Commissioning and construction (1916–1921).
By mid-1910s the club sought a championship-caliber course on additional acreage; Donald Ross was engaged in 1916 to produce a new, expanded design on the rolling glacial ground. Construction paused during World War I, and the Ross course opened in 1921. Several histories note that Ross’s work replaced/absorbed an earlier, much shorter layout associated with Tom Bendelow.
Documented design intent.
Contemporary club and agronomy features emphasize Ross’s exploitation of the site’s “gently flowing hills,” routing holes across natural ridges so that canted fairways and elevation changes—not forced carries—govern shot values. This intent is especially legible through sequences that change stance and approach angle from hole to hole, a quality the club’s staff highlights when discussing daily maintenance and set-up.
Restoration master plan and phases (late 1990s–2015).
The club hired Gil Hanse in the late 1990s to develop a comprehensive master plan aimed at returning Ross features that had diminished through tree encroachment, bunker attrition, and green shrinkage; the program advanced in piecemeal phases to full completion in 2015. Core moves included recapturing green perimeters (15 original Ross greens remain), re-establishing diagonal fairway bunkers and cross hazards, and removing or relocating water features that were mid-century insertions out of character with Ross.
Tournament era milestones.
Plainfield hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1978 (John Cook d. Scott Hoch), the U.S. Women’s Open in 1987 (Laura Davies, 18-hole playoff), and The Barclays (FedExCup Playoffs) in 2011 (Dustin Johnson, 54-hole event after Hurricane Irene disruptions) and 2015 (Jason Day). In 2025, following the Hanse restoration’s completion, the course co-hosted the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with Echo Lake C.C.
Unique Design Characteristics
The Short Hills ground and cross-slope golf. The routing repeatedly crosses subtle spines and valleys created by the Short Hills glacial geology, producing fairways that lean and greens that accept from favored halves. The 4th hole (355 yards)—set on land associated with the Battle of the Short Hills (1777)—is cited by independent analysts as an “historic little brute,” playing far tougher than its yardage once Hanse’s restoration re-established Ross’s intended fairway width and green edges.
Holes 10–12 as a distilled expression of Ross at Plainfield.
10th (par 4): The restoration removed a blind pond (a 1960s–70s insertion) and re-opened a creek on the right at ~310 yards, expanding fairway toward it to reinstate the risk-reward tee line. The green—upslope toward the rear, ringed by bunkers—demands precise trajectory control on the approach.
11th (short par 3): A compact one-shotter with a dramatic false front and strong front-to-back cant; misses long or left leave a severe recovery from below grade. The club explicitly identifies the hole as an example of Ross’s varied set of par-3 tests.
12th (par 5): “Widely considered one of Ross’s finest holes,” the modern par-5 evolved from an original long par-4 and adjacent par-3 combined; a downslope in the landing zone can propel a bold tee shot, but subsequent angles into the contoured green complex reward placement over length.
The “Tunnel” (13–15). Entering the property’s tightest corridor, 13 is a long par-4 with interior fairway hazards and a pond fronting the green (a non-Ross feature acknowledged in club text); 14 is a long-iron par-3 across water whose internal green humps are “out of character for Ross,” and 15 exits the tunnel with restored cross-bunkering and pronounced back-to-front green slope. Club commentary during the flyover series is unusually candid about which elements reflect restoration of Ross and which persist as later-era compromises.
Green count and character. Independent documentation notes 15 original Ross greens surviving at Plainfield, a rare level of integrity for a metro-area course of this age. Hanse’s work focused on recapturing original perimeters and internal contours where possible, rather than wholesale recontouring.
Historical Significance
Position within Ross’s northern portfolio. Plainfield is one of Ross’s most prominent 1910s commissions in the Mid-Atlantic and an early exemplar of a metropolitan private club that combined serious competitive ambitions with a member-friendly walking plan. The course’s terrain let Ross stage a sophisticated test without excessive earthmoving; that quality—amplified by modern agronomy—has sustained the course’s championship relevance, a point the USGA highlighted in 2025 while returning with the Four-Ball.
