Cobbs Creek — ‘more than a golf course’ — takes another step toward returning to its ‘original purpose’
PGA Tour winner Chris Gotterup and former Eagles center Jason Kelce were among those on hand for the opening of the Lincoln Financial Center as Cobbs Creek kick off its first full season of golf on the renovated campus.
Just seven months after the formal opening of the Smilow Woodland TGR Learning Lab at Cobbs Creek, the historic West Philadelphia golf course reached another milestone in its restoration plans: the grand opening of the new Lincoln Financial Center.
And with it, the Cobbs Creek campus kicked off its first full season of golf activity since restoration efforts began after the course was forced to close in 2020 due to frequent flooding and safety concerns. The 42,000-square-foot, three-story complex has been opened to the public since December, but Monday was the building’s formal grand opening.
“Seeing this building today and being able to invite guests to Cobbs Creek is a massive milestone in our project,” said Erin Cook, the senior vice president of the Cobbs Creek Foundation. “We are just so excited that community members, neighbors, and people all around Philadelphia can come and experience Cobbs Creek. … Seeing these projects come to life has been a dream come true. It’s really fulfilling our mission.”
For such a major milestone, PGA Tour champion Chris Gotterup and former Eagles center Jason Kelce arrived to hit the inaugural tee shots at the driving range.
In addition to the two-story driving range, which features individual heated bays, the hub also includes a pro shop, a golf entertainment center, a 200-person event and community space, a TGR designed short course named The Q-School, and The Little Horse Tavern restaurant, named after Charlie Sifford, the first Black golfer to play and win on the PGA Tour.
“This is where [my father] got his first start after experiencing what it was like to be a Black golfer in the segregated South,” Charles Sifford Jr. said. “He began to see what might be possible. Even when opportunities were limited because of his skin color.
“Cobbs Creek is more than a golf course. It’s a place of community, a place to play and compete, and a place to belong. I love the fact that not only is the golf course being restored to its original routing. It brought back its original purpose — a place where all Philadelphians can come and enjoy.”
Cobbs Creek, which was opened to the public in 1916, was recognized as the “great uniter,” welcoming people of different backgrounds to enjoy the game of golf. That included Sifford, who happened to be Tiger Woods’ mentor.
The new Lincoln Financial Center pays homage to the legacy Sifford left behind. Throughout it, there are murals and photos of the former golfer alongside other Philadelphia icons, the restaurant is named in his honor, and golfers can buy merchandise with his face on it, or even grab a copy of his autobiography, “Just Let Me Play.”
“[The Lincoln Financial Center] not only honors my father’s legacy, but the legacy of many great Philadelphians,” Sifford Jr. said. “It says a lot about the intention behind the project. It’s not just about the game. It’s about the people, history, and community.”
The course’s $150 million restoration has been documented through a three-part series, Cobbs Creek Rising: Headwaters to Horizon.
“There’s no other facility like this in the tristate area,” Cook said. “There’s nothing like this in the city of Philadelphia. So the fact that we could bring a world-class facility here for education and golf to West Philadelphia is really fulfilling to us.”
As is evident through the campus’s education programs, there’s more to Cobbs Creek than golf. Lincoln Financial, a founding partner of the Cobbs Creek Foundation, is teaming up with the TGR Learning Lab to offer financial literacy programs for kids, families, and adults.
“When we learned about the vision, restoring the course that stood on this ground since 1916, where Charlie Sifford perfected his golf game, we saw something that went far beyond golf,” Ellen Cooper, the CEO of Lincoln Financial, said. “We saw an investment in young people. We saw education. We saw access. We saw possibility. In a neighborhood that deserves all three. That is why our name is on the central hub of this campus.”
The Lincoln Financial Center at Cobbs Creek is located at 7403 Lansdowne Ave. The driving range is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Little Horse Tavern is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations and tee times for The Q School short course can be made online.
