Springfield CC (Ohio - Ross) -- A Photo Tour - All Holes Posted

[BHoover]

I've been meaning to put this together for a couple of weeks now.  To be honest, I've been too lazy to take my camera out there, so I still need to take the photos to do the actual photo tour.  But, I wanted to get started to force myself to get moving.  Will Lozier grew up playing Springfield, so hopefully he will jump in and add his thoughts as this thread proceeds.

Springfield CC was designed in 1922 by Donald Ross.  The club itself was founded in 1898 and a few holes were set out prior to Ross designing the current 18-hole layout.  I don't have much information about the pre-Ross holes, but if and when I find anything I will add it to the thread.

The course sits just north of downtown Springfield, which itself is roughly an hour west of Columbus. Ross knew what he was doing because he put the course on an acquirer that drains exceptionally well.  With the exception of Canton Brookside, Canterbury and, to a lesser extent, Scioto, I know of no other course in Ohio that drains as well as Springfield.  The current superintendent, Chad Dorrell, also is committed to firm and fast playing conditions, which means that the course typically plays much firmer and faster than most courses in central Ohio, which generally is flat and does not drain well.

The club has a master plan from Ron Forse and Jim Nagle that it has gradually begun to implement over the past couple of years.  In late 2012 2011, the club rebuilt the greenside bunkers (fairway bunkers still need to be rebuilt) and removed from the greens layers of organic material that had built up over the years.  The club also rebuilt three greens (#s 4, 8 and 18) that had become too severe for modern greenspeeds and that had very few usable hole locations.  Those greens are still the most severe on the course, but they are actually very playable.

Attached below is a video clip of the superintendent describing the renovation work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XELFNXCIN9A

I thought I would start out with Ross' design plan, which can be found in the Tufts Archives.


Aerial view from the 1938




Scorecard with graphic of current layout

[Brian Finn]

This will be a great one.  Springfield continues to fly under the radar. 

Do you have the Forse Design Plan handy?  It would be a great addition to the original design plan you've included.  The work that Ron Forse and Jim Nagle have done out there is terrific (as we will see in the photos).

Do you have one or two photos you could share, just to 'wet our whistle?'

[BHoover]

This will be a great one.  Springfield continues to fly under the radar.  

Do you have the Forse Design Plan handy?  It would be a great addition to the original design plan you've included.  The work that Ron Forse and Jim Nagle have done out there is terrific (as we will see in the photos).

Do you have one or two photos you could share, just to 'wet our whistle?'

I will have to take a photo of Forse's master plan, which I can do this weekend.  The plan consists mostly of rebuilding bunkers, removing trees and the work on the greens.  The crew has removed several hundred trees (most of which were dead ash trees).  There are still trees that could come down, but the course is generally very playable and not choked with trees, especially compared to many other courses in the area.

[BCowan]

can't wait. 

[JNagle]

Brian -

I will save you a little time.

[Joe Bausch]

Can you make your pictures 'clickable' Brian?  Click the 'quote' button on this post so you can see how it is done:

[Tom Allen]

Looking forward to this.  I had a fun time playing this course, and wish I had taken photos back then.

I have not played it since the changes in 2012, which I thought were going to soften some of the more severe slopes on a couple of greens.  I'd love any more info on the changes they did.

[BHoover]

Looking forward to this.  I had a fun time playing this course, and wish I had taken photos back then.

I have not played it since the changes in 2012, which I thought were going to soften some of the more severe slopes on a couple of greens.  I'd love any more info on the changes they did.

I will describe the work as I get to those holes. And once I actually take the pictures. The greenside bunkers were rebuilt to improve drainage and make maintenance easier. The greens themselves were stripped of turf to remove layers of organic material that had built up over time. Several greens were modified to reclaim corners and areas that had been lost over time. The result is that several greens are now squared off and have excellent corners that make for challenging pin positions. Finally the 4th, 8th and 18th greens were rebuilt to soften the slopes and to increase usable pin positions. The keeper likes to keep the course playing fast, so some of the greens can be treacherous.

It's not on the same plain as Canton Brookside but I think the greens are somewhat similar in terms of internal slopes, appearance and speed.

[Michael Marzec]

Thanks for starting this, Brian. Really looking forward to your updates.

[BHoover]

Thanks for starting this, Brian. Really looking forward to your updates.

Looking forward to actually taking the photos needed to complete the photo tour! I promise to start this weekend. The course is hosting a US Open sectional qualifier Monday, so it's in excellent condition and should photograph really well. Just need to remember my camera.

[Matthew Lloyd]

add me to the list of people excited to check out these photos.  love central ohio golf but i've never had a chance to play this course.  need to fix that on one of my next trips home.

[BHoover]

add me to the list of people excited to check out these photos.  love central ohio golf but i've never had a chance to play this course.  need to fix that on one of my next trips home.

Just let me know if you ever want to play (same goes for anyone).  I'm happy to host.

[Philip Caccamise]

add me to the list of people excited to check out these photos.  love central ohio golf but i've never had a chance to play this course.  need to fix that on one of my next trips home.

Just let me know if you ever want to play (same goes for anyone).  I'm happy to host.

