By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Philadelphia Country Club was founded in 1890. Seven years later, it co-founded the Golf Association of Philadelphia with Merion Golf Club, Aronomink Golf Club and Philadelphia Cricket Club. In 2022, the club was named a Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 50 Private Facility, one of many accolades the historic venue has garnered throughout its storied past.
Philadelphia Country Club offers 27 holes of championship golf, racquet and paddle sports, a stellar fitness studio, a picturesque swimming pool with an adjacent restaurant and even trap and skeet shooting.
“One of the things members always wanted was a big driving range,” says Scott Reilly, PGA of America Head Golf Professional. “Our existing range was about 195 yards to a net and faced the same spatial challenges that any other historic club might.”
They answered that call in 2021 and incorporated two holes from their third nine-hole layout to create a 400-yard practice range and modified other parts of the property to account for the range expansion. They kept the existing 195-yard practice space as a warm-up area for golfers seeking some swings before teeing it up on the first tee.
Reilly graduated from the Professional Golf Management Program at Methodist University and recently celebrated 12 years at PCC. Regarding his alma mater, Reilly says, “I’m probably biased, but I think a lot of people would feel that we have the best program in the country. I felt like that after visiting several of them.”
Reilly says with an 18-course and driving range on the school property, he never had to leave campus. Just walk down the hill, “down back” as any Monarch would say, and get your swings in. He still has great friends from that program with whom he engages to this day. With the convenience and camaraderie of his college days in mind, Reilly understands how important a great practice facility is to his 835 golf privilege holders.
The new range has three sets of tees encompassing 50,000 sq. ft. of teeing space that can house almost two dozen golfers at a time. Again, with the previous range available for golfers getting ready for their rounds, other members secure quality practice sessions on the new practice space. Reilly says they have Trackman and FlightScope launch monitor technology that members can use to dial in their numbers and gather data to help them improve. He and his team use the technology for lessons and custom club fittings as well.
“The average age of our membership is in the low 50s, so we do have golfers who ask to use the devices in their practice,” Reilly explains.
He added that the biggest aspect of the range enhancement was that members were now able to hit their drivers, something they could not do with a net less than 200 yards away – balls would clear the net and land on an adjacent hole.
“With the range expansion and strategic use of technology in our fittings, our driver, fairway wood and hybrid sales have increased, as our ability to club fit and teach lessons have been greatly improved,” Reilly says. “Plus, golfers can work on their long game more than ever.”
He says their lesson business has almost tripled over his time at Philadelphia Country Club and a lot of that is attributable to the new range that opened to members during the summer of 2021. Reilly adds that the range renovation followed other enhancements to their third nine, including hole modifications and re-grassing of tees and greens. These nine holes, aptly named Centennial, were added by Tom Fazio in 1991 to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary and have become a vital feature of the club. Members enjoy walking this nine-hole layout and appreciate its proximity to the new range.
Philadelphia Country Club has a short game area (putting and chipping greens with bunkers) near the first tee of its Spring Mill course, a layout that hosted Byron Nelson’s victory in the 1939 U.S. Open, the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur and co-hosted the 2005 U.S. Men’s Amateur, won by Eduardo Molinari. They also have “an extra hole” that members use for pitching practice or to recreate a variety of scenarios they may encounter during a round of golf. The club’s professional team also uses the 200-yard space for instruction.
The club offers extensive programming in all its sports, including golf and fitness professionals coming together to offer vital health and wellness education to their golfing members. With 120 men’s and ladies’ leagues and member tournaments, as well as 10 outside outings, competitive golf is just as important at PCC as the leisurely rounds enjoyed by members every day. There are junior camps during the summer and “play with the pro” opportunities throughout the golf season. In 2026, Philadelphia Country Club will again co-host the U.S. Men’s Amateur with nearby Merion Golf Club. Thanks to great amenities and stellar leadership, Philadelphia Country Club’s future looks as bright as its wonderful history.
