Purgatory Golf Club

This course really is nice on the eyes. Great views from the tee box. It is a fair test for all levels. It offers many options on every tee to play the holes which allows you to think your way through each shot but still allows for a enjoyable and fun round of golf.

Generous fairways lined with wispy fescue grass. Great course!

If you're ever in Indy, you owe it to yourself to check out Purgatory. From No. 17 being surrounded by acres of sand to the cool Redan-style par-3 third, it's a treat for players who appreciate great architecture. Ron Kern did a masterful job, and current management has got conditions as good as they've ever been.

My home state has very few public layouts that are memorable, but Purgatory is one that will resonate for a long time. It's a strategic layout that is challenging throughout. Really enjoyed my round here.

This used to be a pristine course, but it has slipped some. The structures are showing their age, and need better maintenance. Greens are still good, but cart paths are crumbling somewhat, muddy tracks around them, etc. Kind of sad, really.

If you stray from the straight and narrow, Purgatory has numerous pitfalls to trap you. The course rewards good shots and penalizes poor ones, which is the mark of a well designed course. Management has available a mixed tee arrangement which provides an intermediate yardage between the 6400 of the white tees and the 5600 of the green tees. This is a good and enjoyable test of one's golfing skills.

I kept trying to think of a reason not give Purgatory five stars. Let’s see: No two holes are alike, the par 3s are particularly strong, there are six sets of tees (including some very friendly women, senior and junior tees), it’s truly playable by all levels, and it’s a gorgeous golf course. What’s not to like about the family-run and owned Purgatory? It was even blessed by a priest, which is saying something considering its title. Plus it’s in great condition. The linksy look also scored points with me. The fescue, which really isn’t that daunting, gives the course that windswept look. And while the greens can certainly be challenging, lesser players – or those with a little creativity – still have opportunities to run the ball onto the green. Combine that with a beautiful clubhouse, terrific food & beverage and reasonable green fees, and you have outstanding value – and a five-star experience.

Have played this course many times. Usually I monitor how full the parking lot is before teeing off. If it seems pretty crowded, it's not worth playing as it will inevitably lead to a 5+ hour round. Can't recall the last time I saw a Ranger going around to speed up play. If it's not very crowded, it's a really fun and enjoyable course.

Started off by hitting balls at the range. There was no grass, just sand & dirt to hit from. There wasn't a starter on the first tee, so groups were randomly starting whenever. Our first 9 holes took us 4 hours to play because the course was so backed up. No ranger to speed things up. On the back 9 none of the water jugs were filled and there wasn't a refreshment cart. It was 88 that day and we were extremely parched. Oh, and by the way, I didn't even get to finish the back 9 because I had to be somewhere at 6:30, so I ended early because it was so congested (we tee'd off at 11:50). I've played many courses in these conditions before, but not for $65. What a joke. If you're going to charge that kind of money, act like an elite course.

I have always been impressed with Purgatory. This round did not disappoint. Our area had 15+ inches of rain in the last 2-3 weeks, including heavy downpours the previous night. I figured Purgatory would drain as well or better than most, and I was right. It was carts scatter and very good conditions. If you have the chance to play this course, do so at your next opportunity. Visually intimidating with a lot of dramatic sand traps that you must avoid to score here. Rolling fairways with multiple bumps and pitches can throw your ball awry. Shots into these superb greens require local familiarity of where to put your ball to have a makeable birdie putt. Excellent variety of holes and design. Truly challenging and fun to play. Make sure you play the correct tees for maximum enjoyment or you may never get out of Purgatory...

What a great course. Play the tees farther back to bring all of the hazards into play, but even the whites are challenging. The greens are soft and fast. The sand, even after weeks of deluging rain, are in great shape. Overall, just a great course and excellent for the money. One special feature that I love is the GPS screen in the cart. It's a touch screen and you can touch it to see how far away hazards are from your current position.

I do like Purgatory, a fantastic track. Love the layout, love the greens, and the practice facilities are about the best you will see.

Played after the rain, a little soggy in spots made it play even longer than the 7700 from the tips. Greens rolling very true and quick

A seriously great course. Definite challenge, that I handled well enough.

Staff is there to take care of you and goes above and beyond. We were greeted with a cart within 5 mins of pulling in. Exceptional course and unusually great service. Play this course!!!!

I Played the tips and was wore out. That is in long course. I was proud of my play. The greens are easy to read and roll true. Made a few 20+ foot putts. Sand traps were awesome. Could blast out of green side and pick out of fairway. Very playable. All around condition was excellent and the cart GPS was a great help. Course management is a must. It will bite you. Great experience. Hi highly recommended

If your in the Indy area, take a day and play Purgatory. Tees, fairways and greens are all in excellent condition. With the mounds gps is very helpful on the blind tee shots. Fairways are wide in most areas but any shot off the fairway is trouble. With six sets of tees you can make it as hard as you prefer. About as much fun as I have had on any course.

I'm a skilled golfer from Scottsdale, Az that certainly knows his golf and courses. The Merchant's, Kern, and Brown have created a masterpiece in Central Indiana that combines the best of Dye, Tillinghast, and G. Kern (Kern's father) elements. The end result is a stunning example of character and a brutal, but very fair, test of links golf.

Grab an easy birdie on #1 because you will have to fight for another opportunity on this 7700+ yard monster (from the tips, "Purgatory" tees). Driver accuracy is a must, 10' off of the fairway lies penalizing heather, and a higher ball flight is certainly helpful due to the fast and severely undulating greens. While the greens can be very penal with several ridges and collection areas, the speed is usually a perfect 10. They are certainly fast but will hold most iron shots, which makes them very fair.

I strongly encourage you to PLAY THE TEES THAT BEST SUIT YOUR SKILL LEVEL, CHECK YOUR EGO @ THE DOOR. The friendly staff will certainly suggest the tees for you, if asked, based on your average driving distance. Be honest. Playing the wrong tees will create a miserable afternoon of hitting 3 woods into par 4's, hacking it out of heather/sand, and 4 putting your way to a score of 120- not to mention a 5 hour round of golf that will have people in your group/behind you furious. The purgatory tees, especially on a windy day, should only be played by the longest of hitters- think 300 average. Even Tiger thought that the course was long.

I give the course my highest recommendation based on all of the usual measurements. I strongly urge you to buy a yardage book or print one off of the internet if you don't have a gps.

The course definitely lives up to it's name, it's not easy by any means. The enormous number of bunkers really test your accuracy. I was a little disappointed in the condition of most of the bunkers though. Many weren't raked and some were very hard. I guess when you have that many it can be overwhelming to maintain them all. The rest of the course was in phenomenal shape. The fairways were very firm so it was easy to get an extra 20 yards of roll off the tee. The greens were lightning fast as well and had some subtle movements to them. I also liked that the course is nestled in it's own little area. There was nothing within a few blocks of the course so it's just you and nature out there. The staff was very friendly and outgoing and the food at the bar was pretty tasty. I would without a doubt recommend Purgatory.

Course was in good shape, the greens were quick on the day we played, the one odd thing was the positioning of the tee box in comparison to the cart paths...a bit of hike to each box. The one thing I noticed was the staff. Pro shop was ready, waiting to help. My on line reservation was in their system and we were ready to golf in 5 minutes. Also, the staff in the bar area did a great job in getting us replenished at the turn. This is one of the nicest clubhouses in the area.