Yeah I played FDR a bunch when I moved in with my now wife briefly in South Philly before moving away for work. That course was a disaster. Cobbs on the other hand as you say has great bones, great history, and what seemed to be a great group of people committed to seeing it restored. However, also as you pointed out the site has gone quiet and I haven’t heard much chatter about it in the last year either. Sorry to hear that washout has done some lasting damage, I remember reading in the compilation the Friends of Cobb’s Creek put together about the course’s history that flooding was a persistent problem during its construction and contributed to delays in opening.
Long story short it is a pretty sad state of affairs currently and I’m sorry to hear it has gotten worse. From everything I’ve heard Karakung is now essentially pastureland too but I hope at some point it will be playable enough to get one last taste of it. They say things are usually darkest before the dawn though, hopefully that will be the case at Cobb’s.
I really hope you are right. It’s a great piece of land with a cool history, and would be a huge boost for public golf within the city limits. Maybe we can do a Refugee meetup when it’s finally complete? Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
FWIW I played the Olde Course a couple times recently. Both times were just after those storms mentioned above. 3rd Green was beyond destroyed, hard to even explain what it looked like, and there was significant issues with 4 and 5, too. Bones are definitely there, but hard to imagine they’re going to put much of anything into it before the renovations start. Rest of the course was pretty solid, albeit shabby.
As far as Karakung, I’ve never played it, but walking by it, it didn’t seem like they were even cutting it (this was over a month ago, so can’t speak to the last few weeks). In fact, last year when I visited the whole property for the first time, I was planning to play Karakung and the pro shop talked me out of it and pushed me to the Olde Course, thankfully.
Haha that 3rd green was nuked. It looked like Gil Hanse had already started on it with a bulldozer. I can’t even imagine how much water must’ve been rushing through that creek.
Pretty much corroborates everything I’ve been hearing, thanks for the insight. Looks like in the plan there will at least be vestiges of Karakung for me to reminisce on haha. Sounds like at this point I just hope for any restoration work sooner rather than later.
A buddy of mine caddied for Gil Hanse about a month ago at PV and he said Gil said that they were still scheduled to go ahead with the resto-vation this winter.
I don’t think they’re even letting people out on that side. I played the Olde Course last Saturday. They just switched to walking only, unless you have a cart membership and or you’re handicapped in some way.
All the greens were in really good shape other than 4 which looks like its been torn-up twisted and turned over on top of itself. Basically it looked like a sandbox.
Haven’t played the Kong since I was on the High School golf team.
An old news article credits Herbert Barker as the designer of the original 9 at Pocono Manor, not Ross. Barker was the pro at Garden City and redesigned Mayfield in Cleveland, which was considered one of the best courses in the country at the time. Flynn definitely designed holes 7 through 16, but most of his bunkers were taken out. Also, Flynn originally designed the 7th hole at 115 yards on the other side of the road.
Looking forward to playing there, as it sounds like a solid course with cool history and some very quirky holes. Does it play as narrow as it looks? Hoping to check out The Scoturn as well.
Glad you are sticking with that plan! Again, conditioning dependent I don’t think you will regret it. I would say overall it’s actually a lot more open than it may look in pictures. There’s no doubt it’s a woodland course but the corridors are very playable and there’s a few nice open sections. You’ll notice some vestiges of how the re-routing was managed when you get to 4 green / 5 tee, which used to be either 9 or 18 green (not sure) and the first tee. They have a really nice, almost Himalayas-esque putting green up there that is nowhere near where the current clubhouse is but I believe is where the old one used to be. That 5th tee shot is probably the most target-y one out there along with 17 because it is a massively down hill iron shot where long is into the creek protecting the green. There are some very interesting par 3 tee shots, the one you mentioned at 7 and an unorthodox mega-punchbowl at #3 (unorthodox in that there is no backend to the punchbowl, it funnels in from the front and sides and is so deep it’s totally blind).
Overall it’s just a course I’ve had a lot of fun at over the years and look forward to getting back out on with my Dad, his buddy, and my brother as soon as we can make it work.
Yeah #3 is a total goofball of a hole, since it’s a punchbowl of a green…that you don’t even see. Elevated tee box, and you can see folks standing on the 4th teebox, overlooking the 3rd green.
When I played it, a guy on the tee at #4 yelled to hit it short right at the edge of the hill and just let it trickle down to the green. (Not that I did that, but it is what was suggested)
Not a bad play at all for sure. In fact, it’s all the better to ere a little right since #4 tee is definitely in the danger zone for a pulled tee shot from #3!
Figured I’d add to the Cobbs talk…saw this article in the Inquire this weekend. Course closing end of the month when the contract with Billy Casper ends, then opening back up in 2023.
Damn I won’t be back until mid-November so it looks like I will miss my chance to play it one last time pre-restoration. Doesn’t sound like I’m really missing much but want the clearest picture in my head of how it was before hopefully a grand and successful reopening.
Pictures aren’t great, but I snuck out yesterday and played likely my last round there (cost was $17 on Golfnow with fees/taxes!). Since it’s only walking it was pretty quiet out there.
bummer, hoping to move to Philly early next year… and I don’t know anything about public golf in the are… but this looked like a place I would be playing a lot.
When I moved away in late 2018 they looked like they were nearing the end of bringing that tee box back. Bummed I never hit one from up there but this is an original hole and that tee appears in the plans so hope is not lost! Was a fun tee shot even from the lower tees but that one is WAY up there!
And that is a VERY 3 puttable green so no shame haha.
Thanks for the pics. If I could tie it to some kind of closing-related activity on the new house maybe I could swing a meetup…
