Kennett Square’s members incorporated the club at the end of 1922, acquired roughly 100 acres by March 1923, and elected to build nine holes initially. Donald Ross was retained to design that nine; several holes opened for play late in 1923, and minutes from September 30, 1927 recorded that the course had been improved to rank among the better suburban nines.
In late 1936 the club leased about 34 acres across the road, allowing a full expansion to 18 holes. According to the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s club history—which cites contemporaneous minutes—Ross “also laid out” the added nine, intermingled with the original holes. The completed 18 opened with notable fanfare on July 4, 1940, highlighted by an exhibition featuring Gene Sarazen, Wilmington’s Ed “Porky” Oliver, head professional Willie Palumbo, and club champion Willard McConnell; the club purchased the leased acreage the following year.
Secondary literature occasionally assigns the second nine to William Gordon, sometimes dated around 1931—a timeline that conflicts with the club’s own land-acquisition sequence and the 1940 dedication date. This alternate attribution appears in modern commentary and course reviews rather than in primary club records; reconciling the credit definitively would require inspection of 1936–40 club minutes, any surviving Ross plan sheets or correspondence, and Gordon firm records.
One further detail from specialist compilations: construction on the 1923 nine has been associated with Ross’s longtime foreman J.B. McGovern. This is a plausible but secondary-source claim pending confirmation from club files or the Tufts Archives.
Unique Design Characteristics (hole-specific)
The opening stretch introduces Kennett’s defining traits: tilted fairways to elevated greens and greens that often shed from front-to-back or side-to-side. The 1st plays from the clubhouse ridge with the approach into a green that falls front-to-back and left-to-right, rewarding precise distance control rather than aerial spin. The 2nd, a dogleg right with water lurking, climbs to a semi-blind, uphill approach—an early instance of Kennett’s repeated uphill demands.
Across Locust Lane, the 3rd is a mid-iron par three with a fronting bunker and a green that becomes notably shallow across the mid-section—common at Kennett where short-grass aprons and gravity conspire to push imperfect shots long. The 5th stretches the par-3 theme, feeding from short-grass into a back-to-front surface with left-to-right pitch.
On the clubhouse side, 8 fires downhill from the ridge to a fairway canted right, then back uphill to a green flanked by sizable bunkers and guarded short-left—an example of Kennett’s recurring down-and-up rhythm. The 9th, a sinewy par five, works around perimeter ground before climbing to a narrow, deep green where angle matters as much as distance.
The Red Clay Creek corridor shapes much of the inward nine. 10 returns to the clubhouse ridge with left-side bunkering that presses tee-shot placement. 11 is a pond-carry par three to a slightly raised target. 14 now explicitly crosses Red Clay, a risk/reward decision sharpened after the club’s stream-restoration program redesigned banks and flow to reduce erosion while improving habitat; the project area notably included the vulnerable 13th green and 14th tee.
The closing par-5s—16 (an uphill three-shotter) and 18 (an uphill dogleg-left) —illustrate Ross-era routing economy on hilly terrain: generous room off the tee, then stern demands as elevation climbs into compact, well-defended targets. These holes today also showcase the reconstructed bunkers installed with a modern liner while aiming at “old-school Ross-like” forms.
Surviving Ross indicators. Assuming (per club/PAGA records) that Ross laid out both nines, the 1st, 3rd, 8th, 10th read most clearly as Ross-era green sites employing fall-aways and diagonals consistent with his 1920s work in the region. If, however, the back-nine credit to Gordon were correct, the front-nine would represent the most intact Ross core. (See “Sources & Notes” for the authorship dispute.)
Historical Significance
Kennett Square is a representative example of a member-driven Ross commission in greater Philadelphia’s classic-era boom: a small borough organizing land and funds, building a nine under Ross (1923), then expanding to a full 18 once additional land became available (1936–40). The 1940 dedication exhibition with Sarazen and Oliver underscores its place in the region’s lively mid-century golf culture. While the course is not a staple of national “Top 100” lists, regional observers regularly note the greens and terrain usage among the course’s strengths—traits tied here to the Ross period rather than later length-driven modernization.
Current Condition / Integrity
Beginning in 2005, the club engaged Bradley S. Klein (Ross scholar) with architect Paul Albanese to prepare a master restoration and bunker plan aimed at a more unified Ross presentation. Recent work included a club-documented bunker renovation using a modern liner system, with construction executed in 2021 and public updates from club leadership and the project team. Separately, the club collaborated with conservation partners on Red Clay Creek restoration to stabilize banks and protect playing features—especially near 13–14—which also improved habitat and water quality. Together, these efforts have preserved the routing and green-site character while refreshing hazards and buffering the creek corridor, albeit with contemporary construction methods.
Tree growth, selective clearing, and cart-era maintenance have inevitably changed visuals since the 1920s–40s; nonetheless, the walkable routing, elevational sequencing, and compact green platforms remain legible. The club describes “more than 80 bunkers,” rolling terrain, and mature, tree-lined fairways; current tees and ratings list a back-tee yardage near 6,350–6,400 yards at par 71.
Authorship of the second nine (1936–40): Club/association history—citing minutes—credits Donald Ross with laying out the added nine; some modern commentary credits William Gordon (c. 1931). The latter date predates the club’s 1936 land lease and conflicts with the 1940 dedication; it may reflect preliminary advisory work, misdated recollection, or confusion with subsequent alterations. Primary-source verification recommended: 1936–40 board minutes, any extant Ross drawings or correspondence, and Gordon firm files.
Sources & Notes
Pennsylvania Golf Association — Member Club history: Kennett Square G&CC. Details 1922 organization, 1923 Ross commission and first-nine opening, 1936 land lease, authorship note that Ross “also laid out” the second nine, and July 4, 1940 18-hole dedication/exhibition (Sarazen, Ed “Porky” Oliver, Willie Palumbo, Willard McConnell).
Kennett Square G&CC, “The Launch” (club history page). Confirms 1923 start of construction and Ross selection for the first nine.
Kennett Square G&CC — Golf page. Present-day description (par 71; “more than 80 bunkers”), practice facilities (8-station range, putting green, short-game area), and general course character; site-wide amenities page confirms pool/tennis/paddle.
USGA, “Red Clay Creek Restoration” (2017 case study; also archived PDF). Documents stream-restoration partnership, project scope, and specific risk to 13th green and 14th tee.
Golfadelphia (Apr. 24, 2025), “Kennett Square Golf & Country Club.” Hole-by-hole observations used here to locate specific features (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18) and to note the alternate claim that William Gordon (1931) designed the second nine. (Secondary source; photographs and routing comments helpful but not primary documentation.)
Bradley S. Klein — Design page. Notes master plan and bunker plan at Kennett Square since 2005, with Paul Albanese.
Project communications on 2021 bunker work. Club/contractor social posts and statements indicating Better Billy Bunker-type liner and intent to recapture Ross aesthetics; posts by club leadership/superintendent and architect. (Secondary confirmation of scope; exact construction documents not public.)
Tyler Rae Design — Donald Ross listing. Lists Kennett Square G&CC (9) with J.B. McGovern as construction supervisor on the 1923 work.