Tiger Woods is no longer the sole professional golfer supporting the $150 million restoration and expansion project at the Cobbs Creek Golf Campus in West Philadelphia. Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth has contributed a $250,000 grant through the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation to the Cobbs Creek Foundation, aimed at constructing a junior putting green as part of the project.
This grant will fully fund a 20,000-square-foot putting green designed to introduce young players to golf. “The addition of a junior putting green on the Cobbs Creek Campus will allow us to open even more doors to future players,” said Jeff Shanahan, president of the Cobbs Creek Foundation.
The junior putting green will be situated outside the TGR Learning Lab, a year-round educational center for local youth that is currently under construction on the campus. The Learning Lab is being developed through a partnership between the Cobbs Creek Foundation and Tiger Woods’ charity, the TGR Foundation. Both the educational center and the putting green are slated for completion in 2025.
The Spieth family hopes this project will help instill a love for golf in young players. “Golf is a great vehicle to learn valuable life lessons, as well as receive comprehensive mentorship and support,” said Annie Spieth, Jordan’s wife, in a statement.
This development is the latest in the Cobbs Creek Golf Campus project, which has significantly expanded over the past two years. The project includes restoring Cobbs Creek’s 18-hole Olde Course and constructing a new championship nine-hole course. The restored Olde Course is expected to be completed by June 2026, and the nine-hole course will open in 2027.
In addition, Woods’ TGR Design firm will create a short course at Cobbs Creek, expected to open in spring 2025. In 2026, the campus will feature temperature-controlled double-decker practice bays with food and beverage service and social gathering spaces. The renovation project also includes a golf retail pro shop, an indoor/outdoor bar, a restaurant and community event space, and a driving range that will house the Heritage Center, where guests can learn about the history of Cobbs Creek.
The Cobbs Creek Foundation is also working on restoring surrounding areas, including three miles of Cobbs Creek, Indian Creek, and adjacent tributaries. This restoration, starting in the fall and continuing through 2026, will include new wetlands for long-term sustainability and flood-risk reduction for the campus and nearby community.
Frequent flooding, along with capital needs and safety concerns, led to the public golf course’s closure in 2020. Prior to that, the clubhouse at Cobbs Creek was destroyed by a fire in 2016.
As new elements have been added to the project, both the timeline and cost have increased. Originally estimated at around $100 million, the project’s cost has grown by an additional $50 million over the past two years.
Plans to restore and revitalize the Cobbs Creek Golf Course and create a new education and community center began in 2022 when the Cobbs Creek Foundation entered into a long-term lease agreement with the City of Philadelphia. In March, the Cobbs Creek Foundation hired Scottsdale, Arizona-based Troon to manage campus operations. Blackney Hayes Architects of Philadelphia is serving as the project architect.
