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Returning to its roots in classic American golf course design, Rolling Green Golf Club has completed a meticulous restoration to a William Flynn routing that has stood virtually unchanged for 83 years.
Strategically retraced through the guidance of historical photos and some successful on-site investigation, the demanding Rolling Green layout again properly represents the integrity of the original course that opened 1926.
“Our goal was to turn back the clock,” said Peter Voudouris, president of the Board of Directors at Rolling Green Golf Club, Springfield, Pa., site of the 1976 U.S. Women’s Open and ranked among Golfweek magazine’s Best Classic Courses. “The membership was totally committed to have the original golf course put back in place.”
The course has been updated thoroughly, from its new irrigation and drainage systems to innovative construction practices. The strategic relocation of hazards matches contemporary golf equipment, regaining Flynn’s intended challenges while exuding his elegant simplicity.
“We could not be more pleased with the result,” Voudouris said. “We are proud to play a part in the preservation of this very special golf course and the heritage of the game that it represents.”
The project, which began late last summer, was directed by Forse Design Inc., a golf course architectural firm of Hopwood, Penn., that is renowned for its work in preserving and restoring classic golf courses throughout the United States and Canada. Focused on recreating the original character of the green surrounds and bunkering, Forse Design also was diligent in adhering to Flynn’s concept for Rolling Green when positioning new bunkers. None of the 18 greens was affected, leaving them in Flynn’s original form. (Since 1926, the lone alteration to the routing was made on the 15th hole, which Flynn modified in the mid-1930s.) Philadelphia-based Total Turf was the construction company on the project.
“This is an incredible course to have the good fortune to work on,” said Jim Nagle, the Rolling Green project leader for Forse Design. “We followed the footsteps of a great designer.”
Situated on 157 rugged, hilly acres, Rolling Green Golf Club is a private facility located about 10 miles west of Philadelphia, founded by a group primarily comprised of Quakers. Flynn, an icon of early American golf course architecture, began work on Rolling Green in 1925. A year later, with the aid of Howard Toomey, the result was par 71 that now stretches to 6,602 yards, “and plays a lot longer than what appears on the scorecard,” Nagle notes.
Addressing the issue of modern equipment, a set of tees was created for a layout that plays to 6,917 yards. These new Black tees also differ in that they play to a par of 70, with No. 18 set-up as a 491-yard par 4, rather than a 529-yard par 5.
Rolling Green features a variety of challenges, from inviting par 4s (three measuring less than 400 yards) to cantankerous par 3s (requiring anything from an 8-iron to a driver). Flynn, who was known to enjoy serious athletic competition, featured several holes that were outrageously long for their generation – and remain a serious test for the modern game, as well. The front nine finishes with a par-5 that plays 615 yards from the back tees, all uphill. And then the back side opens with a par 3 that plays 258 yards, also uphill – “the best short, par 4 in Philadelphia,” Nagle jokes.