Purdue's Birck Boilermaker Complex is at the top of the class |
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With bent grass tees, greens and fairways, a new yardage of over 7400 yards from the tips, and plenty of waste bunkers challenging every shot, the Kampen course is sure to test your game. When we asked Dan Ross, Head PGA Professional, the key to playing Kampen, he stressed how important it is to play from the correct tees. With five sets of tees, most male golfers immediately head for the back two boxes, without considering the yardages. If you play from the correct tees you are going to have a very enjoyable day of golf. If you don’t, be prepared to test your short game and recovery skills. With a wide-range of handicaps (10-25), our group decided to heed this advice and we played from the third set of tees.
We asked Mr. Ross for some additional words of wisdom and he commented on the strategic value of the course. For each shot, golfers must plan ahead and see what leaves them the best chance for par. “Course Management is crucial to being successful”, commented one group of golfers we stopped to interview. “There is risk and reward on every hole, it seems the people that are more accurate, rather then long, can score well here”. “What a test”, “Great conditions”, and “Fast, consistent greens” are a few of the other comments you might here from golfers after their round. Our group had great success on the front nine. Accurate drives led to plenty of birdies and pars. Hole #6 was one of our favorites. This par five has a scenic, yet possible round killing celery bog that it wraps around. There is plenty of room for your drive to land, yet it is hard to keep it left. The celery bog just seems to have some type of gravitational pull. After putting my drive in the water, I was able to scramble for a par. Hole #7 is a short hole with a split fairway. Big hitters will be tempted to drive the green, our group walked away with one birdie and three pars. The front nine was very kind to all of us. The back nine was another story. 
Without consulting the scorecard, I believe the back plays longer then the front. If not, it sure felt like it. I suppose when you stop hitting it straight that has an effect too. I’ll highlight a few of our favorite holes. Hole #13, is a par three with water guarding the left-edge. It’s a very intimidating shot. Then hole #14 is a short par four, but the same water hazard guarding #13, stretches the length of #14. Even with a strong, safe tee shot you will be left with a difficult approach, as the water hugs the entire left-hand side of the green. Once you’ve conquered #10-#17, you walk up to the tee on #18. This has to be one of the best finishing holes in the state. Waste bunkers guard the left-hand side of the landing area and your approach must reach an elevated, well-guarded green. Various bunkers protect the right-hand side making recovery very difficult for wayward approaches. With a valley in front of the green it is very hard to trust the yardage, and harder yet to hit the sliver of a green you can see. This is a great hole to make or break a match.
The Birck Boilermaker Complex is top-notch. They have a fully stocked Pro Shop and are fantastic banquet facilities. With 36-holes, they can handle groups up to 450 people. There is an expansive driving range, chipping area; two putting greens and the new Tom Spurgeon Training Center should be completed this year. This new training center will offer indoor/outdoor hitting bays, giving golfers plenty of options to work on their game. The most exciting news is that the Kampen Course will host the 2008 NCAA Golf Championships.
To learn more about this outstanding facility please visit their web site and make sure to stop in and play sometime this year. You won’t be disappointed. http://www.purdue.edu/Athletics/golf/
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