[Lou Cutolo]

Mark,
Thanks for the tour great pics, I think Ross is the master at placing great courses on small pieces of property. Plainfield will be host the 2012 Met Open on Aug 21-23 so if you can come on out and watch.

[mike_malone]

 As I have said before, there is nothing "plain" about these "fields".

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 6: Par 3, 164 Yards

As a shortish par 3, this is a neat hole and it was another litmus test for our renovation. There had been two little bunkers that weren't really in play and had been removed. But Ross had put them to serve as a visual trick to add a little doubt and confusion for the players. That the club let us restore them said a lot about their commitment to what we were trying to do, so they deserve a lot of credit.

One of my favorite holes on the course.  The short 6th has two visually deceptive bunkers 50+ yards short of the green that make depth perception very difficult.  The green is very small and punchbowl-ish in nature.

6 Tee: Cross-bunkers block view of greenside bunkers




Closer look at cross-bunkers:




Cross-bunkers are well short of the green:






Another GREAT green at Plainfield.  Everything slopes toward the centre on this punchbowl green.

[George Freeman]

As I have said before, there is nothing "plain" about these "fields".

Mike - I couldn't agree more.

As for the 6th: awesome hole. I would call it a little "ambiguous " from the tee but that green is incredible and one of the best on the course. All sorts of crazy up and downs if you miss it.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 7: Par 4, 471 Yards

We lengthened this hole by 5-to-10 yards and restored a cross bunker located just short of the fairway.  The fairway bunkers along the ridge on the left side of the hole had devolved into a series of not very appealing bunkers in among a set of oak trees. We restored them into the wonderful complex of 7-8 bunkers, which Donald Ross had originally built on the course.  We expanded a chipping area to the right side of the green which should see a lot of play.


Cross-bunkers short of the fairway block the entire view of the fairway.  All that can be seen from the tee is the series of bunkers guarding the left side of the fairway.  Golfers must rely on their caddies on this tee shot.






Once past the cross-bunkers, the golfer is treated to his first view of the fairway.  From the back tees it is a 265-yard carry to reach the top of the hill.  Shorter hitters unable to reach the top of the hill or the bunkers have the benefit of extra width in the fairway, but they will have a long and completely blind approach.




Approach from left:




Approach from right:




This is an awesome green complex.  The series of bunkers on the right is well short of the green and there is a feeder slope just over them.  Approaches from the left will more easily play to the opening on the left side of the green.








Sitting in a bowl, the green slopes noticeably from front-left to back-right






When playing the 4th, attentive golfers will take note of the feeder slope short of the 7th green that cannot be seen from the 7th fairway.

[John_Lovito]

The 7th is a great golf hole.   For me, the many slopes and contours around the green site make it the most fun approach shot on the golf course.

Also, beginning in 2012 season, the 7th will now be rated the #1 handicap hole on the course (previously #3).

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 8: Par 5, 519 Yards

The tee shot is uphill over the ridge, which gives an edge to longer hitters, particularly as a par 4. Bunkers guard both sides of the landing area but an interesting aspect of the hole is a pin oak on the right side past the landing area which will force players coming into the green from that side of the fairway to fashion a shot around it. The fairway kicks to the right into a "half-pipe" green-a green with a small ridge that runs from front to back. It is like a snowboarding "half-pipe" and it will kick balls back into the center of the green. However, it is another of the wonderful varied green sites that Ross utilized on this property. The green nestles in a valley and we added some chipping and pitching areas to the sides and rear of the green to help accentuate this movement of shots.

A fantastic par-5 over rolling terrain with one of the most unique greens I have ever seen.

The tee shot is played to a fairway that slopes significantly from left-to-right.  To find the fairway, the golfer will have to play his tee shot up the left, near the fairway bunker -- but, shots that find the left rough will have to deal with a large, single tree.

Tee View:




Slope of Fairway:




Second shots for all but the bombers are blind, played over the crest of a hill.

View from centre of fairway:




View from left rough:





Upon cresting the hill, the golfer is confronted with a series of three bunkers guarding a very unique green.








As described by Gil Hanse above, the green is shaped like a half-pipe (though the more noteable slope is on the left side of the green).

Short of green:




Right of green:




Green from front:




Green from behind:




8th from Behind:

[George Freeman]

This is another example of the massive flattening effect pictures have on golf holes.  As Mark stated, the 8th green is very unique and very interesting, but if I looked at these pictures without having seen the hole in person, I wouldn't think it looked like all that much.

