When the Pope needed a way to get around the grounds at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., a member of The Union League of Philadelphia found a way to provide a six-person, electric golf cart featuring the club’s emblem. What will happen to the golf cart going forward has yet to be determined.
During his weekend visit to the U.S., when Pope Francis needed a way to get around the grounds at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., where he stayed during his time in the Philadelphia area, the problem was solved with a golf cart, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.
It so happened that a member of The Union League of Philadelphia, who prefers to remain unnamed, was part of the group responsible for helping to bring His Holiness to the area. Since that organization recently purchased Torresdale-Frankford Golf Club in northeast Philadelphia (now known as The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale), the member took it upon himself to try to solve the problem, the Daily News reported.
Sean Palmer, formerly an assistant at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., is now the head pro at Torresdale, and after hearing from the Union League member, Palmer got in contact with the man who runs the company that supplies the course with its carts, the Daily News reported.
“It had to be a six-person electric cart, since they couldn’t use a gas cart,” said Palmer. “Our vendor, John Schneider of [Doylestown, Pa.-based] Golf Carts Incorporated, said he’d work on it. And they came up with one.
“It’s not really [the church’s] forte,” Palmer added. “They didn’t have anything that would work on that property. It required certain dimensions. The first thing I said to John was, ‘I have this very interesting request, that I’ll bet you never heard before.’ And he said he’s pretty much heard it all. I told him he might not be able to top this. And when I told him, he was pretty much quiet for about 10 seconds.”
The process began well in advance of this historic moment, with Schneider providing a Club Car vehicle, free of charge, that has The Union League’s crest/emblem on it. What will happen to the car going forward is apparently yet to be determined. But as memorabilia goes, it’s a keeper, the Daily News reported.
“I don’t know if there is a master plan,” Palmer said. “We’ve had many conversations, but no [final] answer. It’s being left ambiguous [for now]. We’d be interested in showcasing it [at Torresdale]. We’re just happy to be part of the effort the city made. The Union League [of Philadelphia] also supplied the Lincoln lectern from the Gettysburg Address that was used [as part of the papal visit to Independence Hall on Saturday].
“We just wanted to help welcome him in any way we can,” Palmer said. “We’re hoping the cart can make its way to our course. That would be cool.”
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