Kampen at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex

There aren't enough positive things I can say about this course. From the course architecture to the scenery, to the overall challenge, it's the best course in the state of Indiana.

Played a ton of places all over the country, but this is without a doubt a top three course if not #1.

It had been awhile since I made the trip up to Purdue, but when I arrived, I remembered why it is such a special place.

This is a first-class facility from top to bottom. It's an absolute beauty. The practice range is great and every single hole on the Kampen Course is a gem - although it is not an easy track, so come prepared to be heavily challenged.

It was in fantastic shape, the variety of the holes is great and the greens were pure, pure, pure.

When we were done we were lucky enough to get a tour of the Ackerman-Allen Course across the street. That place looks great too. Can't wait to get back and give that one a try.

Lots of great reviews below this one, so I don't have much to add. Kampen is next to the perfect Indiana golf course. This is Pete Dye in all of his glory. I've played it twice now, and I've had my lunch eaten both times I've played it. Got the group golfer voucher which is the best money I spent on golf in 2019. Kampen would be right near the top of my short list for best courses in the state of Indiana.

Played a 1pm tee time on a hot day from the whites. Course was pretty empty, so we could take our time.

I"ve never played Bethpage Black in NY; but I know that sign "Warning: The Black Course is an Extremely Difficult Course...". So while I can't make a first person comparison, I can tell you the Kampen Course can easily warrant its own version of the famous warning sign.

This place ain't for the fair of heart. I've played nearly every Dye course in Indiana and hand's down this is Dye's at his meanest. Tons of misdirection off the tees, trouble left and right, and lots of bunkering to catch your eye (and wayward shots). Add in dense fescue and waste areas and you should be getting the picture.

I've played here a handful of times and the lines off the tee are the hardest thing to get right. Once in the fairways, you'll see how much room you have. So experience is huge. What will rapidly destroy your score is the long fescue that surrounds a bunker - so if the bunker doesn't grab you, you're probably hosed by the fescue your ball found instead.

The course is 20 years old and the turf is all-around top notch, tees are level and lush, the fairways are first rate and the greens are a perfectly trimmed patch of green carpet. (Though oddly not very fast today.)

The routing is fantastic - Not an overly hilly property, there are some subtle undulations and hills to enhance the framing. All the par 5s are great and there are some great quirks like the split fairway on the 7th and the daunting tee shot of the 8th (there is some room out there). I love the Alps-style 15th hole, followed by a great par 5 on the 16th.

You will use every club; do yourself a solid and pick a good tee-ball line. Oh and practice hitting out of the sand with at least half your clubs. And one more note: if you're in the deep fescue, just punch out to the fairway in the shortest path possible: you can't squeeze extra yards out of that stuff. I should know!.

Kampen is the best course I've played in the state of Indiana. It's visually beautiful and intimidating at the same time. All the classic Pete Dye hallmarks are there. Pick the right tee box, and stay in the sometimes narrow fairway. If you don't, most holes have tall/thick rough, water, and/or sand traps waiting to collect your ball. I had difficulty advancing it more than 20-30 yards from the tall stuff I found. If you do stay in play, you can find your way around it, as the greens have some undulation but putt true. Though finding the right line off some tees were a challenge the first time through. Practice facilities were top notch as well. It is well worth the stop if you find yourself traveling to Purdue's campus or nearby on I-65.

I walked this course on a Sunday afternoon for $40. The course conditions are excellent, fairways like carpet and greens rolled very nice. The layout is tough so one needs to be careful on the tee box they choose. Go up one and have fun. Variety is the flavor, straight holes, dog-legs, over water, next to water, tall grasses, swales, and a fair amount of sand. You will need to think around the course as the rough and hazards come in to play a lot. This course has hosted a Women's NCAA Championship and a regional for the Men's NCAA. Walking the course is not bad though you do go through 2 tunnels twice in the round to add some mileage. If you think your game is good, give this course a try from the blue tees at almost 6,900 yards, it's a stern test that ends with a 470 yard par 4. The back tees (7,465 yards), way too long for this player.

At almost 6800 from the blues and 7400 from the blacks, this can be a beast, depending on how far you hit it and how safe you're keeping your drives. If you don't hit it over 250, 260...I'd say skip the blues.

The course is beautiful--it's got to be one of the best college courses in America..and one of the best courses in the MIdwest that I've played...I played on the way back from Chicago to Indianapolis on a Sunday afternoon when the course was relatively packed, and paid $50 and played in under three hours.
The par 3s on 2 and 17 were two of my favorites, but they favor a fade more than a draw. The few holes near the marsh on the back were fantastic. You'll use all your clubs in the bag...always one of the hallmarks to a great course. Easily my favorite Dye course in Indiana (though I haven't played French Lick)

Highlight of my trip to the midwest. 2 hour drive from Chicago, 1 hour drive from Indianapolis. Tee to green Birck Boilermaker was pristine. Very challenging course with penal fescue around the course. Enjoyable to walk. Staff was very friendly and didn't see another golfer until the back 9. if you're remotely near Purdue University, u dont want to miss this course.

