It seems hard to believe that 20 years have passed since renowned golf course architect Rees Jones stood next to founding members Harry Ferguson, Bruce McKissock and Bill Waldman, as they began an era of golf excellence at Lookaway Golf Club in Bucks County.

In 1998 golf was still arcing toward an unprecedented zenith in popularity. Courses were being constructed at a record pace throughout the decade. In many areas there as a “build it and they will come” attitude.

Not in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County, which eventually became home to Lookaway.

“We spent a lot of time looking for the right piece of property,” recalls Jones. “The group behind the development of Lookaway wanted something special. Our goal, from the beginning, was to build the finest pure private club in the Greater Philadelphia area.”

That is a stunningly bold statement. But Jones did not blink when he originally uttered those words. And he does not blink now, when he reiterates them.

“I’m looking forward to the 20th anniversary,” Jones said last summer. “Lookaway opened as one of the premiere private clubs in the area … and it continually has gotten better. That is quite an accomplishment considering the challenges the golf game has faced in recent years.”

Lookaway faced those challenges from the start with a successful two-faceted plan.

The first was financial. The original business model depended on a group of founding members and a strong network of investors, who saw a unique opportunity at Lookaway. That plan was reinforced in recent years as the club maintained a solid financial footing, yet invested $3.2 million in capital improvements over the last four years. At the same time a healthy $500 thousand capital reserve fund was maintained, without any assessments to the members.

The second was a commitment to the original mission statement of creating the “pure golf” experience.

“On opening day, we had a great feeling of accomplishment. Twenty years later, we celebrate how far we have come and the realization of our collected vision of

Lookaway Golf Club,” asserts founder and board president Harry Ferguson. “The foundation is strong for this club to stand the test of time and be one of the modern iconic golf clubs of the Philadelphia region.”

The golf course is the driving force behind Lookaway’s success story. Its rolling terrain presents the perfect amount of elevation change for a great golf course. The wide fairways, accentuated by decorative fescue that is well out of play, provide the perfect start to each of the 18 adventures. The greens are large and challenging — but nothing like the tricked-up variety that can be found at many courses designed during this same era. And the conditions are simply the finest at all times.

The proof of Lookaway’s excellence lies in its ability to please its members.

In today’s time-constraints lifestyle, Lookaway offers the ability to play quickly, no tee times and the flexibility to play nine holes or even a few holes in the afternoon and evenings. The separate practice facility, designed to hone the short game, is a state-of-the-art addition to the driving range and putting green.

The clubhouse is an extension of the atmosphere that exists on the golf course. Simple elegance is the style of the renovated main building, which dates back to 1752. Men are not required to wear jackets, except on special occasions.

The relaxing atmosphere is carefully cultivated by General Manager John Pitocchelli, who responds to the needs of the members. They want healthier food choices. He has instituted a “scratch kitchen” where all items are made from scratch, with fresh ingredients using a local farm-to-table concept.

To say that Lookaway stands as a model for the modern country club – both architecturally and fiscally – is an understatement. A lot of planning went into all aspects of the overall plan for Lookaway … and it is paying major dividends.

USGA and The R&A Release Key Features 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 20,2018) –  The USGA and The R&A announce key features of the proposed new World Handicap System (WHS), designed to provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability globally.     

The idea for a new, unified system was conceived by the USGA and The R&A and developed following an extensive review of systems administered by six existing handicapping authorities: Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association (EGA), the South African Golf Association (SAGA), the Argentine Golf Association (AAG) and the USGA.
 

