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Strawberry Green: City Driving Range Stands Out, Creates Community in North Philadelphia Neighborhoods


For some, the word “golf” may conjure images of khaki-clad, middle-aged men; sprawling, suburban courses; and country-club conversation. But the imagery is much different at Strawberry Green Driving Range.

Located at 33rd and Oxford streets in Strawberry Mansion, the nearly 40-year-old neighborhood institution sees upwards of 200 people each day — golfers of all ages, races and skill levels.  

“They’re in their own skill,” said manager Henry Stone, more commonly known to staffers and customers as “Stoney.”

Strawberry Green

Henry Stone, more commonly known to staffers and customers as “Stoney”, is the manager of the range./Jen Colletta

“Some people come in thinking they’re hitting the ball perfectly and you can tell they’re doing what they’ve read in a book or seen in a movie. Sometimes it makes you want to laugh and sometimes it makes you want to cry,” Stone joked.

Golfers who need a bit of help with their game can connect with the range’s professional instructor, who’s available by appointment.

Beginners are welcome, and common, Stone said, noting the range hosts everyone from senior women’s groups to Temple and Drexel university students to elementary schoolers; later this month, a group of local youth enrolled in a summer program will be visiting.  

Getting local youth engaged with the sport was among the top priorities when Stone and Bill Stevens took over the property in 1978. It had been a driving range since the 1950s, under two separate owners, but was abandoned and had fallen into disrepair by the mid-‘70s.

“When we took over, it was all high grass and weeds,” Stone recalled. “We had to do all the cleaning and cutting ourselves.”

The range reopened under the moniker the “Long Knockers Club.”

“When our group of guys played and someone hit the ball far, they’d say, ‘Oh, look at that long knocker.’ That’s how we got the name,” Stone explained.

Stone, Stevens and others taught the sport to the predominantly African-American inner-city kids in the area. Stone, whose uncle played pro, said golf is a challenging alternative to the more common childhood sports and activities available to kids in the neighborhood.

“It’s something different other than the swimming pool or the basketball court. Entirely different,” Stone said. “You have to use your head and you can get frustrated and you have to learn how to get your temper down.”

Though the range has long been involved in the neighborhood, Stone said he has found a number of individuals who are surprised it exists where it does.

“We’re right here in the middle of the city but a lot of people don’t know about us,” he said. “I guess when you’re driving your automobile you can only glance over here so you may not know we’re here. But I’ve met people who live three blocks away who never even knew it was here; it’s really mind-boggling.

Located just off bustling 33rd Street, across from block after block of rowhomes, the range — with its rolling, pristinely kept grass — might be considered a neighborhood oddity by some. But Stone said its seeming out-of-place locale is part of what gives it its charm.

Strawberry Green Driving Range

Strawberry Green Driving Range/Jen Colletta

“It’s a little like an island. It’s isolated. Just across the street, it’s different. I’m sure you’ll find different people with different attitudes. But here, it’s just golfers being golfers.”

Many customers share the same enthusiasm for the sport, Stone said. The range is open April-November, but Stone said they’d likely still do good business if they remained open in the off-season.

“These crazy people want us to stay open all year round,” he laughed. “I used to be like that when I first started. If there was snow on the ground, my buddies and I would just go out and clear the ground. That’s a golfer. They’re crazy. Golfers are nuts.”

Many also travel a distance to get to Strawberry Green; beyond the local neighborhood, the range sees customers from the Art Museum area, Center City, South Philadelphia and Roxborough, among many other areas.

“They come from all over because we have the most decent driving range around,” Stone said.

Maintaining that reputation is the work of Stone and two other employees, who interface with customers, retrieve balls from the range and manage upkeep. About three years ago, Stone passed on ownership of the operation to Synterra Partners.

He said it has been a challenge adjusting to management who are business people, not golfers.

“They’re businessmen so they’re ‘point, point, point.’ They know nothing of golf so it’s been a little hard. I like things to run smoothly, so that’s what I focus on.”

Apart from the new owners, another new addition recently joined the range: Philadelphia Hit Zone, batting cages adjacent to the range that opened last year. Company chief operating officer Jamie Roop makes the trip up from Delaware every day to oversee the operation.

Philadelphia Hit Zone

Philadelphia Hit Zone, batting cages adjacent to the range that opened last year./Jen Colletta

He said he was struck by the range’s unique location on his first visit.

“You come right over that bridge there,” Roop said, pointing to the small overpass on 33rd Street, “and as soon as you past the tree line, it jumps out at you as this big patch right in the middle of everything. It’s secluded and it makes you look twice, being right around Center City. It’s a beautiful range right in the middle of the city, which is fantastic. It’s a great place to be partnered up with.”

Roop said the businesses function as true partners: Stone often suggests golfers try their hand at the cages when they finish up and Roop sends batters Stone’s way.

“We enjoy throwing customers back and forth. We like to work with each other,” Roop said. “I aspire to be like the range is; they’re busy pretty much every day, so we’re looking forward to getting to that point too.”

Stone said he’s eager to continue expanding programs, especially with a focus on attracting beginner golfers.

“I’d like to see it flourish and continue the progress. Oh, and I’d like my name in lights,” Stone laughed.

As someone who’s seen the range through its ups and downs of the past nearly four decades, Stone and Strawberry Green have become nearly synonymous.

“My kids joke that they’re going to name the place after me,” he laughed. “After all this time, it’s part of me.”strawberry_green_4

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