Philadelphia Business Journal Article: Cobbs Creek Golf Campus hires GM as $150M renovation progresses

The Cobbs Creek Golf Campus in West Philadelphia has hired a general manager to oversee operations as the 350-acre complex continues its $150 million renovation and expansion.

Christopher Parker, a 20-year golf industry veteran, joins Cobbs Creek from Rock Spring Golf Club in West Orange, New Jersey, where he had been general manager since 2019. He becomes the first GM at Cobbs Creek since the public golf course closed in 2020 due to frequent flooding, capital needs and safety concerns.

The 41-year-old South Carolina native told the Business Journal he was attracted to the job by the scope of the renovation project, but also because of the history of Cobbs Creek Golf Course. The course was one of the first in the Philadelphia area to welcome golfers of all races and genders, and it served as the home of the United Golfers Association, which organized professional tournaments for Black golfers beginning in the 1920s.

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“Being an African-American, getting the opportunity to be involved in something that [focuses on] diversity got me really excited,” Parker said. “We’ll also have the opportunity to make an impact with the youth in the community and the entire community. … I think [the campus] will have a profound influence on the Philadelphia community for years to come.”

Prior to Rock Spring Golf Club, Parker was the golf business manager for the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Prince George’s County where he created golf instructional programs and business plans for three golf facilities. Before that, he was golf operations manager at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C.

Parker grew up working at the golf course built by his grandfather and operated by his father before going on to play college golf at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was a three-time all-conference player. He later coached the Golden Bulls golf team while working at and managing courses in the Charlotte area.

A +2 handicap, Parker said he played his first round of golf when he was 6 years old.

Jeff Shanahan, president of the Cobbs Creek Foundation, said Parker was selected for the general manager job because of his “incredible breadth of experience and knowledge of the game,” which he said will strengthen Cobbs Creek’s mission of making golf more accessible to all Philadelphians.

In 2022, the Cobbs Creek Foundation entered a long-term lease agreement with the City of Philadelphia to restore and revitalize the Cobbs Creek Golf Course, which dates back to 1916, and create a new education and community center on the site of the historic public course.

In March, the foundation brought in Arizona-based Troon to manage the golf campus.

Troon provides golf and golf-related hospitality management services at 900-plus locations in more than 35 countries including courses in more than 45 states in the United States.

In June, the foundation was awarded a $250,000 grant from the Jordan Spieth Family Foundationto construct a junior putting green as part of the expansion project.

When completed in phases over the next three years, the Cobbs Creek Golf Campus transformation project will feature:

• An 18-hole championship golf course restored by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner;

• A new 9-hole course;

• A golf entertainment venue;

• A practice facility;

• A TGR Learning Lab being developed in a partnership with Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation;

• A TGR-design short course.

The restored 18-hole Olde Course is slated to open for play in the summer of 2026. The 9-hole course will open in 2027.

The facility will also house a Heritage Center where guests can learn about the history of Cobbs Creek as well as a golf retail pro shop, restaurant and community event space.

As part of the redevelopment, the foundation is restoring three miles of Cobbs Creek, Indian Creek and adjacent tributaries. The creek restoration will include new wetlands for long-term sustainability and flood-risk reduction for the golf campus and surrounding community.

Parker, who is now employed by Troon, said he expects to be at the golf complex on a daily basis starting in September.

Read the story at Philadelphia Business Journal here.