The new system will feature the following: 

 

     •  Flexibility in formats of play, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to

     count for handicap purposes and ensuring that a golfer’s handicap is more

     reflective of potential ability

     •  A minimal number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap; a

     recommendation that the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap be 54

     holes from any combination of 18-hole and 9-hole rounds, but with some discretion

     available for handicapping authorities or national associations to set a different

     minimum within their own jurisdiction

     •  A consistent handicap that is portable from course to course and country to

     country through worldwide use of the USGA Course and Slope Rating System,

     already successfully used in more than 80 countries

     •  An average-based calculation of a handicap, taken from the best eight out of the

     last 20 scores and factoring in memory of demonstrated ability for better

     responsiveness and control

     •  A calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather

     conditions might have on a player’s performance each day  

     •  Daily handicap revisions, taking account of the course and weather conditions

     calculation

     •  A limit of Net Double Bogey on the maximum hole score (for handicapping      

     purposes only) 

     •  A maximum handicap limit of 54.0, regardless of gender, to encourage more

     golfers to measure and track their performance to increase their enjoyment of the

     game

Quantitative research was conducted in 15 countries around the world, through which 76 percent of the 52,000 respondents voiced their support for a World Handicap System, 22 percent were willing to consider its benefits, and only 2 percent were opposed. This was followed by a series of focus groups, in which more than 300 golf administrators and golfers from regions around the world offered extensive feedback on the features of the proposed new system.

This feedback has helped shape the WHS, which has been developed by the USGA and The R&A with support from each handicapping authority as well as the Japan Golf Association and Golf Canada.

Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA, commented, “For some time, we’ve heard golfers say, ‘I’m not good enough to have a handicap,’ or ‘I don’t play enough to have a handicap.’ We want to make the right decisions now to encourage a more welcoming and social game. We’re excited to be taking another important step – along with modernizing golf’s Rules – to provide a pathway into the sport, making golf easier to understand and more approachable and enjoyable for everyone to play.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are working with our partners and national associations to make golf more modern, more accessible and more enjoyable as a sport and the new World Handicap System represents a huge opportunity in this regard. 

“We want to make it more attractive to golfers to obtain a handicap and strip away some of the complexity and variation which can be off-putting for newcomers. Having a handicap, which is easier to understand and is truly portable around the world, can make golf much more enjoyable and is one of the unique selling points of our sport.”

The tenets of the new system focus on three main objectives: to encourage as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a handicap; to enable golfers of differing abilities, genders and nationalities to transport their handicap to any course globally and compete on a fair and equitable basis; and to indicate with sufficient accuracy the score a golfer is reasonably capable of achieving on any course around the world, playing under normal conditions.  
 

Given worldwide alignment towards a single system, all parties will now embark on a two-year transition period targeting implementation in 2020.  When adopted, the World Handicap System will be governed by the USGA and The R&A and administered locally by the six existing authorities and national associations around the world, with safeguards included to ensure consistency as well as adaptability to differing golf cultures.
 

The six handicapping authorities represent approximately 15 million golfers in 80 countries who currently maintain a golf handicap.  
 

The announcement is the latest step in a multi-year collaboration between The USGA and The R&A, as well as handicap authorities and national and regional golf associations around the world to introduce one set of Rules of Handicapping, aimed to support modernizing, growing and improving accessibility of the sport.

 

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support the USGA’s and The R&A’s efforts to implement a World Handicap System.

 

To provide feedback to the USGA on the new World Handicap System, email us at whsfeedback@usga.org, or see usga.org/whs. Golfers are encouraged to follow and join in the conversation on social media by using #golfwhs2020.

 

About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Senior Open and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, as well as 10 amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans around the world. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings, with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico.

The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and the work of the USGA Foundation. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents.  For more information, visit http://www.usga.org.

About The R&A

Based in St Andrews, The R&A runs The Open, elite amateur events, international matches and rankings. Together The R&A and the USGA govern the sport of golf worldwide, operating in separate jurisdictions but sharing a commitment to a single code for the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status and Equipment Standards. The R&A, through R&A Rules Ltd, governs the sport worldwide, outside of the United States and Mexico, on behalf of over 36 million golfers in 140 countries and with the consent of 153 organisations from amateur and professional golf.
 

The R&A is committed to working for golf and supports the growth of the sport internationally and the development and management of sustainable golf facilities.  For more information, visit www.randa.org.