Union League National Golf Club
Ask any golfer what their idea of the perfect golf course would be. Most would say some combination of perhaps the two most iconic courses, and most regarded, in America: Pine Valley and Augusta National. If you can imagine that, then you are imagining Union League National Golf Club. The Union League of Philadelphia, which owns Union League National, was founded in 1862 to support President Abraham Lincoln and The Union in the United States’ Civil War.
Fry/Straka going big at Union League National
Any discussion of Union League National begins with The Big Fill, a large-scale earthmoving effort — more than 1.6 million cubic yards in scope — that Fry/Straka created at the center of the 268-acre parcel. It rises to 78 feet above sea level, 56 feet above the original grade. However, its tendrils spread out hundreds of yards in half a dozen directions. The man-made ridgelines slowly but elegantly taper down, only to rise again and form new, smaller plateaus, from which other distinct ridge networks splinter off into the landscape.
22 notable golf course renovations to be unveiled in 2022
Creative approaches to golf course remodeling and authentic restoration efforts continue apace.
Pine Valley and Calusa Pines-inspired Union League project takes shape
Golf architecture firm Fry/Straka has completed 12 holes of a huge renovation project on the newly-named Union League National Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey, and is now working on the club’s ‘Sherman’ nine.
Union League National - 2019 Master Plan
Below are excerpts from the monthly newsletter BANNER published by the Union League of Philadelphia, which provides a spotlight on the Master Plan for Union League National Golf Club.
Union League National
Inside Golf talks to Dana Fry about the transformation at Union League National.
Changes at former Sand Barrens course following Union League’s purchase
The Union League of Philadelphia has acquired the former Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey, and hired Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design to create a masterplan for the club.
The firm has been tasked with beginning the process of moving from a public and resort facility to an upscale private club, which will be known as Union League National Golf Club moving forwards.
GCA spoke to Jason Straka of Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design to find out more about his firm’s plans.