It's too bad, as this green is really special.  I guess in a perfect world all pictures would be taken at dawn or dusk to capture depth and movement in the land.

Thanks again for the tour, Mark!

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 9: Par 4, 368 Yards

A great looking hole with the clubhouse as a backdrop.  The tee shot must avoid a single bunker on the left side of the fairway, which protects the ideal line into the green.  Much of the fairway is hidden from the tee.

Tee View:




A better look from just short of the fairway:




The approach is blind over a trio of cross-bunkers.






Run-up approach shots are a possibility.  The green is open in front and the fairway slopes downward over the cross-bunkers.



The green has a huge ridge running through the green 2/3 the way back, making a back pin very difficult.  My approach landed into the ridge and came back all the way off the front of the green.

From short of green:




From behind green: Note the chipping area which was restored over the green.

[Mark McKeever]

In looking at the pictures of 9 I thought that golf cart was on the green!  Lots of visual deception here and it works well!

Mark

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 10: Par 4, 411 Yards - Picture taken from 350 yard white tee

We lengthened the tee alongside the clubhouse so it is very much like the first tee at Merion, where you walk out of the clubhouse and you're on the tee. As they used to say about Merion, the biggest difficulty on the first hole was overcoming the roar of silverware clinking on the china. Most players will hit a 3-wood or hybrid for this blind tee shot over the hill. The best play from the tee is down the left side, as it opens up the best angle into this small angled green. The biggest change we made here was to restore a creek on the right side of the landing area about 310 yards from the tee. It had been made into a pond in the 1960's-70's but blind ponds are totally alien to a Ross design so we restored it to its original form. We also expanded the fairway on the right side towards the creek.

Tee View - Blind tee shot over a hill.  Shortest line to the green is down the right, but the ideal angle of approach is from left.




Another wonderfully undulating fairway at the 10th:




The approach from the right side of the fairway is uphill and almost completely blind - only the top half of the flag is in view:




Another great green.  On most courses this would be the best green on the golf course, but at Plainfield it is just more of the same:










Awesome transition from the 10th green to the 11th tee.  You've been thinking about (read fearing) hitting this shot ever since you saw this green from the 2nd tee.  Take a deep breath, it's just a nine-iron after all... no reason to miss the green!




Hole 11: Par 3, 148 Yards

We expanded the tee slightly and placed it so it melded into the collar on No. 10, which is an old-style design feature that I really like but which you rarely see today.

Tee View:




Three deep bunkers and a huge false-front are the 11th's main protections:








The green slopes severely from back-to-front and the edges of the green slope toward its centre:






Missing long is very bad:

[Richard Choi]

#11 at Plainfield is the best inland par-3 I have ever played. It is amazing how much fear this little hole can instill in you at the tee.

My first shot hit the front middle of the green and spun back into the bunker. My second shot was just a bit short and it rolled back as well. When I got my third shot about 5 feet of the pin, I had the biggest smile on my face of the entire day. The shot out of the front bunker is so much fun, I could have spent an hour there.

[Mark McKeever]

I'm scared of 11 just looking at the pictures....

Mark

[jonathan_becker]

I've never been to Plainfield, but by looking at this tour I can't get over the similarities between it and Canton Brookside.  Same architect, similar bunkering, similar land (from what I can tell), and similar bold and treacherous greens.  Thanks for the photos.

[Michael George]

Jonathan:

I was thinking the exact same thing.  The greens look really similar and the topography is very similar.

[jonathan_becker]

Jonathan:

I was thinking the exact same thing.  The greens look really similar and the topography is very similar.

For the most part all great courses are unique to themselves, but Plainfield and Brookside seem like brothers.

[George Freeman]

Canton Brookside must be a hell of a course b/c Plainfield is the real deal!  (Jonathan - I know you have been praising Brookside for some time; I need to get to Cleveland).

Chalk up two more really good and really unique holes at PCC.  #10 has a very fun blind tee shot down the hill, followed by an uphill approach to yet ANOTHER fantastic green site.  The back of the green acts as a mini bowl and can be used to to move a ball to the back corner of the green. 

#11 is incredible.  What a hole.  You obviously know you can't be short, but going long is equally as disastrous.  What a place to put a green.  An exacting and beautiful hole...

