Whitemarsh Valley’s course opened in 1908 on land long associated with George C. Thomas Jr.; the club’s own historical outline centers Thomas as original architect and frames later work as revisions to features rather than a different routing.
In the interwar years, the club commissioned additional architectural attention. Contemporary summaries and modern research concur that William Flynn contributed revisions (principally to bunkering and contour), and that Donald Ross returned in 1930 in a remodeling capacity.
Direct, primary-source documentation of Ross’s Whitemarsh scope is limited in the public record. However, a 1930 Ross course booklet reference—catalogued by historians and discussed in secondary forums—lists Whitemarsh Valley as “18 holes—Remodeled,” anchoring his presence to that year.
Further, Andrew Green, who led the club’s 2015 renovation, has described uncovering Ross documents that were subsequently “drawn over by William Flynn,” and he identifies Ross-driven alterations on No. 11 and No. 18 as certain. Those statements, while secondary, are firsthand from the modern architect who studied the archive on site.
The 2015 renovation by Andrew Green rebuilt all bunkers, expanded greens to reclaim earlier perimeters, and included targeted tree removal to re-establish playing widths and interior vistas. These actions were publicly reported at the time and remain summarized in standard course references.
Unique Design Characteristics
Because Thomas’s routing remains the armature, Ross’s contributions read as surgical edits that sharpened specific decision points rather than wholesale re-routing. The par-5 11th—climbing and bending through the interior—exhibits the sort of diagonal hazards and staggered fairway bunkering that modern observers attribute to the Ross-era revisions; Green specifically cited No. 11 among the holes Ross changed. Today, players sequence options across multiple shots up the slope, choosing lines that interact with bunkers placed to reward angle control before an elevated green.
At the close, No. 18 presents a rising par-4 where newly rebuilt greenside bunkers accentuate the approach; Green has likewise identified No. 18 as a Ross change. The finishing shot now plays to a green whose expanded perimeter and tighter short-grass surrounds amplify recovery variety—an effect intentionally reinforced in 2015 to reconnect with earlier green footprints.
Other holes illustrate how subsequent stewardship has sought to harmonize eras without erasing distinct identities. The short 9th (a downhill par-3 with a shallow, bunker-guarded surface) and the elevated 16th (a par-3 with a pronounced false-front fall-off) are often cited by contemporary reviewers as emblematic of Whitemarsh’s demand for precise trajectory and distance control. While not claimed as Ross originals, their current contouring works in concert with his targeted edits, creating a late-round rhythm of approach-shot exactitude that frames the 11-to-18 corridor Ross touched.
Given the paucity of publicly available Ross drawings, the clearest surviving examples of his hand at Whitemarsh remain Nos. 11 and 18, supported by Green’s archival review.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s broader portfolio, Whitemarsh Valley matters as a 1930 remodel of an already noted Philadelphia-School venue whose original author (Thomas) had relocated west. The commission positioned Ross among a cadre—Flynn included—engaged by the club in an iterative search for competitive refinement ahead of mid-century tournament ambitions. While the precise scope of Ross’s work is less documented than at his full designs, the course’s later tournament record underscores that these cumulative pre-war interventions set a durable championship stage.
From 1963 to 1980, the club hosted the PGA Tour’s event known over time as the Whitemarsh Open, the Philadelphia Golf Classic, and the IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic. Champions included Arnold Palmer (1963), Jack Nicklaus (1964, 1965, 1978), Tom Weiskopf (1971, 1973), Billy Casper (1970), Hubert Green (1974), Tom Kite (1976), among others. Palmer’s 1963 victory—his lone professional win in Pennsylvania—carried the then-rich first prize of $26,000.
In regional historical context, the course also hosted the 1951 Women’s Western Open, won by Patty Berg, further weaving national-caliber play into the venue’s identity well before the men’s tour arrived.
Current Condition / Integrity
The routing remains recognizably Thomas, with internal revisions layered by Flynn and Ross; the club’s own historical note characterizes later work largely as bunkering and green-contour changes rather than re-routing.
The 2015 Andrew Green project reconstructed the bunker scheme, selectively removed trees to restore scale and angles, and expanded greens to earlier perimeters—work that modern references describe as sympathetic and historically minded.
As presented today, Whitemarsh shows high integrity to its composite Golden-Age identity: Thomas’s corridors and ground movement persist; Ross’s documented changes on 11 and 18 remain embedded; and Flynn’s 1930s contour sensibility is evident in hazard placements and transitions that Green sought to honor rather than overwrite. The current scorecard lists the par at 72 and the back-tee yardage around 6,902 yards, consistent with the club’s tournament heritage yet accommodating everyday member play.
Items most vulnerable to historical drift have been green edges and bunker forms. Green’s enlargement of putting surfaces reclaimed lost corners and tongues (common at Philadelphia-area clubs after decades of shrinkage), and the 2015 bunker rebuild unified styles across eras without attempting a literal replica of any single decade.
Uncertainties / points needing primary verification.
Precise scope of Ross’s 1930 work. The existence of a 1930 Ross booklet entry noting Whitemarsh as “Remodeled” establishes involvement and date, but it does not enumerate features; Green’s testimony identifies Nos. 11 and 18 as Ross changes.
Sequence of Ross and Flynn interventions. Green notes Ross plans later “drawn over by William Flynn.” A precise chronology—e.g., whether Flynn implemented, modified, or superseded elements—requires dated sheets and committee minutes not currently public.
Feature-specific attributions elsewhere on the course. Contemporary descriptions of holes such as No. 9 and No. 16 illuminate playing character but do not assign authorship of interior contours; on-site archaeology and plan overlays would be necessary to ascribe these definitively to Thomas, Ross, or Flynn.
Sources & Notes
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club — official History page (accessed 2025), club narrative of origins and events.
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club — Golf page (practice facilities; club presentation).
whitemarshvalleycc.com
Top100GolfCourses — Whitemarsh Valley (designer sequence; summary of 2015 work).
LINKS Magazine — “The Greening of Oak Hill” (Andrew Green profile; cites Whitemarsh renovation recognition).
BuffaloGolfer.com — “2018 Interview Series: Andrew Green” (firsthand remarks: Ross changes to Nos. 11 & 18; Ross plans later marked by Flynn; 1934 Flynn as-built reference; context on earlier “alpinization”).
GolfClubAtlas Forum — “Ross Booklet” thread noting Whitemarsh listed as “18 holes—Remodeled (1930)” (secondary reference to Ross publication; requires primary verification).
Golfadelphia — “Whitemarsh Valley CC” (hole-by-hole observations; descriptions of Nos. 9, 10, 11, 13, 16).
Whitemarsh Valley CC — “Historical Highlights” (tournament legacy summary; Women’s Western Open, PGA Tour event).
GolfCompendium — “IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic” (venue and winners list).
Philadelphia Magazine — Palmer’s 1963 Whitemarsh win (prize context).