Amidst the numerous corn and soybean fields of southwest Minnesota sits Springfield Golf Club on the Big Cottonwood River. It has been a destination course for me since the early days of Always Time for 9. This is the fourth 9-hole course and the ninth overall in the Golfing Springfield Namesake Journey across the USA! Many years ago when I was working as a corporate trainer, a Japanese student asked me, “what is the meaning of your name?” I had never thought about it and my stumbling answer was “well you know ‘spring’ and ‘field’. After some research, I discovered the origin of the Springfield name comes from Old English for “open country”.
As we stepped up to the tee box at Hole #1, that is where we were – “open country” filled with farms. These old men will once again be playing from the senior (gold) tees. They offer Black (3108 yards); Blue (2941); Gold (2462); and Red (2351). This opening par 4 has a generously wide, straight fairway to start your round on a positive note. The par 5 second hole has a fairway that resembles a backwards “S”. It starts out to the left (and keep your ball in that direction); then goes back to the right (watch out for the water over there); and then back left. If your first two shots are perfectly placed, you might be able to cut the last dogleg which is only guarded by a high hill.
Hole #3 is a straight par 4 of about 280 yards. It’s a blind tee shot as the fairway goes up and then down to the green. The landing area is wide, so just rear back and fire. The fourth and fifth holes are very similar to #3, but with variable distances. Hole #6 is the first par 3 and we encountered our initial bunker on the course. Any short shot may find this bunker or the valley that fronts the green. And speaking of the putting surface, the undulations will definitely have you guessing.
As we hit down the hill at Hole #7, I’m thankful that we decided to take a cart. The course is filled with hills and valleys, and as we approach the green we are walking back up another embankment.
The greens on the par 3’s are huge and Hole #8 is a prime example. Despite being large there is not a flat spot to be found. Wow, Hole #9 is quite the finishing hole. A par 5 with distances of 546 yards (Black); 478 yards (Blue); 392 yards (Gold); and 339 yards (Red). From the back tees your drive has to clear the creek and then have enough carry to clear a large water retention area – Good Luck! From the gold tees we were about 150 yards closer, but still had difficulty recording par at this dogleg left hole.
Rating – Birdie (49 out of 60): Nothing like Springfield playing Springfield! The fairways were lush and the greens (for the most part) were in good shape. The course design was fantastic; the people were friendly and welcoming; there was a small spot to grab a post-round drink; and it’s Springfield! This is a community course for all the small town workers to relax after a hard day’s/week’s work and take out their frustrations on a little white ball. Thank you to all the farmers who work hard to keep us fed! Speaking of food, the local women’s club directed us four handsome (their words) men to Tommy’s Central Street Station in downtown Springfield for our post-round meal of meat and more meat at the dinner buffet. Just another small-town gem in the Golfing Springfield Journey. This was also our fourth course on the principle golf adventure – MN, SD, ND, +4: The Final Frontier – 50 in 75.
651 South O’Connell Ave., Springfield, MN 56087; 507-723-5888; www.springfieldgolfcourse.net
