Battle Creek, MI

Kimball Pines - Old Layout

2.735(based on 11 reviews)
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Kimball Pines - Old Layout reviews

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3 0
bygwyllay
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.5 years 93 played 78 reviews
2.50 star(s)

"Welcome to Jurassic Park" 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

EPIC SETTING. We pulled in and just stared. I'm quite cerain these pines are older than the Good Lord himself. Awestruck as we stopped the car and found our way over to hole 1. No one in sight, it was almost TOO quiet. This set up for a down-the-rabbit hole round.

LENGTH. This ain't for the noodle-armed. Tight tunnel shots abound as you drive and drive again, weaving your way from tee to tee.

BASKETS. All the pins had double chains to really grab your put and drop it into the basket. However, if you glance them they will reject your throw.

Cons:

MARKERS. Hardly any on the first six or seven holes, although I did like the mysterious blue marks on the trunks letting you know you were on the right path. It was like an episode of Scooby Doo looking for clues. No cement tees on the front half made it confusing on where to throw from; especially hole #2. Once you made it past the front 9, the signs were there but they made finding your way even more confusing: half of them were scribbled out with a sharpie and different hole numbers were written in; there were also different numbers on the front and back! Luckily most of the holes were pretty straightforward so it was easy to tell where you were throwing, even if you couldn't see the pin from the tee. I'm pretty sure we didn't play the course in order because of this, but we hit 15 or 16 so we did our best. I also think the basket for 17 (downhill shot) was missing when we played.

Other Thoughts:

This course could be phenomenal (4.5 territory) if it was kept up a bit more and marked clearly. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the challenging holes. Favourite holes were #2 and 3, which had you throwing from one side of the pines to the other, crossing the massive gravel pit.

This course comes complete with velociraptor pen!
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2 0
Pete Nice
Experience: 26.4 years 47 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Better than ever 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Tough and challenging requiring accurate shots. Never crowded. A very scenic piece of property. Great tee pads and a mix of good targets.

Cons:

Not enough benches. this course needs regular trimming and clearing.

Other Thoughts:

I played Kimball yesterday for the first time in months and it looked beter than it ever has. Kimball has been known for being over-grown and lacking upkeep--that is why some call it Jurassic Park. But as of yesterday it looks better than ever!! New benches, fairways are trimmed and cleared. Thank you to those who worked so hard!!!
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1 4
brian lee
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

wooded course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 26, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wooded area get to learn how to control ur throws and really practice ur mids.

Cons:

Markers are a little poorly done.. there are no up to date maps of holes at any tee. Not all tee are cement ..

Other Thoughts:

It's a good course to practice on.. not many people ay there for obvious reasons ...
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2 4
KnownKiller
Experience: 15.3 years 114 played 4 reviews
0.00 star(s)

Worst Course I've ever played! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Cement Tees, that's it.

Cons:

Missing baskets, really crappy job at upkeep, poor layout, a lot of signs destroyed, written on, or missing, no map, no trash cans, garbage everywhere, signs that are there show two pins

Other Thoughts:

First of all, if you do play, bring the bug spray. Mosquitos very bad. Secondly, how hard is it to mow the lawns. Very poor signs. We walked around for 10min looking for tee two because a sign told us one way and it was another. Seriously the worst course I've played so far. No flow to course. We ended up not playing 4 holes somehow. Whoever designed this course needs to go out and redo everything. I'm sure I will edit this later as I remember things because I am really disappointed in the way this course was designed and what its become.
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5 0
rosh
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

If you like the woods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 14, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very challenging course, with almost all holes running through the woods. Nice mix of terrains and lefts and right holes. There are one or two in open meadows that allow you to let loose.

Cons:

Poorly marked, very hard to find next hole, especially on the back nine. Did I say it was poorly marked? Some baskets missing.

Other Thoughts:

I've been playing this course once or twice a year for a few years now as I pass through this area while traveling. I've used it to gauge my progress as a player, since it is a much tougher course then I normally play. Very hard to follow the course I've often skipped holes or made up my own when it was impossible to find the next hole. A local gave me a map one time, but I've since lost it. Very pretty course, I've seen deer every time I have played. Recently played on a Friday and Sunday, baskets missing on Friday were back on Sunday, not sure what was up with that. Very convenient to get to if traveling on I-94, since it easy to get off play and then continue the direction you are heading and get back on. Was playing in the later afternoon and as it started to get dark, being deep in the woods it got dark fast, and hard to even find you way out. Never seen more then a few other players on the course.
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3 1
ryankilgore
Experience: 17.4 years 23 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Could be much better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some long fairways. Great setting. Not crowded. Good variety of shots required. Length of holes shows good design.