I'll take you up on that sometime. Been wanting to play Springfield since I moved here. The return trip is open at my club in Kentucky when you're down this way.

[Will Lozier]

Brian,

Really glad to see this thread started!  Seeing as how getting back to SCC once or twice a year lends itself to some golf but little photography, my long intentioned attempt at this was going nowhere fast!

Just some comments thus far:

Pic 1: the wonderful punchbowl 15th green shown in it's original splendor with the reclaimed 13th green - likely at least 30% larger with incredible back to front tilt...what you can't really see on the 15th is the ridge which conceals the right half of the green from the approach (left of pic) and the severe tilt of the entire back which will send balls back to the front (and maybe off the left if not played far right enough)...

Pic 2: the completely new 8th green which is one of the great skyline greens I've ever played...I like the new green but, it seems too similar to the other new greens which are somewhat out of character with the original as a group...I do love the new shaved area on the walk up to the 9th tee...

Pic 3: from behind the short two-shot 14th green which is a rarity as it doesn't accept a running approach (along with 9)...

Pic 4: the fantastic short 9th...edges have been reclaimed...

I am so glad you started with the old original to show the original absence of trees and fairway width!  New bunkers look great...fairway bunkers, reclaimed fairway width, and more tree removal will make SCC even more special!

I look forward to contributing more commentary Brian and hopefully, when I am home in a few months time, we can play.  

The other sentimental note is that the pen & ink of the fantastic tudor clubhouse on the scorecard is the work of my late father, with whom I shared many rounds at SCC.  I believe the front of the card is the frontal version?  If you can post it, I'd love to see it!  It remains one of my favorite scorecards in the world!

Cheers,
Will

[Rees Milikin]

Really enjoy the intro to the upcoming tour and can't wait to see more pictures.  I love the tours of the under the radar courses.

[BHoover]

Brian -

I will save you a little time.

Jim, hopefully you can chime in on some of the aspects of the master plan and the work that was done a couple years ago. Thanks for including a copy of the plan!

The feature that stands out as needing improvement is a rebuild of the fairway bunkers to correspond with the style of the rebuilt green side bunkers. There also is room for additional tree removal, but most of the trees preventing light getting to the greens have been removed. I suppose I'd also like to see the teeing areas squared off as set forth in the master plan.

What I like about the club is that it seems to have accepted the challenges facing many small town clubs these days. SCC is, at least for a country club, relatively no-frills. Most of the effort has gone into maintaining a very good, very playable golf course. The practice area, although far from the first tee, is alo simple and well-maintained. There is a pool and a clubhouse, but things seem to be kept simple. Simple, yet well-stocked pro shop, a simple bar/grille room and a no-frills locker room.

The club allows unrestricted walking (it's a great walk and well-routed course), pushcarts and riding carts. The guest policy is relaxed and guest fees are extremely reasonable. In fact, it's more reasonable than most public courses in central Ohio, and certainly the best value for the quality of the course.

I really think that if SCC was located in Columbus, it would be at or near the top of the second-tier of clubs in Columbus (behind Scioto, MVGC and TGC).

[Michael Marzec]

add me to the list of people excited to check out these photos.  love central ohio golf but i've never had a chance to play this course.  need to fix that on one of my next trips home.

Just let me know if you ever want to play (same goes for anyone).  I'm happy to host.

Sounds like I need to plan a trip down to Springfield this summer!

[BHoover]

Hole #1 – 422 yards, par 4 (all holes described from the black tees)

The first hole at Springfield is a difficult opener and par is a good score here.  The hole is a straightaway par 4 played from an elevated tee (the clubhouse sits on the highest part of the property) to a fairway that falls off from the tee and then rises again to a crest approximately 265 yards from the tee.  A tee shot that finds the crest of the fairway will result in a second shot of roughly 165 yards to the green. Because the course generally plays firm and fast, it is possible to catch the downslope in the fairway which would put the player about 125 yards or less to the green.

View from the tee:




View from the landing area in the fairway:




The green sits in a hollow and is pitched very severely from back to front and breaks severely from left to right.  Missing the green left or long is absolutely dead because it is extremely difficult to keep the ball on the green because of the slope.  The best play is to keep the ball below the hole or to miss short right.  The bunker in front of the green is about 25 yards short of the green and generally is not in play unless one misses the fairway off the tee and is unable to get a shot to the green.

[Will Lozier]

One of my favorite opening holes in the world!  The tee is so exposed to lunchers in the clubhouse, those on the putting green, near/in the pro shop, anyone on the 9th hole or 10th tee, and it is a wonderful feeling (especially back in the day with less modern equipment) to get your tee ball over that hill and in play to start your day!  With real birdie opportunites at 2 & 5, you feel a bit of pressure to get through the 1st relatively unscathed with tough pars coming up at 3, 4, & 6.  

The crest Brian is talking about is actually the second ridge you see (barely) from the tee.  The first, the 'sled hill' to locals, sits about 160 yards from the back tee serving as a serious visual hazard to players of all levels and a very real one to a lesser ballstriker.  As a 10-year-old with a Chandler Harper 2 wood and used balatas - who really should have been playing from these, the men's tees - this wonderful natural feature posed quite the question back in the day.  It also seats the all world 8th green and 9th teebox up on the left and continues down to the right to create great interest in the 10th fairway.  Typical of Ross to utilize this feature so well within four holes.  

