Riverton Country Club’s Fred Philipps

Riverton’s head professional retires after 46 years

  Riverton Country Club’s Fred Philipps will turn the page on retirement with nearly half a century of service in the books. The Cinnaminson, N.J. resident joined Riverton as an assistant in 1966 and became its head professional five years later.

   “To me, it’s been a family club in every sense of the word — the way it treats the employees, the make-up of the club itself,” Philipps, 67, of Cinnaminson, N.J., said. “I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work here all those years and raise my family and have them be part of the club. It’s always been a situation where we never looked at his employees, but as people doing a job to make people happy. That’s what kept me here all those years.”

  "Fred Philipps has been doing his job for so long that there are only a few Riverton members around today who can recall his predecessor, Johnny Hayes, who retired on Dec. 31, 1970,” Craig Ammerman, a Riverton member for 32 years, said. “He is a teacher, an administrator and a tournament organizer who ran every event the way it's supposed to be run. The most remarkable thing to me is that, in my 32 years as an active member, to my knowledge there never has been a serious issue involving the Rules of Golf. Fred has always known them intimately, taking care to stay up to date as rules change and are modified. He always shows those involved the language in the rule book and in the book of about 1,300 decisions the portions that pertain to their situation.”

  A longstanding career in golf wasn’t part of Philipps original plan. The Manayunk, Pa. native wanted to become a professional baseball player.

   “I had a couple of tryouts for the (Philadelphia) Phillies and didn’t make it,” he said. “I was classified as a ‘marginal minor league player,’ so I knew that probably wasn’t going to work out well.”

  Philipps accepted his diamond destiny and decided to balance school and a job. He took evening classes at La Salle University for two years while working for North America, an insurance company that owned Eagle Lodge Country Club. His corporate circumstances enhanced Philipp’s affection for the game.

   “Every night after work, I was going out to play golf,” Philipps said. “After a couple years, I realized I was starting to take time off from work to play golf. I decided that I better do this for a living or I’d probably be getting fired from where I was working.”

  In 1965, Phillips broke into the golf industry as a professional at Freeway Golf Club in Sicklerville, N.J. His tenure was short-lived, however; Philipps was laid off in November because “there wasn’t anything to do in the winter.” Hoping to stay in golf, Philipps saw an assistant professional opening at Riverton and immediately applied. His credentials intrigued Hayes — the club’s professional of 25 years.

   “I kind of embellished my résumé,” Philipps said. “It said that I was able to repair clubs. The first day I came here, a member came in and said ‘John, can you repair this club?’ And he said, ‘Yeah I’ll get Fred to take care of this.’ I had no clue. I went in the back and said to the caddies, ‘Anybody want to make $5? You have to get this club fixed for $2.50 and when you come back in, you get the other $2.50 if you show me how to do it.’”

  Philipps succeeded Hayes upon the latter’s retirement (Philipps revealed the résumé glitch during his farewell dinner). He’s since stockpiled countless memories and achievements that illuminate his Riverton experience. The club’s hosted numerous USGA qualifiers as well as prestigious Golf Association of Philadelphia and Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia events throughout Philipp’s tenure.

   “It’s always a credit to Riverton and our staff in particular,” he said. “We’ve hosted a lot of events that made me feel that I’m at a quality club and one that I one I want to be associated with.”

  By virtue of his longstanding Riverton presence, Philipps is associated with the likes Ann Laughlin and Dorothy Porter, two of the greatest and most accomplished female players from the region.

   “They were not only good golfers, but they were quality people,” Philipps said. “I helped Ann with her game when she was younger. That made me feel good to see what she accomplished.”

  Philipps’ tutelage also influenced Bob Arthur, who became a Riverton member in 1980 and worked as an assistant professional a year later.

   “I wasn’t sure whether I was going to continue on in the golf business,” Arthur, 54, of Marlton, N.J., said. “Fred taught me, when I was in the business, how the membership worked, how to deal with the membership and that it was tough to try to accommodate one person when there were 350 members. You had to put the membership total first. He taught me how to walk that fine line. The opportunity he gave me was special to me.”

  Like Arthur, Jim Smith, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Director of Golf, entered the golf business under Philipps’ wing. He served as assistant at Riverton in 1991.

   “I showed up to work in jeans, Docksiders and a polo, which was kind of funny,” Smith said. “I didn’t know what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to dress. He gave me a bunch of clothes.”

  So Philipp’s dressed — both literally and figuratively — Smith for a career in golf. His experience at Riverton allowed Smith to become the head professional at The Abington Club a year later at age 23.

   “Fred was sort of a pro’s pro,” Smith said. “He was old school. A lot of the principles that I adhere to professionally, I got from him; things like being detail-oriented, making sure you have a relationship with every member, being proactive and not reactive. I would not be where I am today if I didn’t work for him.”

  Philipp’s rapport with the Riverton community is one of the qualities that shaped his longevity at the club. In 1978, he, in a sense, pioneered “Play with the Pro Days” as a way to become better acquainted with members. (“I always felt the counter was a barrier to any kind of relationship that could be fostered,” he said.)

  It’s the membership, and those relationships within, that will leave a lasting impression.

   “Some clubs are made up doctors, lawyers and surgeons, and we have our share of that,” Philipps said. “We have a majority of small business owners, and they know the value of creating relationships and being loyal to people. Our membership, throughout all these years, has always been loyal to me. I don’t know if you see that loyalty in a lot of places. It’s something that’s always been here.”

   “Fred was always the guy who made the members feel like the tournament was important. He made the event seem special,” Arthur added. “You knew Fred was in charge. He was always somebody willing to listen. He helped me grow up at the club. He was always quick to help you with your game.”

  Riverton’s loyalty resonates with Philipps.

   “The thing that stands out most in my mind on a personal nature for the first 17 years, I was here on a handshake,” he said. “It was something that made me feel if there was ever a problem, we’d address it and get it rectified. Even after I did start signing contracts, it was just because that was the way times were going.”

  Philipps will officially leave his post at Riverton in December. He plans to continue coaching girls’ basketball at Holy Cross High School while enjoying retirement.

   “We will miss Fred, and look forward to seeing him often as he exercises the rights of a member,” Ammerman said.

  Philipps and his wife Pat have four children: Pat, Karen, Tracy, Jaqi and Chris.