Really enjoyed my experience here at the Kampen Course. The Golf course offers some good challenges while also being fair. Only negatives was it took till the 15th hole to see a Beverage cart, and the starter tried giving us tips on the course we weren't even playing and held us up after we hit our tee shots for a good 5 minutes telling us irrelevant stories. Wish it wasn't so wet so it wasn't cart path only. Highly recommend this course for anyone traveling through or are attending a Purdue football game and want something else to do outside of the game.

This course is only 2 miles from my house. Always been one of my favorites. Greens are usually perfect. Not as tough as it was years ago because they've cut the rough down to make it less penal. A course usually has 3 or 4 weakly designed holes, but IMHO Kampen only has one: #15. My favorite holes are 6 and 18.

This course is one you will want to play over and over again. Such a beautiful layout and well maintained piece of property. Large undulating greens await your approach shots, which may be from further out than you had hoped :)

This course is long, especially when the wind picks up, but tee it forward and you will have yourself one great day!

The only downside is the bunkers. They are all placed wonderfully and look pretty, but the sand is coarse and there are plenty of rocks in there to ruin a club or two.

I did my homework before playing here and knew that it was consistently rated as one of the best college golf courses in the country as well as one of the toughest golf courses in Indiana. After playing a round of golf here, I would agree with both of those assessments.

This is a Pete Dye designed course. It is the first Dye course that I have played so I can't compare it to his others. What I will say is that it is not your typical flat Indiana golf course. Dye did an excellent job of making you forget you are in Indiana. There are numerous elevation changes whether it is with an elevated tee box or a shot into an elevated green. The course is designed around a celery bog so water comes into play often, especially on the back 9.

The course has 5 different sets of tees each of which has recommendations for the player based upon their handicap. I played the tees appropriate for me and it led to a much more enjoyable round. This is not a course for beginners. It is a course for shot shapers/makers. Inaccurate tee shots will lead to trouble in numerous waste bunkers, long rough in undulating terrain, long fescue in areas, and lost balls in the water. I enjoyed the ability to be creative with angles on tee shots and shaping shots into the greens.

While the course is difficult, it is not impossible to score here (but then again, I didn't play from the tips). Even on a windy day, the par 5's were reachable in two shots. There are also several risk/reward par 4's that are almost drivable depending on the wind.

For it being October, the course was in excellent condition. I could tell that the course had a lot of rounds played on it over the spring and summer in that the greens were pretty marked up from ball marks. That being said, they still rolled very true and very fast. It was nice not having to worry so much about the speed, and just worry about your line. The fairways were in great shape and the rough was punishing. I don't think I found a single spot of hard pan all day.

The employees I dealt with were very helpful and accommodating, offering tips to us since it was the first time anyone in my group had played there. The pace of play was great. For a Saturday afternoon round, we never had to wait even with letting a single and a two-some play through.

When I finished my round, I went back into the clubhouse to compliment the workers on the course. They informed me that the second course at the complex was being redone by Pete Dye and should be ready to play in 2016. They advised they would be having an "all day" rate where you can play both courses for a discounted rate. I will certainly be making the drive down from Chicago (maybe multiple times) to take advantage of that offer.

When just looking at the rates, $80 a piece for a weekend round with a cart may seem steep but I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for. I thoroughly enjoyed my round a Kampen and would have no problem paying that same amount for another round here. If you want to challenge yourself and play one of the best courses in Indiana (that I've seen so far), take the time to make the trip to West Lafayette and play here.

First time playing Kampen. Considered the hardest course in this area for good reason. Had no expectations of shooting a low score, but enjoyed the outing anyway. Very well kept course. Staff very friendly.

This is a very well maintained course with many different types of challenges. Large undulating greens, numerous bunkers, odd angles & water hazards on several holes make you think about your shots much more than many courses. Multiple tees allow you to choose a yardage you're comfortable with. I would recommend that anyone who has an opportunity to play this course do so.

the course is very challenging even from the gold tee as I did---

It was a lot of fun. There was a junior tourney in front of us and the course showed some wear from it. It also pored the night before. I'm not sure how they usually map the pins but it seemed like we had pretty easy placements. With gamier pins and a few days of rest for the course, I'm sure its a whole different beast. Even how it was the day we played its deffinetly in the top 5 indiana courses. The views and general layout were more than we could have imagined for a celery bog in Indiana. Jk Pete did an amazing job with the design. I can't wait to play it again.

They set the bar pretty high when comparing to other courses. Very busy day but never had to wait or be pushed. Big greens but very difficult. If you can stay out of the heather, you will have more fun.

This course is a masterpiece of golf architecture created by Pete Dye. There is nothing that I did not like about this course. The fairways were perfect and roll like waves. The greens were flawless, undulated in all directions, and were extremely fast. The waste bunkers were to be avoided and the bunkers by the greens could be troublesome if not avoided. Every hole layout was extremely well thought out and worked beautifully with the surrounding area. If you have not played this one and get the opportunity I can not recommend it enough. The value I got for this course with the deal found on GolfNow hot deal was an absolute steal for a course of this caliber.

great condition, and variety of holes. greens are tricky until you play it a few times..couple of blind tee shots.