The Disappointment of FDR

Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2865/2855 - 5720
Par: 35/34 - 69
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 105
Score: 43/54 = 97
Date: July 19, 2008

Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club is one of the four City of Philadelphia-owned golf courses that is now being managed by Billy Casper Golf. After my first round there, I can say that they have a lot of work ahead of them. Built as WPA project during the Great Depression, the course opened in 1940 and is located just across from the stadium complex in South Philadelphia. FDR is affectionately know as "The Lakes" to native South Philadelphians. Although many of the holes are straightaway with generous fairways and larger sized green, FDR does offer some rather challenging holes (#s 4, 5, 10, 11, 14, and 15) that can put some large numbers on your scorecard, as well as canal that runs through the course is features on no less than nine holes.

The FDR Scorecard

I have always enjoyed playing at FDR, and I was optimistic about what Billy Casper Golf would do to make FDR even better. What I found during today's round was disappointing. Tee boxes lacking grass or overgrown with crab grass, fairways that were spotty and often undistinguishible from the rough, and while the majority of the greens were okay, #14 had large areas that were nothing but dirt. And at 2:30 p.m., they charged me $31 to walk! Conditions were pretty much the same, or slightly better, and prices were cheaper before Billy Casper Golf came on board. In all fairness, the starter did tell me that they were working on the irrigation system and having problems and I would find areas where there was ground under repair; it seems everytime they fix a leak, they find three or four others. But to me, for $31 to walk (twi-light rates don't start until 4 p.m. according to a sign in the clubhouse) they have a lot more work to do.

The 464 Yard, Par 5 3rd Hole

As for my round, I played in extreme heat and humidity, and like before, it was a tale of two nines. I started out steady, but couldn't seem to make anything happen, although I did manage to par the 3rd Hole, a 464 Yard Par 5. At the 4th I ran into my usual trouble. Tee shots must be kept to the left side of the fairway and your approach shot my clear a large patch of reeds that surround the canal anywhere from 120-145 yards to the green. I, of course, hit my tee shot well left behind a tree, pitched out, then skulled my third shot into the reeds. I did manage to one-putt the green...for a 7. The 175 Yard Par 3 5th Hole features a very narrow green squeezed between two bunkers. At the 6th, I teamed up with Dale, who was playing solo behind me, and immediately went crazy, parring the next four holes and just missing birdies at #7, 8 and 9. I went out in a season best 43.

The approach shot to 4th Green.
The flag is barely visible behind the reeds and marsh grass

The back nine at FDR is where the course begins to bare its teeth and I began to quickly run out of steam and energy. At the 12th Hole, after a 7 and 6 on the first two holes of the back nine, I had to finish out my round riding in Dale's cart. But my, energy, as well as my legs and swing were gone. I limped home mercifully in 54, managing to rally for a 5 and par 4 on the last two holes, to keep my score under 100 despite 6 pars on the scorecard.

The Canal that wanders through FDR

The challenging final six holes at FDR:

Hole #13: Although it is listed at 153 yards on the scorecard, the hole usually plays around 125-130 yards and there always seems to be wind. The green is deceiving as it sits behind a very large bunker and a swale of about 15 yards. The green itself slopes from left to right and away from the tee. I pushed a 9-iron from 129 yards, but left it short right in the swale. I chipped long and three-putted for a 5.

The flag sits well behind the bunker at the Par 3 13th Hole

Hole #14: A 376-yard sharp dogleg left that has a grove of trees on the left and out-of-bounds on the right. A tee shot of at least 225 yards is required to have an open look at the green, which sits atop a small plateau and slopes from back to front, although the front portion of the green mostly dirt. After hitting short into the trees on the left, I had to pitch out and then fatted an 8-iron short right. I chipped up and three-putted for a 7.

The 14th Green in need of repair

Hole #15: This Par 4 is only 370 yards, but the sharp dogleg right plays extremely uphill from just inside 150 yards to a green that is well protected by bunkers on the right. If you don't get your tee shot out far enough, the second shot is blind. I topped my 3-wood off the tee and had to pitch the ball down the fairway. I tried to cut the dogleg from there with a 4-iron, but clipped a tree and landed about 10 yards right of the green. My chip to the green hit a pine tree branch and dropped behind the tree, where I tried to hop a pitching wedge over a bunker with no luck. I splashed out of the bunker, then lipped out on my second putt for a "snowman" 8.

Hole #16: A 362-yard sharp dogleg right in which the fairway slopes from left to right and the second shot plays slightly uphill. Since I typically hit a draw, this is one of the hardest driving holes at FDR for me. I decided to try and hit a fade, which didn't cut at all and went into the brush on the left side of the dogleg. I took a drop and punched across the sloping fairway, then hit an 8-iron to the back of the green, then three-putted for a 7.

Hole #17: A long, 192-yard Par 3 that plays downhill to a rough green that is guarded by the cartpath on the left and large willow tree on the front right. The tees were up and it was playing at 182 yards, so I hit my 4-iron dead right and into the canal to the right of the willow tree. I took a drop, chipped on and two-putted for a 5.

The view from behind the 17th Green looking back toward to Tee Box

Hole #18: The closing hole is a straight-away, 283-yard Par 4 that has a wide fairway lined with trees up both sides. The green is protected by bunkers front and back on the left side. I hit a nice draw that started right but came back into the fairway and rolled just into the rough 20 yards short of the green. I chipped up to about 10 feet and left my birdie putt inches short for a round-ending par.

The closing 18th Hole, a 283 Yard Par 4. Notice the yellow sign and ground conditions in the lower right of the picture.

Photos by The Muni Golfer