militia Hill #1

St Martins #9

Repairing Divots at Philadelphia Cricket Club

Divot Repair Guidelines that are posted in divot mix boxes around the course

To help promote the best course and playing condition, members are asked to make sure to follow the above guidelines when repairing divots.  The divot repair guidelines will be posted underneath the lids of the on-course refill boxes as well as in the caddie areas.

In all situations, please use a small amount of mix and smooth with your foot.  Overfilling the divot impairs growth and dulls mowing equipment.

All PCC caddies have been alerted to the divot repair guidelines.  Please be clear with your caddie at the beginning of your round who will be responsible for each course-care task (divots, ball marks, and bunker raking).  This will ensure the courses remain in great shape for the golfers that are following behind your group.

A new re-fill station located out on the course

More re-fill stations can be found at the following locations

Wissahickon

- #4 / #7 Tee, near the water cooler

- #11 Tee, near the native area

- #14 Tee, near the native area

- #17 Tee, near the native area

Militia Hill

- #3 Tee, near the water cooler

- Between #5 green and #6 tees, near the water cooler

- #7 Green, behind the green by the forecaddie walk path

- After #9 Green, near the water cooler prior to the tunnel (same station as #3)

- #12 Green, behind the green in the caddie walk path towards #13

- Left of #16 Fairway, closer to #16 tee

Flourtown Patio Time Lapse Videos

Hopefully everyone has had a chance to enjoy the new patio at the Flourtown clubhouse.  Below are two time lapse videos taken throughout the process of tearing down the old patio and the construction of the new patio leading up to the opening ceremony to give you a sense of the change from the old patio and the scope of the work.  Enjoy. 

Time lapse video taken from 1 tee

Time lapse video take from right of 18 green

2014 Grounds Staff Complete

Wissahickon User Guide

Below is a link for the Wissahickon User Guide.  This user guide will allow you to familiarize yourself with the changes on the Wissahickon Course and the Flourtown campus so that the club will feel like home when you arrive for that first round of golf or dinner at the club house.

Wissahickon User Guide

2014 Spring Update

Despite the record-cold winter in Philadelphia, the grounds staff at Philadelphia Cricket remained very productive this off-season.  Major accomplishments included: placing the finishing touches on the Wissahickon Course, completing the brick-work around the new paddle courts, helping construct the new Flourtown patio, constructing new storage bins, building new benches for the Wissahickon course, and installing significant landscaping and hardscaping in many areas of both campuses.  Take a look at the photos below to see some of the work done this winter.

Flourtown Patio

Team Effort: One of our earlier Flourtown patio meetings with all contractors and PCC departments represented.

PCC staff removing snow before taking down the old awning

Demolition starts despite the adverse conditions

Demolition of the old patio

Ready for concrete and the new wall for the patio

The new wall for the patio going up

Ramp for the front of the patio

Rock facing being put on the patio wall

View from the other side

Having our golf course architect, Keith Foster and patio architect, Jim Bogrette review our clubhouse area together has allowed for a seamless transition between golf course and clubhouse.

PCC staff starting the brick-work on the patio deck

Laying Bricks

End of day 1

Bridges

 New Bridge from #9 to #10

Philadelphia Cricket Club grounds crew working alongside bridge crew

Putting on the deck of the bridge

New bridge almost completed!  Final touches.

Walk bridge in between #1 and #2

Brick walk ways at Saint Martins Paddle Courts

 Laying bricks after clearing the snow from the path

Working from the back of the paddle huts to the parking lot

Back of the paddle hut by the practice clay courts

View from the parking lot

Storage Bins

We created seven large storage bins which allow us to store all materials at the maintenance facility.  This configuration eliminates the need for us to dump in high-visibility, member areas.

  Old bins removed, area graded, and back wall supports being put in.

 Back wall going up after a night snow storm.

Nearing completion of the bins

Bins finished with new parking lot

Landscaping and Hardscaping

 New chip seal paths to give the course a classic, natural look

Removing the old asphalt cart path in front of the patio to install a new cobble stone path

The beginning of the cobble stone path that will run in front of the patio

PCC staff installing landscaping around 1 tee

Carpentry  

Our carpenter, George Snear, was hard at work this winter as well, helping with the demolition of the patio and building of the storage bins while building new water cooler houses and benches for the Wissahickon course amongst other things.  The new benches and water cooler houses will give  the course a natural feel and look to it.  Below are some pictures of him putting together one of the new benches.

Cutting the log in half to make two benches

Log cut in half ready to be made in to benches.  Newly finished water cooler house in the background as well.

Drilling out holes for the legs

The legs for the benches

Cutting the legs so they are even.

Finished bench next to a water cooler house and the new bathroom located by 13 and 15 tee box.