Really cool how the greens on #10 and #11 work right into the tees for the proceeding hole.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 12: Par 5, 588 Yards

This is widely considered to be one of Ross's finest holes and it has changed dramatically over the years. It was originally a long par 4 and a par 3 before the two holes were combined into the par 5 it is today. The hole is a textbook example of the strategic challenges Ross presents players. There is a downslope in the landing area and if players catch it, they can add a fair amount of distance to their drives. A seasonal creek runs through the fairway and forces players to decide whether to lay up either left or right of the creek or to try and carry the hazard. The creek adds so much to the thinking that goes into the second shot, in part because the amount of water in the creek will play a large part in a player's decision. If it is dry, they can afford to take a risk but if it is wet, they must avoid it. But how do they know from day to day? It's that unpredictability that makes the hole so interesting and challenging. Any time there's doubt in a player's mind, a shot becomes much more difficult. Just pray it doesn't rain and fill up the creek during The Barclays as the choice for the second shot will be much less interesting. A spine separates the back left and back right portions of the green, which again puts an emphasis on a well conceived and executed approach.   

Tee View: Some players can crest the hill.  Ideal line is up the right, made all the more difficult because of the slope of the fairway.




From the top of the hill the player has the option of playing left or right.  Note the mound of rough in the fairway -- longer hitters can run through the fairway into it.






On the second the shot, the player has the choice of challenging the winding creek or laying back.  From short of the hazard:




From the left side of the fairway:




From short of the green:




Green from Left:




From back portion of green:




12 from behind:

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Mark,

  Thank you for a great thread.  I grew up not too far from PCC, and have yet to make it to the course, but it is on my "top 5 to see in NJ" (and, I live here, so go figure). 
  In reply #42, photos 3-6; and this question is posed to all; the photos of the green show the profile of the back of the green; maybe Brad Klein is reading this, but I recall a few years ago, in a discussion of Walter Hatch, one of Ross' foremen, he referenced a "crown" to the back of greens as one of Hatch's trademarks.  Is this in fact an example?  I think we've seen this at Mountain Ridge as well, but I don't recall this at, for example, Pine Needles or Mid Pines. 

Thank you-

[Mark McKeever]

Schuylkill has some great examples of this feature.  Holes that come to mind quickly are 6, 10, 14, and 17.

Mark

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 13: Par 4, 482 Yards - Pictures from 411 Yard White Tees

This begins a three-hole stretch known as the "Tunnel."

This tee shot is all about the ridge that runs diagonally across the feature -- a perfect, subtle feature on flat land.  Carry the ridge and your tee shot will bound forward, but fail to carry it and your tee shot will kick toward the left rough and leave a long, semi-blind approach over water.  The shortest carry over the ridge is on the right, but this side of the fairway is guarded by out-of-bounds.

Tee View:






The ridge appears subtle in this picture, but it is fairly large in actuality:




The approach is played over water to one of the flattest greens on the golf course.  There is plenty of room to miss long in a large chipping area.




The green and chipping area:






Hole 14: Par 3, 228 Yards

There is nothing subtle about the green on this long par 3 that requires a full carry over a pond that guards the front-right of the putting surface. The large humps in the green are out of character for a Ross design but they make this hole particularly challenging, especially since players will be hitting long irons, hybrids or even fairway woods from the tee.

Tee View:




A very difficult and undulating green for such a long par-3:






The most notable feature of the 14th is the mounding to the left of the green.  I have never seen mounding like this on a Ross course before.  Has anyone seen it elsewhere? 







Hole 15: Par 4, 372 Yards

This hole brings you out of the "Tunnel" and there has been a lot of discussion about making it a drivable par 4.  On the left side of the landing area which, to some, this might look artificial but it is very effective and was an original part of these re-configured holes.

From the tee, the golfer has the option of playing to the narrow portion of fairway up the left (fairway slopes to the left, too) or trying to carry the bunkers (about 230) and playing to the entire width of the fairway.

Tee View:




One of the most straightforward looking approaches on the golf course.  The green is quite flat, sloping from back-to-front and guarded only by a run-off right of the green.

Approach View:




BUT, things are not what they seem.  A series of green side bunkers that are completely hidden from the fairway.  Awesome!




