Former world No. 1 Jordan Spieth pledged a sizable contribution to a Tiger Woods -led renovation effort of historic Cobbs Creek Golf Club Monday, offering a $250,000 grant dedicated toward the construction of a junior putting green.
The public West Philadelphia golf course has existed as a hub for Black golfers for 108 years, open to all races, ethnicities and genders during eras of prevalent segregation. It was nominated into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 2021.
"We are grateful and thrilled to partner with the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation as we take another significant step towards providing a world-class and inviting public golf experience that welcomes players from every background and at all levels," Cobbs Creek Foundation President Jeff Shanahan said in a statement. "The creation of a junior putting green represents a pivotal moment in our efforts to revitalize the Cobbs Creek Campus and provide transformative opportunities for the youth in our community."
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The 340-acre plot of land, located on the western reaches of Philadelphia's city borders, has served as a crucial resource in the Black community for nearly 200 years. In collaboration with the Delaware County Historical Society, research from Friends of Cobbs Creek Golf Course found that the current greens exist over a prominent stop on the Underground Railroad, owned by Quaker abolitionist Samuel Rhodes, that helped runaway slaves escape to the North.
With the "Olde Course" opening decades later, it became a premier venue for golfers of color, serving as a home for the United Golfers Association and developing Charlie Sifford, the first Black athlete on the PGA Tour full-time, who debuted in 1961. Sifford is a personal hero to Woods, a connection that sparked the sporting icon's interest in Cobbs Creek after years of mismanagement and a fire that destroyed the clubhouse in 2016.
“Cobbs Creek was the place where Black and brown golfers could golf when they were not allowed to golf anywhere else,” said State Sen. Vincent Hughes. “Its historical significance, because it fought against discrimination, it fought against racism and it opened its doors and its greens and its tees to Black and brown golfers requires us to make sure that we treasure it.”
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The Cobbs Creek Foundation was granted a 70-year lease after the venue's temporary closure in 2019 and has pledged a $100 million renovation. Woods, for his part, is funding a branch of his TGR Learning Lab on the facility, teaching technical skills that include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and robotics, and an adjacent, accessible short course designed to attract golfers of all skill sets.
Additional "state-of-the-art facilities" will include a full 18-hole golf course suited for hosting PGA Tour events — Cobbs Creek hosted two such events during the 1950s, providing Black golfers a rare opportunity on the sport's biggest stage — a two-story driving range, a restaurant and a heritage center. The full golf course renovation is projected to be completed by 2026.
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