A Historic Detour: The Truist Championship Comes to Philadelphia Cricket Club

This week, the PGA Tour’s Truist Championship takes a one-year detour to a venue steeped in American sporting history: the Philadelphia Cricket Club (PCC). The tournament moves from its usual host site, currently occupied by the PGA Championship, and instead finds a temporary—but remarkable—home in Philadelphia.

Founded in 1852, Philadelphia Cricket Club holds the distinction of being the oldest country club in the United States. Despite its name, the club’s roots are in cricket, not golf. As cricket’s popularity waned and golf surged in the early 20th century, members of the club pushed for the development of a golf course. The result was a Willie Tucker-designed layout, with the front nine completed in 1895 and the back nine in 1897.

Photo Credit: LinksGems. The St Martin course was a former site of 2 US Opens and now plays as a 9 hole course.

This original course quickly gained national acclaim, hosting the U.S. Open in 1907 and 1910. Though later reconfigured into a nine-hole layout due to land losses and open space initiatives, the historic St. Martins course still sits on the original club grounds, adjacent to its first clubhouse.

Tragedy struck the club in 1908 when a fire claimed a life and destroyed extensive archives, including photographs, trophies, and historic records. According to the NW Hickory Players Association, women members kept the course active and competitive during the reconstruction period.

In 1931, further land loss led to the permanent reduction of the St. Martins course to nine holes. Yet the course retained much of its original character and, in 2014, was chosen as the permanent home of the World Hickory Match Play, an international event that celebrates golf’s classic roots.

Meanwhile, in the 1910s, club leadership sought to build a modern championship course. After evaluating several architects, they selected A.W. Tillinghast, whose bold design made use of a site ten miles from the original clubhouse. Initially known as the Flourtown site, this course would come to be called the Wissahickon Course.

Photo Credit: Golf Digest. The Wissahickon Course, designed by AW Tillinghast features a great hazards a common theme in his courses.

Opened in 1920 and restored by Keith Foster in 2013, Wissahickon has maintained much of its original Tillinghast charm. Though historically underutilized for major tournaments, the course has hosted a string of significant events in the past decade, including the 2014 Philadelphia Open, 2015 PGA Professional National Championship, 2016 Constellation Senior Players Championship, 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, and now, the 2025 Truist Championship. A par-70 layout, Wissahickon measures 7,119 yards and carries a course rating of 74.8.

“As per his request, Tillinghast’s ashes were scattered in the Wissahickon Creek that crosses the 18th green,” said Golf Digest Course reviewer.

Photo Credit: Golf Digest. AW Tillinghast was not known for his use of templates the way CBMac or Seth Raynor were but he would on occasion incorporate a Biarritz style green.

Adjacent to Wissahickon is the club’s third course: Militia Hill. Designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry—renowned for their work at Calusa Pines and Erin Hills—this 18-hole, par-72 layout spans 7,227 yards with a 75 rating. Named in honor of the nearby Militia Hill section of Fort Washington State Park, the course pays tribute to Revolutionary War history, where the Pennsylvania Militia once encamped before heading to Valley Forge.

As the Truist Championship tees off at this historic venue, fans and players alike will find themselves immersed in more than just elite golf—they’ll be walking fairways that tell the story of American sport, tradition, and resilience.