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There was a close relationship between Plymouth Country Club and Phoenixville Country Club in the early days of both. According to the commemorative booklet published by Phoenixville in 1990 on its 75th anniversary, when the new club’s golf committee, in 1915, tackled the task of laying out a nine-hole course, it got help from several Plymouth members who already had experience in this line of work. Phoenixville Country Club was organized in May, 1915, and was the successor to the Phoenixville Golf Club. No one knows for sure when the golf club was formed—in all likelihood no more than two years earlier—but when the farmer, from whom the golf club had rented enough ground for a Six-hole Course on White Horse Road, said that he now wanted to develop this land, the golfers decided, in mid-April of 1915, to take an option on the Brittain farm, near Valley Forge. It was this move that prompted the founding of the Phoenixville Country Club (from the outset there would be tennis players as well as golfers), with J. Whitaker Thompson as the first president. A sum not to exceed $100 was authorized for "putting into shape the proposed fair greens and putting greens on the Brittain farm." In fact, $136.93 was spent for course construction and conditioning, but the board ungrudgingly voted approval for the "excess expenditure."  Phoenixville Clubhouse dates from about 1917 The club paid $5,000 for its 56-acre tract of land, taking out a $2,500 mortgage for a term of three years. Since there was no money for a grounds crew—either to build or maintain the rudimentary nine—members volunteered to pick up stones, remove tree stumps, and perform a number of clean-up chores so that the game could be played. Not long after the course opened, in the late spring of 1916, the first competition was held. It was an interclub match with Plymouth. By 1917 Phoenixville Country Club could boast 105 members. However, when dues were increased in 1919 from $15 to $20 for Active Members (all other members were required to pay $10 a year), membership fell to 90. But the following year the number surged to 115 Actives, with 18 Non-Residents, 31 Associates, and 16 Juniors helping to swell the ranks (and the coffers). By now the ladies were deeply involved in club activities, raising money with teas and socials for clubhouse improvements. These funds, which were placed in a separate bank account, sometimes exceeded the club’s cash on hand. By the time the 1922 golf season opened, membership had increased to a total of 206, members were enjoying the benefits of electric lights in the clubhouse, and the first full-time greenkeeper was on the payroll. The early going had not been easy, but these years had provided a foundation of resilience and perseverance that would enable the club to withstand the adversity brought on later by the Great Depression and World War II. by Gene Gibbons Woodrow Wilson was president in his first term of office. The Phillies won their first pennant. A golfer named Jerome Travers won the U. S. Open, the first amateur to accomplish this feat. Alexander Graham Bell talked to Thomas A.Watson in the first telephone call from New York to San Francisco. With this kind of backdrop, an enthusiastic group of golfers in Schuylkill Township, Pennsylvania were mapping plans for a "first" of their own. They met on May 13,1915, and according to their first recorded minutes, "the organization of the Phoenixville Country Club followed the adjournment of a meeting of the Phoenixvllle Golf Club held in St. Peter’s Parish House. At an informal meeting of 13 members of the golf club held on April 4, 1915, it had been decided to take an option on the Brittain farm near Valley Forge and sufficient funds were contributed for this purpose by those present." Before that first meeting adjourned, the Board of Governors elected J. Whitaker Thompson president of the new club. A few days later, a sum not to exceed $100 was authorized for "putting into shape the proposed fair greens and putting greens on the Brittain farm." Actually, $136.93 was spent for course conditioning, but the Board willingly voted approval for the "excess expenditure." The deed for the Brittain farm was executed on July 10, 1915 for $5,000. The club had raised $3,775 in subscription bonds and had $665.57 in the bank. The purchase was made with a $2,500 mortgage for a term of three years at 5 percent interest payable semi-annually. No one knows for sure when the forerunner Phoenixville Golf Club was formed. What is known is that the members built a six hole golf course on ground rented from A. W. Kley who owned the property on White Horse Road. When Kley informed them that he wanted to develop the land and that they would have to leave, the golfers decided to initiate the Brittain farm purchase. The terms covered a 56-acre tract with plans to develop a nine hole golf course. The early going was not easy. PCC's pioneer members were constantly confronted with a number of growing pains. For example, the Norristown Electric Company had strung wires along the road adjoining the property and had asked permission to cut down a number of trees. The club did allow some of the trees to be cut down, but only with the provision that the electric company cut the fallen trees into cord wood lengths for haulage to the main building. Money (or lack of it) was another big issue facing this fledgling group, some of whom were avid tennis players. They pressed the Board for a decision on location of the tennis courts and the types of surfaces they might use. It was decided that expensive courts were not affordable and ordinary