17th Hole at Plainfield

[Eric LeFante]

The 17th hole at Plainfield is my favorite hole on the course. The tee shot is asking you to hit a nice fade off the tee and then you are left with a mid-iron approach to a beautiful uphill green. I think the hole was laid out perfectly to fit the land. A few friends told me they don't like the hole, with one friend saying it was his least favorite hole on the course. I can understand why some don't like it: It is a very sharp dogleg with OB right.


What do you think of the hole? One of your favorites, one of your least favorites, or indifferent?

[Joe Schackman]

It has been a few years since I played PCC but this is what I thought of when you asked about 17:

It is a great hole but I think it could be better without the big tree on the right. I realize it is set closer to the fence then it appears from the tee but I feel like visually it forces you to go left a bit.

For some reason I've never liked the fact that 17 and 18 feel like reverses of each other.

[Eric LeFante]

The big tree on the right has recently been removed Joe; clearly the club and you are on the same page!

[Joe Schackman]

Ha! Glad to hear it.

[MCirba]

1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17

[Steve Lapper]

Eric, et.al.,


  As always, I love hearing your view(s)...even if I strongly disagree with you!!


  PCC's #'s 17 is far from my favorite. I'd take #'s 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, and 16 all day (and twice on days ending in "y")!!


  Seventeen is a good hole, but one that has very little room for error,  little or no flexibility, or not a drop of forgiveness whatsoever. The skilled player like yourself,  is forced to put away your driver (or even 3W) and play that fade/cut just to fund the ribbon of fairway at the dogleg. Any balls played out of the rough run the risk of sailing (or running through) the green putting 2X bogey into play. These playing characteristics hardly add up to one of the best on a course with ample numbers of wonderful holes.


  I do like and respect #17, and the good news of losing the large Southern (left from tee box) tree is a vast improvement, however the even larger other neighbor  of a tree does an ample job of blocking off the more aggressive angle. I made a scrambling four there two weekends ago, but it hardly could be described as "fun."


  Different strokes for different folks!!






 

[Bill Crane]

#17 at PCC is a good hole, but there are so many good ones that this would be way down the list.


It IS a severe dog-leg.


It has an intimidating tee shot going up the hill, fairly sharp right and the OB is close.   Several times I hit 3 wood through the dog leg and end up on a slope going up to the 9th tee.    Then you have to hit a hook around some trees to an elevated green up the hill, with O B lurking for a straight ball.


This hole is a little  bit like the inverse of 18.


Super golf course, one of my favorites in NJ.   So much Donald Ross charm.


It's great to have friends !!

[Eric LeFante]

Eric, et.al.,


  As always, I love hearing your view(s)...even if I strongly disagree with you!!


  PCC's #'s 17 is far from my favorite. I'd take #'s 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, and 16 all day (and twice on days ending in "y")!!


  Seventeen is a good hole, but one that has very little room for error,  little or no flexibility, or not a drop of forgiveness whatsoever. The skilled player like yourself,  is forced to put away your driver (or even 3W) and play that fade/cut just to fund the ribbon of fairway at the dogleg. Any balls played out of the rough run the risk of sailing (or running through) the green putting 2X bogey into play. These playing characteristics hardly add up to one of the best on a course with ample numbers of wonderful holes.


  I do like and respect #17, and the good news of losing the large Southern (left from tee box) tree is a vast improvement, however the even larger other neighbor  of a tree does an ample job of blocking off the more aggressive angle. I made a scrambling four there two weekends ago, but it hardly could be described as "fun."


  Different strokes for different folks!!

 

Steve, you like hitting a draw so I'm not sure you can have an open mind when you play the hole!


You make several valid points (with the exception of saying 5 is better than 17; I hope you are just saying that just to bust my chops)


I think there is some flexibility to the hole. The bunkers are only 205 to carry from the back tees and 175 to carry from the white tees. A mid handicap player can even start the ball left of the bunkers and hit a big cut and the ball will run hard with the fairway to the perfect spot. It is easy for the good player to hit through the fairway and the hole really does take driver out of their hands (that says more about technology today than the design of the hole).


The bunkers short of the green are 15 yards short of the front edge so there is room for a ball to bounce once or twice prior to reaching the green.


I don't mind when one or two holes a round restrict how far you can hit it off the tee. There are some holes at Plainfield that could play much shorter than they are supposed to if you hit a good drive and catch a big slope. I like that virtually everyone on 17 will have at least a mid iron into the green.


It is a demanding hole and the fun of playing the hole comes from the satisfaction of hitting the shots that the hole and the land require.