St. Davids first organized golf in the late 1890s on leased land, but the present course resulted from a 1925 decision to purchase a permanent site and commission Donald Ross. Club minutes summarized in the club’s published history record that on April 18, 1925, the membership voted to buy farmland and to “engage” Ross; press reporting that August noted “a course planned by Donald Ross” and emphasized the site’s fast-draining soils as an advantage for year-round play. Bentgrass was nursed in a nursery in 1925–26 and used to plug the greens, and the new course opened October 1, 1927 with more than 200 members playing that first day.
Routing and clubhouse siting evolved as the club acquired adjacent St. Luke’s School property in 1927: what was to be the third hole became the starting hole, and the future 18th shifted accordingly. A further, now-famous alteration occurred in 1936, when A.W. Tillinghast advised that the ninth was too short as a par 4; under his recommendation the green was moved and the hole converted to a long par 3. The 13th and 14th also flipped sequence and par (from 3–4 to 4–3) during 1927–30 while the permanent clubhouse plan settled.
The late-20th-century saw targeted modernization. In 1994 the club engaged Brian Silva to rebuild all bunkers (adding new fairway bunkers at 3 and 7) and to rebuild greens at 4, 6 and 14, along with installing a fourth tee set.
In 2004–05 the club adopted a long-range plan that addressed a longstanding practice limitation: Ron Prichard designed a full-shot practice range by replacing the par-4 17th with a new par-3 and re-routing 18 down the old 17th corridor into a modified 18th green; those works opened in 2005. Remaining portions of the restoration plan resumed in 2008, completing holes 4–8 with further phases to follow as resources allowed.
A new restoration cycle began in late 2024 under Tyler Rae. The club and architect announced a phased program focused on green-edge expansions, bunker and green refinements, and re-grassing, with on-site shaping documented through club updates; the club targeted 2025 for the main restoration push.
Unique Design Characteristics
Ross’s 1927 course at St. Davids worked within a confined, walkable canvas, repeatedly changing directions across mild ribs to create stance and angle variety. That underlying routing survived the later tweaks and remains legible in several sequences:
The mid-front nine hinge (Nos. 7–10). The ninth—since 1936 a long par-3 per Tillinghast’s recommendation—sits at a pivot in the routing and shows how the club integrated external advice while preserving Ross’s corridor scheme; the hole’s present setting (green nearer the clubhouse) also reflects 1927–30 clubhouse planning decisions on the St. Luke’s parcel.
Creekless, contour-driven defense. There is little water in play; defense centers on elevation, green tilt, and bunkering. The Silva program of 1994 rebuilt the bunkers and returned pressure to preferred lines, with new fairway bunkers on 3 (left) and 7 (right) tightening the scoring routes without introducing foreign hazards.
Greens of differing character, including conversions. Three greens—4, 6, 14—were rebuilt in 1994, and the 17/18 complexes were re-created in 2005 to facilitate the range while keeping Ross’s risk-reward theme on the closer (the new 17 playing as a par-3, 18 a dog-leg par-4 toward the existing green). These show how the club balanced modern needs with historic intent.
Current edge work. The 2024–25 restoration emphasizes expanding original perimeters and re-introducing short-grass run-offs around greens. Club updates highlight staged green expansions on 4–9 and Rae’s on-site shaping as the club prepares for full grassing, indicating an objective to recover Ross’s effective green-edge cupping areas rather than wholesale re-contouring.
Taken together, the ninth (for its well-documented 1936 conversion within the Ross routing), the reconciled 17th/18th (for modernized but strategy-true finish), and the mid-course targets at 4 and 6 (for rebuilt yet historically framed greens) are the clearest living illustrations of the course’s evolving but Ross-anchored identity.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Philadelphia-area work, St. Davids stands as a late-1920s Main Line commission that opened the same year as the club’s relocation to its permanent site. It figured early in regional golf culture as one of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s foundational clubs and has remained a reliable competition venue; even minor scheduling notes (e.g., the Philadelphia Section Assistant Championship moving venues during the pandemic year) show the course is part of the Section’s rotation. More substantively, recent GAP events (e.g., 2023 Mixed Foursomes) document the club’s current par-70 setup and its continued use for association play. The course’s renown in architectural guides stems from its No. 9 change—attributed specifically to Tillinghast in 1936—and from continuity of the Ross routing despite later green and bunker campaigns.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing & bones. The 1927 Ross routing remains the framework. The clubhouse-driven sequencing alterations of 1927–30 and the 1936 Tillinghast conversion at 9 are the principal historic deviations from Ross’s original hole list; otherwise, corridors and hole directions match the plan established during 1925–27.
What has been preserved.
• Corridors and rhythm of the 1927 layout.
• A par-70 configuration anchored by the long par-3 9th.
• Strategic pressure delivered by bunkering and green tilt rather than water.
What has changed (and why).
• 1994 Silva program: all bunkers rebuilt; new fairway bunkers at 3 and 7; greens at 4, 6, 14 rebuilt; addition of a forward tee set.
• 2004–05 Prichard plan: practice range built; 17 replaced by new par-3; 18 re-aligned into the former 17th corridor and tied into the (modified) existing green. Further restoration resumed in 2008 (notably holes 4–8).
• 2024–25 Rae restoration (in progress): greens expanded, bunkers and surrounds refined, re-grassing staged for 2025; club updates show greens 4–9 already expanded with architect on site.
Today’s setup. Black tees play at 6,608 yards, par 70 (CR/Slope ≈ 72.3/134), aligning with the club’s portrayal of a traditional Ross test defined by angles and greens rather than distance.
Sources & Notes
“St. Davids Golf Club—History” (club PDF via Golf Association of Philadelphia site). Detailed institutional chronology including 1925 engagement of Donald Ross; course opened Oct. 1, 1927; acquisition of St. Luke’s property; 1936 A.W. Tillinghast recommendation converting No. 9 to a par-3; 13/14 reconfiguration; 1994 Brian Silva work (all bunkers; added fairway bunkers at 3 and 7; rebuilt greens 4, 6, 14); 2004–05 Ron Prichard range plan and 17/18 changes; restoration activity resuming 2008 on holes 4–8. (PDF dated 2009.)
Club website (public pages). General statements that the course is a 1927 Donald Ross design
Top100GolfCourses—St. Davids profile. Independent overview confirming 1927 opening, noting 1994 Silva bunkers and Prichard restoration, and recording the Tillinghast role in changing No. 9 to a par-3.
GAP news item—Mixed Foursomes at St. Davids (2023). Event played at par 70, 6,089 yards, confirming contemporary par and typical member-tee yardage.
Radnor Historical Society article. Community history referencing the club’s 1927 move to the current site and Ross’s role as architect. (Supplementary context.)
Project updates—Tyler Rae (2024–25). Club and architect social posts announcing and documenting the ongoing restoration, including greens expansions (4–9) and preparation for 2025 re-grassing.