Indianapolis Golf at its best: Purgatory Golf Club earns highest honors

It’s been a while since the last five-pirate course was revealed, but the next course is worth the wait.

Kiel Christianson of TravelGolf.com had it exactly right in his March article: One of the most unknown and under-appreciated golf destinations in America is Indianapolis, Indiana. With courses such as PrarieView, Bear Slide, The Fort, and Legends, a true golfer can travel to this midwestern town, which has a reputation for nothing in particular, and find some of the best golf value anywhere. But even amongst these courses, one stands out as the best choice in the area, and the best value that can be found anywhere.

Purgatory Golf Club, located in Noblesville, Indiana, bears the golf course version of the old tag “best player to have never won a major"- best course to have gone basically unheard of since its opening. Sure, it has been mentioned in the Top 100, but it is not taken seriously enough solely because of its location. Slap a course like this in Southern California or Myrtle Beach, and it is a household name. Playing a round here feels very much like playing a round at an Open venue, with one exception- your wallet will feel more plump after a day at Purgatory. Not only does the rich midwestern soil provide absolutely perfect playing conditions, the course layout is superb.

Purgatory, which is part of the Catholic tradition, is defined as “a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” The name certainly fits the golf that occurs here (although many would argue that the word “Hell” would be a better-suited name for the track) and each hole’s name is taken from Dante’s Inferno.

The course begins with “Pride", the shortest and easiest par four, before leading a player through the likes of “The Impenetrable Fortress” (number 3), “River of Flames” (number 7), “Eternal Torment” (number 13), and “Sweet Misery.” While the names of the holes are a minor detail, they manage to add to the overall aura and mystique of the back-breaking design.

If played from the Purgatory tees, a player must navigate through 125 bunkers and deal with the high fescue in which balls disappear as though they are sinking into the depths of hell. And once on the green, things don’t get much easier. The bent grass greens can get rolling at lightning speeds, and the subtle breaks, not to mention the overall size of the surfaces, make a 2 putt a wonderful accomplishment. Factor in the length of 7,750 yards from the tips, and 7,300 from the blacks, and the average sinner (i.e. the shanker, slicer, topper, or hack) doesn’t have a prayer.

There are 7 par 4’s that play over 450, and 3 par threes that top out at over 200 yards. This is the type of course where annoying players who decide to play the tips everywhere they go (like myself) really begin to pay that retribution that is long overdue. Also, this course offers six tee options and prides itself on being playable for any type of golfer. Obviously the word playable is relative, as the shorter yardage from the front tees does not eliminate the sand, high grass, and fast greens.

The course has recently added a new clubhouse, finally replacing the trailer that marred the beautiful rolling terrain for years before. The highest fee to be found is $65 (excluding cart), which is as much like stealing as opening the cash register and running away with a fist full of twenties. From a golf standpoint, this course stacks up against daily fee course in America for a fraction of the cost, and blowing off the course because of its location is downright sinful.