Championship record and television era.
The course’s ability to host elite play across formats—match play (1978 Amateur), stroke play (LPGA major, PGA TOUR Playoffs), and modern amateur team events—has kept Plainfield in the national conversation. The 2011 Barclays (shortened to 54 holes by Hurricane Irene) and 2015 Barclays (Jason Day) showcased how the restored width and green speeds create separation at tour level.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing and green sites. The Ross routing remains intact, with 15 original greens preserved; the restoration re-set mowing lines and putting surfaces to historic edges, which, coupled with tree removal, re-introduced width and angle-based decision-making. As a result, modern play still hinges on using fairway tilt to feed approaches into the preferred thirds of greens—precisely how the 1921 design intended the hills to function.
Bunkers and water. Hanse’s work deepened and reconnected bunker schemes to their original strategic roles, notably reinstating cross-hazards and pot bunkers where Ross drawings and aerials supported them. Conversely, certain mid-century ponds (e.g., right of 10 fairway) were removed or converted back to creeks/drainage features consistent with Ross.
Set-up and yardage. Public cards list par 72 and ~7,091 yards (with alternate tees at 6,616–6,652, etc.), while tour set-ups have run par 70 with back tees and narrowed fairways.
Facilities and ongoing care. Club communications emphasize ongoing maintenance “in what Ross would have done,” using green speeds and firmness to extract strategic value from contours rather than relying on length alone. The restoration’s final touches were in place by 2015, and the course has since returned repeatedly to USGA and PGA TOUR calendars.
Uncertainty
Opening chronology and pre-Ross course. Sources agree Ross began in 1916 and opened in 1921; several histories also reference a pre-Ross Bendelow layout on part of the property that the 1916–21 project superseded. Pinpointing Bendelow’s exact routing and how much of it Ross retained would require original club minutes, plan sheets, and aerials from the 1910s.
Original-feature survival by hole. While multiple sources state 15 original Ross greens survive, a scholarly hole-by-hole integrity map (pads, surrounds, bunker placements) would benefit from access to the club’s Hanse master plan, early Ross drawings, and 1930s–40s aerials to reconcile evolved elements in the “Tunnel” stretch.
Sources & Notes
Golf Course Industry – “It just oozes history” (2021). Notes Ross’s start in 1916 and 1921 opening; maintenance philosophy aligned with Ross’s ground use.
USGA – “Battle Tested: New Jersey’s Historic Plainfield C.C. Returns to the Spotlight” (Jan. 29, 2025). Summarizes Hanse’s late-1990s master plan and 2015 completion; Barclays winners 2011 (Johnson) and 2015 (Day).
USGA – Championship records. 1978 U.S. Amateur (John Cook) and 1987 U.S. Women’s Open (Laura Davies).
ESPN / GolfMonthly / WSJ – Barclays at Plainfield. 2011 event shortened to 54 holes by Hurricane Irene; Johnson winner; context for 2015 return.
Plainfield Country Club – official site (About; Course Overview/flyovers). Hole-specific restoration notes (e.g., 10 creek restoration; 11 false front; 12 combined from earlier holes); facility overview.
The Fried Egg – “Plainfield Country Club” (2023). Documents 15 original Ross greens; outlines restoration themes since 1999 (greens recapture, tree removal, non-original holes refined).
Golf Digest – Course Finder (NJ) – Plainfield. Notes early-2000s restoration of every green/fairway/tee and strategic opening via tree removal.
GolfClubAtlas – Course profile & discussions. Analytical commentary on 4th hole and restoration benefits; forum threads referencing Hanse master-plan principles and water-feature corrections.
LINKS Magazine – “Classic Courses: Plainfield Country Club.” Opening in 1921; land and evolution context; public-facing history.
LINKS Magazine (archival piece). Bendelow’s earlier, shorter course and the 1916 land purchase leading to Ross’s redesign/expansion.