Page 6 - 2022 Golf Guide

George Forster
George Forster, Radnor Valley Country Club’s head golf pro, has retired after 37 years. Winner of 82 individual Philadelphia PGA Section tournaments, Forster will
continue to play at Blue Bell Country Club, where he’s a member. “I’ve been
in the golf business in some shape or form since age 13, when I worked in the snack bar at
Walnut Lane Golf Club,” says Forster. “After 52 years, it’s really nice to enjoy life and play more golf.” ... The Golf Association of Philadelphia has merged with the Delaware State Golf Association. The coupling increases GAP’s membership to
more than 90,000 golfers across parts of four states and brings together the two most prominent golf
organizations in the Delaware Valley. ... Several area golf pros were honored recently
with Philadelphia PGA Section Awards, including the Union League
of Philadelphia’s Sean Palmer (PGA Golf Professional of the Year), Overbrook Golf Club’s David Zimmaro (PGA Teacher & Coach
of the Year), Aronimink Golf Club’s Jeff Kiddie (Bill Strausbaugh Award)
and Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Chris Young (PGA Youth Player Development
Award). ... It looks like the long-speculated renovation of the venerable Cobbs Creek Golf Course
in Philadelphia is finally going to happen, with a
$65 million restoration getting underway this spring. Closed since 2020, the historic course experienced flooding and a destructive fire in 2016, leaving it an unplayable safety concern for years. It was spared the wrecking ball thanks to the efforts of the Cobbs Creek Foundation. The restoration will feature a Gil Hanse/ Jim Wagner-designed championship golf course, a community and education center, a driving range, a nine-hole short course and a restaurant. Target dates for completion extend into 2024. ... More course news: Baywood Greens (Long Neck, Del.) has tripled the size of its practice green to better accommodate players, and it will be re-decking the 18th hole bridge. Landis Creek Golf Club (Limerick, Pa.) has
new asphalt cart paths throughout the course, along with new bridges over the ponds on holes 14 and
15. The course also features a fresh pond in front of the seventh green. As longtime superintendent Mark McGreevey takes over the role of general manager at
FIRST CUT
AREA GOLF NEWS AND NOTABLES.
Sean Palmer
Union League Liberty Hill
Wyncote Golf Club (Oxford, Pa.), he’ll
be revamping the golf operation and remodeling
and rebranding the restaurant as a Scottish pub.
Union League Liberty Hill (Lafayette Hill, Pa.)
is now a full year into its takeover of the former Ace
Club. Enhancements include a second restaurant
and a lobby renovation. A recreation center is also
planned as part of a lifestyle campus for Union
League members. Applebrook Golf
Club (Malvern, Pa.) has a new irrigation
system scheduled for installation this
summer. Course recommendations
from architect Gil Hanse will proceed
in early fall, including bunker
restoration, renovated practice facilities
and other upgrades. ... In the Senior
PGA Professional Championship this
past October, Applebrook head golf pro Dave
Dave McNabb climbed from 57th place
all the way to 14th in the final round. His stellar play secured him a spot in this year’s Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Michigan. ... Some fresh moves:
Duke Matzik takes over as head pro
at West Chester Country Club (West
Chester, Pa.). Steve Frederick
has left Overbook Country Club
(Bryn Mawr, Pa.) to assume head pro
duties at Radnor Valley Country Club (Villanova, Pa.). Jon Arthur has been
McNabb
GG4 Golf Guide 2022 | todaymediainc.com
hired as head pro at Radley Run Country Steve
Club (West Chester, Pa.). And after an eight-year
stint as the GM at St. David’s Golf Club (Wayne, Pa.), Bill Phillips has returned to Applebrook Golf Club.
—Jim Finnegan
Frederick
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