I think the bunker work here is perfect.  It frames the green so well.  I would like there to be just a bit less rough around it, at least at the front.  I am really happy to see the plans to reinstate the greenside bunker left and take out those trees in the left rough 100 yards or so short of the green and the one just left of it.  A recovery from well short left should be much more interesting than having to punch out - it will be blind to a green tilted hard away from you!  Also pleased to see there will be new fairway width along the left which is the safer side off the tee but a tougher angle to approach this green.  I think cutting a good bit of that grass left of the green as fairway would allow for maybe more options in the approach as you can well land a ball left and have it run all the way around the back and to or off the front right.

Lastly, the 1st green is just about as good as it gets.  I can't imagine much was done to build this green in that natural hollow.  The slope truly is unbelievable and, at the speeds SCC likes to run their greens at, when Brian says left or past is dead...he means you will most likely be chipping your next shot.  The shot 15-20 feet past in his last pic...that must have been fun!  And by the way Brian, these are really good photos - I love the last looking back up at the clubhouse at the wave-like rumples in the fairway!

[BHoover]

Thanks for the comments, Will. I think it would be fantastic to see the areas to the left and right of the first green to be shaved to fairway height. That would allow shots to be played using the slope on the left and make the right side a bit more than just the safe spot to bail out.

I was a bit disappointed with the camera work but I'll continue to post new photos over time. The course is hosting an Open qualifier tomorrow so the conditions this weekend have been ideal--firm and fast, which makes shot selection and putting very thought-provoking to say the least. It's not often that the ground game is an option for an Ohio golf course, but it definitely is right now at Springfield!

[Phil McDade]

Brian:

If the rest of the course is anything like the 1st, this is one heckuva course. What an opener! Never heard of Springfield CC growing up in Ohio.

[BHoover]

Hole #2 – 512 yards, par 5

The second hole at Springfield is a fairly easy hole to follow the very difficult opener.  Birdie or even eagle is a possibility on this par 5 (I made an eagle a week ago!).  The tee sits above and behind the first green and plays downhill to a fairway that looks narrower than it actually is due to the trees that line the fairway.  The trees have been thinned out over the past couple years but a few more could stand to come down.  A good drive that finds the fairway will leave the golfer about 200-240 yards into a green that is open enough in front to accept a run-up shot.  The fairway bunkers generally are not in play from the tee.  This is the first hole were one can see that the fairway bunkers have not yet been rebuilt in the style of the new greenside bunkers.  If the golfer misses the fairway off the tee, the play is generally a layup to the left side of the fairway in order to leave a short pitch to the green. There is more opportunity in the left rough to potentially try to reach the green or to play a layup shot; a tee shot in the right rough faces a somewhat difficult layup and must clear the fairway bunker.  The layup itself can be tricky, however, because of trees and fescue close to the left side of the fairway about 100 yards short of the green.

View from the tee:


View from the landing area in the fairway:




The green itself is open and allows the golfer to run the ball onto the green.  The recent renovation work included squaring the front edge of the green and reclaiming the back left corner that had been lost over time.  The green features a ridge that runs from left to right and is one of the easier greens at Springfield to read and putt.  There is some movement toward the back left corner, but this green, compared to the first green (and what is coming up on the front nine) is a relative breather.  The only real trouble on the second green is going long because there is a drop of a few feet, which means that the golfer could face a testy chip if the pin is located on the back shelf of the green.  Nevertheless, anything more than par is a disappointment, because, with the difficult holes coming up, this hole is a chance to pick up a shot or two.  

[noonan]

The routing made very good use of the elevation change on the course. It is fun to play!

[BHoover]

Hole #3 – 177 yards, par 3

The third hole is a medium-length par three.  The hole is relatively flat but what really makes the hole interesting is how Ross used the cross bunker to effectively hide the green from the golfer.  The bunker really shouldn’t come into play, but what makes it so good is how it convinces the golfer that there is less room to play into the green than there really is.  The bunker is at least 15-20 yards short of the green, and the green itself is open in front and receptive to a run-up shot.  But the bunker completely hides that approach.  That same bunker also partially obscures a greenside bunker that can come into play and grab a shot if the pin is cut on the front right portion of the green.

Aside from the cross bunker, the green is surrounded by bunkers on the right, left and behind.  The conservative play is to take a half club less and play for the ball to run into the green.  The aggressive play brings the back bunker into play if the green is firm, and if the pin is cut on the back of the green, the back bunker or long over the green is a tough up and down.  

The green is somewhat crowned in the center and tends to fall away to the front, back, left and right (but not severely.  The recent renovation work resulted in the back corners of this green being reclaimed.

[Paul Gray]

What an excellent looking opener. Even if it played appallingly I'd still have to love it for sheer quirk value. I assume however it plays well.

I'd like to see the bunker short of the green included as part of the fairway. Does anyone know if this is was change made in the dark ages?