Plainfield Country Club

Favorite Hole

No. 11, par 3 103-148 yards

Short par 3s are traditionally “hit it or else” propositions. These holes require precise, usually high-trajectory shots to succeed. The 11th at Plainfield is no different. For a skilled player who hits a high ball, it’s exacting.

What I love about this hole, though, is the way the right and left sides of the green flare up. This provides a measure of relief for a lower-trajectory player. The wings corral a running ball and bring it back to the middle. So while the 11th green is a small target, it offers a bit of a helping hand, or a backboard that clever shotmakers can use. Miss the wings, however, and you’re left with a difficult recovery.

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Overall Thoughts

For years, people told me, “You need to go see the greens at Plainfield Country Club.” Those people were right. Plainfield’s original 15 Ross greens are stunning. Each is unique, and as a collection they’re varied, some pushed up and featuring punishing run-offs, others nestled into hillsides with gathering slopes. Accentuating these spectacular greens is the captivating terrain formed by a glacial moraine, like that of Erin Hills, the 2017 U.S. Open venue. This kind of topography is ideal for golf because of its irregularity.

Plainfield’s clubhouse perches above the course, and the golf takes place to its east. A broad slope descends from the clubhouse, interspersed with choppy, irregular landforms left by the glacial moraine—perfectly sized for golf. Ross used these uneven slopes in landing areas, off tee boxes to hinder visibility, and often as environments for his magnificent greens. This mix of varied terrain and eccentric green complexes makes for 15 dynamite holes at Plainfield, showcasing some of the best Ross architecture I’ve seen.

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The par-4 10th hole exemplifies this confluence of topography and green design. It twists across a slope, with a creek bisecting the fairway. There are multiple options off the tee, the safest being to the left. However, this strategy leaves a longer approach and a slightly obstructed view of the green, thanks to a small ridge down the fairway. This ridge typifies the landforms that make Plainfield unique. It has broad, dramatic slopes as well as smaller contours that offer minor advantages and challenges. The optimal play for most golfers is a layup down the right side, which provides a good angle to most pins and a shorter approach. Long players might go with driver and try to carry the creek, leaving a short wedge in.

These diverse off-the-tee options lead to one of Plainfield’s most outstanding greens. It sits on a ridge and has long, elegant slopes that create a few distinct sections. The right half funnels balls back toward center, whereas the black and front portions repel incoming shots. Some pins, like the middle-right one, are forgiving and gettable. A front pin, however, requires exact distance control: a slight miss to the left will find a deep bunker.

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The 10th is a fair representation of the 15 Ross holes at Plainfield. But you’re probably wondering: what about the other three holes?

At Plainfield, these are known as the “tunnel holes,” and they are noticeably different. Nos. 13 through 15 were added in the 1930s under the supervision of head pro Marty O’Laughlin. When you arrive at the 13th tee, you’ll note a stark departure from the fantastic terrain of the rest of the course. The tunnel holes occupy a flat, wooded plot, lacking the distinctive glacial-moraine rolls. Absent, too, are Ross’s intricate green designs. Despite recent efforts to improve these holes, they still stand out, and not in a good way. Whereas many great courses peak in the middle of the back nine, Plainfield hits its low. It’s hard not to think about where the course would rank if it were completely restored—perhaps among Ross’s top five designs?

When you look at the 1931 aerial of Plainfield, you can’t help but long for the return of the original 17th and 18th holes. The 17th played downhill with striking bunkering around the green, and the 18th climbed back up to the clubhouse. They rounded out the course beautifully. After spending the day navigating the hill on the clubhouse’s east side, you’d finally crest it for the final two holes.

When you look at the 1931 aerial of Plainfield, you can’t help but long for the return of the original 17th and 18th holes. The 17th played downhill with striking bunkering around the green, and the 18th climbed back up to the clubhouse. They rounded out the course beautifully. After spending the day navigating the hill on the clubhouse’s east side, you’d finally crest it for the final two holes.

The land that the old 17th and 18th occupied is now a driving range. If this range were impressive, the tunnel holes might be more palatable, but it’s not: it’s small, and from the back tees you can’t see the ball land. I suspect that its location near the clubhouse is the reason it still exists. These days, however, it’s common to have practice areas away from the first tee. It wouldn’t be cheap, but Plainfield could convert the tunnel holes into an elite practice facility and restore Ross’s closing holes.

As it stands, Plainfield Country Club offers 15 great Donald Ross holes with a few head-scratchers in the middle. -AJ

1 Egg

(How We Rate Courses)

Plainfield’s remarkable rolling hills earn the course an Egg for land. However, the “tunnel holes” preclude the possibility of a design Egg, and even though the turf quality is impressive, the greens are maintained too fast. The excessive sped takes away a lot of fun pin positions on these undulating greens. A prime example is the front pin on the first green. If your ball lands above the hole, it’s virtually impossible to keep it on the green unless you make the putt. Plainfield’s Donald Ross greens are its greatest asset, and they would play far better if they were two feet slower. Also, the fairways would benefit from some expansions. Fully extending the fairways over the landforms would further highlight the course’s breathtaking terrain. So while Plainfield gets an Egg for its exceptional land, it could reach the rarefied air of three Eggs by restoring all of its original holes and making some presentation tweaks.

Course Tour

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