clay courts would have to suffice. The club subsequently borrowed $10,000 and initiated a bond subscription to members commencing January 1, 1916 and payable January 1,1935 at 3 percent per annum. There was no money for a course maintenance crew, so members had no choice but to volunteer for picking up stones from the course, removing stumps and branches, and performing a myriad of clean-up chores just so they could play. Layout of the course was accomplished by the Golf Committee with some help from members of the Plymouth Golf Club. By the time play started in 1916, the club established payment of caddy rates at 15 cents an hour for first class caddies, and 12 cents an hour for second class caddies. Not surprisingly, all caddies had to start at the second class rate. Not so surprising was the club’s financial status. Its bank balance fluctuated perilously close to zero several times, and in most cases rarely exceeded a few hundred dollars. Tournament play was launched in 1916 with two matches scheduled with Plymouth Golf Club, one at Plymouth and a return match at Phoenixville. By 1917, the club had 105 members. The course and tennis courts were pronounced "in good condition." Membership dropped to 90 in 1919 as dues were increased to $20 for actives. All others, associate, non-resident, and juniors, were assessed at $10 a year. When the club invited a group of professionals and exhibition players to compete in a tournament that was to be held in the summer of 1920, an aura of genuine excitement gripped the entire membership. This excitement led to a dramatic increase in membership. By the following year, PCC boasted 115 actives, 18 non-residents, 31 associates, and 16 juniors. A number of ladies also became involved, raising money for the club with teas and socials that established funds for clubhouse Improvements. These funds were put into a separate bank account that at times exceeded the club’s cash on hand. PCC applied for membership in the National Golf Association that same year (1921), and contracted for its first telephone, a single party line at $8.50 per month. A decision was also made to make the clubhouse available for private parties at a fee, thus starting a tradition that continues to this day. In August 1921, PCC members were invited to attend the opening of the Coatesville Country Club, and lady members were invited to play a tournament at Roxborough Country Club. William R. Hall won the PCC 1921 Club Championship and was rewarded with the club’s first plaque for the win. When the 1922 season rolled around, membership soared to a total of 206, and for the first time members were enjoying the benefits of electric lights in the clubhouse. Drought impeded course conditioning, the first full time greenskeeper was hired, and dues were Increased to the staggering sum of $35 a year for active members. All other classes were moderately assessed at $15 a year. These early years at PCC provided strength and determination to prevail under adversity and hard times. These attributes helped the club to stay afloat through the depression years of the 30’s and into the war years of the 40’s. It was late in the 40’s when a brother-sister combination, Don and Rie Welland, emerged to focus areawide attention on PCC. Both excelled in the game. Rie won the club championship eight years in a row, and Don made his mark by winning the men’s championship nine times over four decades. In 1951, Don was low amateur in the U.S. Open at Merion (Ben Hogan took pro honors). He won the Ibadan Open in 1965, the Nigerian Open in 1966 and the same year captured Nigeria’s prestigious Captains Cup with a course record 62. Rie twice won the Philadelphia girl’s amateur in the late 50’s, and in the early 60’s was a women’s finalist three straight years, winning over Alice Gray In 1961. Two years later, she triumphed over Mrs. Mark Porter for her second city women’s title. Rie’s daughter, Karen, is following in her mothers footsteps. She advanced to the finals of the 1988 U. S. Women’s Amateur, losing 6 and 5 to Californian Pearl Sinn. But, she eliminated three former champions to reach the final round, Carol Semple Thompson, threetime winner Anne Sander, and 1985 champion Michiko Hattori. Fred Christman, currently assistant executive director of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, and a PCC member since 1946, has captured club champion honors 18 times and still plays a formidable game. PCC has also provided a road to success for six former members who are now club pros in this area and in other states. They are: Jim Bromley, Whitemarsh; Mike Sulpizzio, Torresdale-Frankford; Gary Rogers, Doylestown; Brian Symonds, Washington Country Club, Washington, Indiana; Gary Muller and Chris Thomson at clubs in western states. Through the 80's, a number of major improvements were made in a $300,000 modernization program. They included numerous course alterations and construction of the terrace dining room. In 1984, the first tee was completely renovated with the addition of shrubs and brightly colored plants. Construction of a new pro shop, bag storage area, and cart storage facility followed. The banquet room was remodeled in 1987 and a new state-of-the-art kitchen facility was installed. The bar and main dining room was also refurbished. The eighth green was revamped in 1988 and a new tee was constructed for the ninth hole. New cart paths and a new sand trap for the second green completed the program. All of these improvements give PCC a highly attractive setting for intense golf competition and genuine, far-reaching hospitality for the entire membership. |
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