The green and run-off:

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 16: Par 5, 582 Yards

This is one of the favorite holes but it is also a hole where we made some of our most significant changes. We restored a cross bunkering complex that players must cope with on their second shots, particularly if they drive into the rough and must decide whether or not to lay up short of the bunkers, play out to the left, or risk a carry. Also, the second shot is blind which adds just the necessarily element of doubt.

OB and a single, deep fairway bunker guard the line of the ideal tee shot. Plenty of room to play left, but this leaves a longer carry over the cross-bunkers for the second shot.




A series of restored cross-bunkers must be played over.  The second shot it completely blind.  Tee shots that are in the rough / are poorly struck / if the hole is playing into-the-wind will leave many golfers with a real decision as to whether to challenge the cross-bunkers.




The shortest carry is over the left-side cross-bunkers.  Shots on this line will have to deal with a severely canted fairway and anything just clearing the bunkers will carom into the rough.




Playing over the more difficult to carry right-hand cross-bunkers is rewarded with a speed-slot down to a flat spot in the fairway well under 100 yards into the green.




The green is one of the most severe on the golf course.  The entire green slopes back-to-front, and there is a small (but definitely pinnable) back-shelf.  Like at the 10th, the fringe long of the green melds into the 17th tee.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 17: Par 4, 427 Yards

Along with No. 18, this hole probably suffered the most from advances in technology over the years. The hole is a dogleg right that plays blindly uphill, and in Ross's day the cluster of bunkers and trees on the right side of the hole provided a great challenge for the tee shot. However, in today's game the players will not think about these hazards, instead their attention will be focused on the out of bounds down the right side of the hole, and the rough on the left. The second shot is challenging because you can't see the entire putting surface of this elevated green. It is one of the most beautiful settings because it is set along a ridge and is beautifully bunkered. The green will offer plenty of challenges as it possesses many of the trademark Ross slopes and rolls.

A series of deep bunkers and tall trees guard the inside of the dogleg and the ideal line into the green on this difficult and uphill par-4.  The bunkers are a carry of about 240 yards from the tee -- a challenge for many, but not an issue for the long-hitters.  Nevertheless, OB to the right and the possibility of running through the fairway on the left will keep bombers honest.




The bunkers guarding the dogleg.




Looking back towards the tee from the fairway it is obvious how uphill this tee shot it.




Tee shots that successfully challenge the bunkers are rewarded with a speed-slot in the fairway down toward the 175-yard mark -- though it is still no easy approach from there.




The approach is uphill to a green surface that is completely blind from the fairway.  Yet another false-front guards this green.  Bunkering some 20 yards short of the green is very much in play, and is a very bad spot to be. 




The bunker guarding the right side of the green is (I believe) the deepest on the golf course.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 18: Par 4, 407 Yards

This was originally the 16th hole and the recently restored hole is one that allows a player to be as passive or aggressive as they choose to be, so in that sense it is a model of strategic design.  The tee shot now provides a multitude of options, since the trees have been cleared out of the corner of the dogleg. Players can take an aggressive line over the hillside bunkering, or play more safely our to the right and face a longer approach shot.  Until recently, this hole was viewed as an awkward finishing hole to a great course. However, one thing was never disputed and that was the quality of the green and it has always been accepted as a great finishing green. The beautifully contoured green is guarded by a false front and there are bunkers left and short right. It is one of the best greens on the course and very interesting and thought-provoking. By restoring the original design concept of the Ross hole, Plainfield now has a great finishing hole that is a fitting conclusion to this thought-provoking masterpiece.

The tee shot on the 18th is a very strategic one.  Playing uphill over a diagonal ridge protected by bunkers, this tee shot asks the timeless question, "how much can you cut-off."  The more the players cuts-off, the shorter the approach into the green.  Cut-off too little and the player risks his tee shot running through the fairway into the rough on the other side (also the more difficult approach angle).




A look at the 18th tee pre-restoration.  Different, no?




A closer look at the diagonal ridge.




The approach.






The approach pre-restoration.




One of the best greens on the course, with yet-another false-front.






Shots that miss long are in big trouble as the green slopes severely away from here.

[JLahrman]

Thanks for the pics Mark, the course looks great. I was trying to find a hole that didn't look very interesting, but I wasn't coming up with much.

One question though...seems like you mentioned OB quite a few times. Is it something that comes into play much? As a wild hitter, maybe I'm just overly sensitive to mentions of OB.

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