Cons:

Poorly signed and hard to follow. Many of the signs were vandalized or missing. Missing baskets.

Other Thoughts:

This course could be a lot better, but for a newcomer it was very difficult to follow the signs. After four missing baskets and being unable to find hole 15, I gave up and went home. Another thing I didn't like was that virtually all holes have essentially only one route to the basket. You can throw aggressiviely or conservatively, but in the end, you either make the route or you don't.
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3 1
Mackb6
Experience: 21.6 years 30 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Kimball Pines 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging course, nice and quiet and usually not very busy. If you want to throw somewhere and not have to worry about waiting, Kimball is the spot.

Cons:

Located near the armpit of Michigan that is Battle Creek. At least it is not right in the heart of that pit.
Yearly renaissance fair.
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7 0
landon77
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.1 years 78 played 43 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good for windy days---Challenging-long-technical--Advanced course difficulty 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 21, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Secluded park with ample parking and space.
-Cement tee pads
NEW HOLES #2,3,4,5 do not have cement tee pads. Hole #6 is old #2
-Good baskets (when they are not missing, stolen probably by some jerk vandals, the baskets have always been there before)
-Very technical and challenging, patience and good mechanics needed to do well here
-Pretty scenery with 50-80 y.o. towering pines and renaissance fair permanent displays

Cons:

-Needs upgraded signs and markers to help newcomers playing
-The course could use some trimming of some of the tree and bushes to clear out the holes.
-Lot's and lot's of little branches and sticks (you'll poke your eye out!)

Other Thoughts:

-With a little work and upgrades this course could be rated higher.
-It has nice seclusion and is never very busy.
-Dog friendly, lots of room to roam.
-Park is located behind a parking lot of a medical building (brown brick). Right next door to a McDonalds.
-Very challenging and rewarding, I'd recommend this course for an intermediate to advanced golfer.

Went there as of 5/16/09 new holes #2,3,4,5 really improve the course design and fun factor. Sad to see old 14 and #15 go, (13 and thankfully 16 are gone as well) but overall course play is much improved.
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4 0
FoleyT
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.4 years 86 played 85 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Must Love Trees 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 21, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging, several elevation changes, tight fairways, but not impossible (well, 16 is stretching it a bit). Scenic, somewhat secluded Michigan woodland course. Cement tee pads.

Cons:

Confusing to find the course, and sometimes the natural course flow might be confusing if you don't have a guide. Seems long for the amount of trees you are frequently asked to maneuver through and around. Several missing baskets when we played it.

Other Thoughts:

Will need to return when baskets get replaced, and I'd probably rethink my score and give it a 3 or 3.5.
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4 0
NEWBY1151
Experience: 20.4 years 100 played 39 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun & Challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 12, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a great wooded course that provides a lot of challenge I would definitely recommend checking it out,nice signs display hole layout with distance,cement tee pads,besides water this course has it all lefts right ups and downs,

Cons:

The signs showed Pro and Am tees and from what I remember I couldn't find a lot of the Am tees,had some trouble on the last 4 or 5 holes figuring out which basket was which I think it was #15 or #16 you throw uphill and can not see basket from tee pad,a lot of holes had thick rough and some blind doglegs might lose a disc wothout someone else spotting for you,

Other Thoughts:

Directions I got were from Chicago,if you are taking 94W look for signs on expressway for Kimball Pines this will save you from back tracking,the exit is 4 or 5 miles before the advertised exit 98B,this course is pretty long be prepared and bring water
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6 1
Mark R
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.4 years 118 played 90 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 15, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging course, relative seclusion, good tee pads (except for new holes). New layout for Holes 2-5 (as of 5/09) is a marginal improvement, but the new holes don't yet have cement tees. Tightly wooded layout through pines should make course better than others on windy days.

Cons:

Some odd course design (three road holes rank with least favorites, the tight right on old hole 2/new hole 6), Could use some trimming on some holes to create Oshtemo style fairways. Somewhat difficult to navigate throughout, made worse by deletion of back nine holes 13-16. Remaining signs have the old hole numbers, further complicating navigation. A couple of missing baskets (new Hole 3, old Hole 8), and a couple of old baskets have broken chain links.

Other Thoughts:

Decent course with easy potential to be better. Selective tree removal (Whitehall, which is similar but shorter and more easily navigated, also needs this). Trails and better signs would help too. When better signs and tee pads are done for the new holes, I will up my rating.
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