I was watching a professional golf tournament on television a couple of weeks ago. It was being played on an historic course in Philadelphia. The announcers spent a lot of time pointing out that the course was designed by A.W. Tillinghast. I thought to myself, Hey! I've seen that name before.

I'm following my memory back to the Erie Golf Club located on Old Zuck Road in Millcreek Township. The name Tillinghast can be found on every hole on the course. The Tillinghast name is on the pin flags. It's on the wall in the clubhouse grillroom. It's on hats. Why is the name Tillinghast celebrated at golf courses in Philadelphia, Erie, and throughout the country? Dale Stuhlmiller, the operator of the Erie Golf Club, is happy to explain.

"He died in 1942 but he's still considered one of the best golf architects that ever lived,” says Dale.

Construction of the Erie Golf Club began in 1921. You can still see the influence of A.W. Tillinghast throughout the property. Tillinghast loved snuggling a golf hole among trees and hills. Dale tells me that the famed architect had two rules wherever he designed a course.

"Make it a true test of golf. Number one. And after that, just make it as beautiful as you possibly can.”

You would think that anyone would be ecstatic to own a Tillinghast course. However, the golfers who founded the Erie Golf Club ran out of money and sold the course to the City of Erie in 1926. City officials, in 2007, decided they no longer wanted to fund the course. The golf club was transferred to Millcreek Township in 2009 in a three-way deal with Erie County to obtain land for a runway extension project at Erie International Airport. Millcreek officials, last year, decided they no longer wanted to be in the golf business. Dale, who was hired by the township to operate the course, shook his head when he was told the news.

"I said you people don't realize what you have here. You have a community of 53,000 people that have a golf course designed by one of the ten best architects who ever lived."

There is good news for lovers of this historic golf course. Millcreek Township sold Erie Golf Club to a Chicago millionaire who is a big Tillinghast fan. The course will be closed after this season as a massive renovation and expansion project will be conducted. When the course re-opens, Dale who is in his 80s, wants to be the first to play it.

The new owner, Charles Van Eekeren, has hired an architect who specializes in restoring Tillinghast golf courses. The Tillinghast Foundation is serving as a consultant for the multi-year project. By the way, the original deed for the land states that the property must only be used for a golf course.