Philadelphia Country Club

Alex Elias

---

A member of the “Philadelphia School of Golf Architecture,” a group that included four Philadelphia natives—Hugh Wilson, A.W. Tillinghast, George Crump, and George C. Thomas—along with Boston transplant William Flynn and Pittsburgh resident William Fownes, Flynn designed Philadelphia Country Club: Spring Mill (1927), between two of his most well-regarded works: Cherry Hills Country Club (1922) and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (1931).
​​
In the decade that followed, Philadelphia Country Club earned a permanent place in golf history when it hosted the 1939 U.S. Open, won by Byron Nelson in two playoff rounds.​ However, in the decades since, a series of renovations caused the course to stray from Flynn’s original design. That changed when the club hired Jim Nagle to restore the course to its 1939 U.S. Open layout.

“The impetus of the project was to replace the 27-year-old irrigation system,” said Scott Reilly, Head Golf Professional at Philadelphia Country Club. “But through our conversations with Jim [Nagle], we quickly realized we had an opportunity to restore the course to its 1939 U.S. Open layout.”

Using historic aerials and ground-level photos, along with letters to both the club and the USGA, Nagle—who recently restored another Flynn design, Lancaster Country Club—was able to restore the bunkering and greens as accurately as possible.

“In the instances where a bunker was relocated, we duplicated the earthworks so that, even though the bunker is now further from the tee, Flynn’s original look was maintained,” said Jim Nagle.

Perhaps the most significant changes occurred on the Par-4 16th and the Par-4 18th.

Playing to the crest of a hill, which Reilly described as “the most dramatic vista on the property,” Hole 16 is defined by the approach shot. Playing downhill to a well-protected green, Reilly said, “It was very important to Jim to reintroduce the ground game, and on sixteen, players now have the option to run the ball down onto the green, as well as flight a wedge.”

Rebuilt in 1955, Hole 18 was described by Nagle as “a departure from the rest of the course in both its bunker construction and the internal undulations of the green.” Ultimately drawing inspiration from the course's original fifth hole, the new 18th pays homage to Flynn’s most famed design—Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, specifically its Par-5 16th—with a cluster of bunkers guarding the inside of the dogleg.

“Once we decided to bunker the inside of the dogleg, we then drew inspiration from the original fifth green,” said Nagle. “We didn’t duplicate it, but restored some of its features while ensuring it fit the trajectory of the approach for the new 18th.”

Beyond the restoration of the bunkers, Nagle restored all eighteen greens, recapturing over 22,000 square feet of lost putting surface. 

“I wouldn’t say our greens have a lot of undulations, but they are very subtle and deceptive,” said Reilly. “With the greens being expanded, we’ve been able to reintroduce pins that really force our members and guests to think on the greens.”

Having recently been named a Best Renovation Honorable Mention by Golf Digest and set to co-host the 2026 U.S. Amateur with Merion Golf Club, Ryan Kenny, General Manager at Philadelphia Country Club, said, “We could not be more pleased with the outcome of the renovation. What is most gratifying about this project is that we now have a golf course that feels cohesive from the first tee to the final green. The consistency across all eighteen holes truly reflects Flynn’s genius, honors our history, elevates the playing experience for our members through Flynn's strategic intent, and positions Philadelphia Country Club to shine on the national stage, welcoming the world’s top amateur players during next year’s stroke-play segment of the U.S. Amateur.”