Fore the city: PGA Championship tees off return to Philly at Aronimink this week

NEWTOWN SQUARE — Philadelphians we have waited long enough. A golf Major finally comes back to the City of Brotherly Love after a 13-year hiatus.

The PGA Championship returns to Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square since it was last here in 1962. I’m no mathematician but 64 years is a pretty long time between visits. It’s only appropriate that the home of the Wannamaker building hosts the major championship with the Wannamaker trophy.

While The Masters has the nostalgia and aura, The Open Championship has the history, and the US Open has the difficulty and open field, the PGA Championship is blessed with the deepest field of golfers and a strong rotation of some of the greatest courses in America.

What also make the PGA Championship unique is the inclusion of 20 golf pros into the field. Almost all golf courses in America have a golf pro who doesn’t just teach, but also runs the daily operation of the course, manages the pro shop and sometimes competes amongst other pros. One professional I’ll be keeping an eye on is Braden Shattuck who is the club pro at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Delaware County. Gotta root for the local player.

Before I gush about the players, let’s take a look at Aronimink Golf Club because majors can be defined by the courses on which they are played.

Aronimink GC was founded in 1896 in southwest Philadelphia but moved to Newtown Square in 1928. The course was designed by legendary course designer Donald Ross and restored by Gil Hanse from 2016 to 2018. Similar to Lulu Country Club and Jeffersonville Golf Club (two Donald Ross courses in the Philadelphia area that us hackers can play), Aronimink GC features domed greens, difficult approach shots and bunkers in strategic spots all over the course. In a day and age where long distance and brute strength seem to win the day, Aronimink will defend against that with difficult greens and strategic shot making. Hitting long is never detrimental as long as players keep the ball in the fairway. Easier said than done. Aronimink will be as challenging now as it was in 1962 when the great Gary Player won the first of his two PGA Championships.

If you are lucky enough to have a ticket you will not only walk one of the great American golf courses but you will also be able to watch the greatest players in the world up close. The field of 154 players includes 29 major champions and 15 PGA Champions, including just about every golfer in the Top 70 of the World Golf Rankings. That means that defending PGA Champion and the current number one player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, will be playing.

As will Rory McIlroy, six-time major champion and winner of The Masters last month. All the current greats will be on hand for the world to watch. There will also be 200,000 fans on the grounds over the 4 day tournament, so get ready for some crowds as well.

If you can’t make it onto the grounds fret not, this will be televised from start to finish. Live coverage will begin at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday via the ESPN App with a Main Feed of traditional golf coverage, four Featured Group streams and a Featured Holes feed showcasing Aronimink’s Nos. 15,16, and 17. The Live Telecast will begin Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. on ESPN with an extra hour from 7 to 8 on ESPN2. Friday ESPN will have live coverage from noon to 8 p.m. ESPN App will continue with feature coverage over the weekend and CBS will take over the live broadcast Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

While predicting the weather is never easy, early forecasts look like there may be some rain on Thursday and Friday, but the weekend will have pristine conditions with temperatures in the mid-70’s and slight winds to keep things challenging. Basically perfect golf weather for a weekend at a major.

Those attending should account for transportation times as most will have to park miles away from the course and take a shuttle. There will be two lots, one at Delaware County Veterans Memorial on West Chester Pike and another at Delaware County Community College, Media Line Road, and parking passes must be purchased ahead of time on Seatgeek. There will also be shuttles running from the Paoli SEPTA station for those of you taking the train. I would account for at least 30-45 minutes to park, ride the shuttle, and enter through the security. They seem to have it down to a science but you will still need to be patient. There’s no quick and easy way in unless you’re a player.

So those are the basics. Tomorrow I will give you the inside information on the food and beverages that will be uniquely available at the PGA Championship. On Wednesday you will get what you have all been waiting for…my picks for the PGA Championship. Until then get your walking shoes ready and grab some binoculars, which are always good to have at a golf tournament, and have your wallets ready to buy some merchandise, because they have a ton of it.