The ninth at French Creek
French Creek Golf Club in Elverson, PA is often overlooked when people discuss Philadelphia golf. Located across the street from Stonewall, the course occupies much more difficult terrain than its neighbor. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner did a clever job of routing the course to create a fun, playable course. This video (after the jump) includes Wagner discussing the course and how they decided on its rustic look.
[vimeo width="530" height="340"]http://www.vimeo.com/1969756[/vimeo]
The idea of genteel neglect is one that needs more exploring, especially in these tough times. It doesn’t mean just letting things go, but rather a conscientious effort to not worry about clean edges and perfect lies. We may be seeing this more and more in golf, not by choice but out of economic necessity and that is not at all a bad thing.- W.S.
This video was taken in April 2008, when I was there doing a few touch-ups on some bunkers.
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Anybody who uses Billy Bragg for background music is alright in my books! I have never met Gil or Jim but a former colleague of mine, Ian Andrew speaks very highly of them. From what I have seen their bunker details and penchant for creating unique looks are perhaps the best in architecture today. I hope to visit French Creek one day.
Cam
Thanks for the great tour of French Creek. We’re very proud of the golf course, and there are few places I’d rather play.
Even better is the conditioning. Bruce (see video here) has done a fantastic job. I look back at the video from last year, and it’s come a long way in a short period of time.
What’s great is the relationship that Bruce has with Hanse Golf Course Design. They expanded the fairway on 16 way to the left bringing a pair of hidden buners into play. They’ve also removed some trees from 3 and 11, opening up the tee shots from a visible perspective.
Playing FC when walking is almost a spiritual journey. You sure walk a number of miles, but you traverse hills, flats, blind shots, open vistas, and pure golf. Pure, rugged countryside golf.