Battle Creek CC (MI) Photo tour (Willie Park Jr)

[BCowan]

Photos are a mix from May 2014 and Late Sept 2014.  Sept had better light. 

#1 Tee


#1 Fairway


#1 Green side


#2 Tee


#2 Fairway


#2 Green side


#3 Tee


#3 Fairway


#3 Approach


#4 Tee


#4 Green side bunker


#4 Green side bunker b


#5 Fairway


#5 Green side


#6 Tee (ish)


#6 Fairway


#7 Tee


#7 Fairway


#8 Tee


#9 Tee


#9 Fairway


#9 Greenside


#10 Tee


#10 2nd shot


#10 Approach


#10 Green side


#11 Tee


#11 Fairway


#11 Greenside


#12 Tee


#12 Fairway


#12 Green side


#13 Tee


#13 Fairway


#13 Fairway/Approach


#14 Fairway


#15 Tee


#15 Fairway


#15 Approach


#16 Green side (long Par 3)


#16 Approach


#16 Green side bunker


#17 Tee


#17 Approach


#17 behind the green


#18 Tee


#18 Fairway


#18 Green side


#18 Green (Awesome slope)

[Mike Schott]

Thanks Ben.

Sorry I couldn't make it either day last weekend. Too many obligations. Battle Creek looks like a classic design.

[Jason Hines]

Thanks for the tour Ben.  I have only seen BCC from the street on the way to and from business meetings, hope you guys had fun.

[Terry Lavin]

Who did the re-do on the bunkers?

[Chris DeToro]

Bruce Hepner did the planning work on the bunkers as well as some of the actual shaping with members of our greens staff

[BHoover]

This place looks seriously fun and seems to have a great set of greens with lots of internal movement and some severe slopes. 

[Terry Lavin]

Bruce Hepner did the planning work on the bunkers as well as some of the actual shaping with members of our greens staff

Hepner knows his trade, that's for sure.  The bunkers have the look of an inspired architect.  Well done by all concerned.

[Chris DeToro]

He did really great work.  Beyond reshaping, some of the bunkers (obviously not pictured here) were removed and others were brought back to their original dimension/place as many had gotten larger over the years.  What was great about this work too is the minimal impact it had on play.  We started after the club championship in 2012 and it was perfect for opening day in 2013

[Terry Lavin]

Have you folks done any significant tree removal?  Is any planned?  Have you ever looked at Olympia Fields North Course?  It's a Park Jr. design that was redone by Mungeam with a lot of tree removal, in excess of 1000 trees at the end of the proverbial day.

[Richard Hetzel]

Course looks great Ben. I also couldn't help think about some tree removal there as well. Although it doesn't look too narrow, I would thin the herd! Hope you guys had a great round.

[BCowan]

They cut down 2000 trees during renovation and post mother nature (storm) - Going by memory.  About 100 need to go now IMHO.  
Thanks for the kind words and the event was wonderful.  Wished I could of had a sunny day so the photos could have turned out better.  The Green complexes are excellent with great movements in them.  I had not played the course prior to the restoration.  
Thanks to Bruce and or the board for not putting in white sand, love the old school brown sand 

[Chris DeToro]

We've taken down a number of trees over the years and I think our tree removal is pretty much done except for those that Mother Nature takes (hopefully the one next to 15 tee!). 

I haven't been to Olympia Fields in a few years so I'm not sure if the tree removal had been done before or after I played there (it was 2008). 

Thank our super for the bunker sand!

I think the great thing about the restoration is that it all feels and felt very natural and there was little to no complaining from members despite what seem like significant changes

[BShannon]

Thanks, Ben!

Great pictures - now I am really bummed out that I got rained out there last month.

Those putting surfaces look near perfect and uniquely contoured from hole to hole.

[Phil McDade]

I haven't looked at this thoroughly until recently -- fine looking course. I really like how the routing uses small ridge lines in the fairways to "hide" the outcome of tee shots -- there are some other old-time architects (James Foulis for one, Tweedie does this as well) who employ a similar tactic that I think really adds a dimension to the golfer's choice and swing on the tee. Those look like some really neat greens. Nicely done tour.

[Jeff Bergeron]

I had an opportunity to play BCCC yesterday and I loved it. The photo tour really doesn't do the course justice. The green complexes are fantastic. perhaps the best in MI. The course has nice scale not grand but interesting.Park used the ridges on the property to great effect.


Like many small towns in Michigan, Battle Creek has had it's share of difficulty. I was impressed with the tree removal and green recapture which the super and general manager have accomplished on a shoestring. With a modest investment BCCC could be on everyones must play list. For now, all of us on this site should put it on their must play when in sw michigan list. You will not be disappointed.

[Ryan Taylor]

I had an opportunity to play BCCC yesterday and I loved it. The photo tour really doesn't do the course justice. The green complexes are fantastic. perhaps the best in MI. The course has nice scale not grand but interesting. Park used the ridges on the property to great effect.

Glad you enjoyed BCCC. It's certainly one of my favorites in the state. Fantastic Par 5's and a really great closing stretch; 15 (could use more tree removal), 16, 17 and 18. What was your favorite green complex on the course? Do you rank BCCC greens ahead of Crystal Downs and Franklin Hills? Just curious...

For now, all of us on this site should put it on their must play when in sw michigan list. You will not be disappointed.

Are you from MI? IL? BCCC hasn't been a hidden gem for many years. Mr. Doak called attention to BCCC in an article written for GOLF Magazine (March 2013) named, "Top 10 Discoveries of 2012". Others on this site have also gone out of there way to promote the course. (The Walking Golfers Society event, etc.)

[Jeff Bergeron]

I had an opportunity to play BCCC yesterday and I loved it. The photo tour really doesn't do the course justice. The green complexes are fantastic. perhaps the best in MI. The course has nice scale not grand but interesting. Park used the ridges on the property to great effect.

Glad you enjoyed BCCC. It's certainly one of my favorites in the state. Fantastic Par 5's and a really great closing stretch; 15 (could use more tree removal), 16, 17 and 18. What was your favorite green complex on the course? Do you rank BCCC greens ahead of Crystal Downs and Franklin Hills? Just curious...

For now, all of us on this site should put it on their must play when in sw michigan list. You will not be disappointed.

Are you from MI? IL? BCCC hasn't been a hidden gem for many years. Mr. Doak called attention to BCCC in an article written for GOLF Magazine (March 2013) named, "Top 10 Discoveries of 2012". Others on this site have also gone out of there way to promote the course. (The Walking Golfers Society event, etc.)

Ryan, yes I live in the Detroit area. I am a student of the Colt school of thought on greens. Upon reaching a green, the player should have a reasonable chance to two putt. The Downs fails this test. Franklin doesn't. I thought the greens at BCCC were challenging but fair. There were a number of superb green complexes at BCCC. I particularly remember a short par 4 on the front with OB left (8?) and a par 5 on the back (14?). There are at least 4 greens that exceed 50 yards in length. Hole locations galore, except for 18.

[Ryan Taylor]

Interesting perspective Jeff! My favorite green is either the Par 5 #3 or the Par 4 #13. #3 is truly one of the most unique greens I've ever played or seen. It's also one of the 50 yard greens you mention below. I wish more courses would recapture lost green square footage. My home course, (Red Run GC), has some similar green complexes that rival BCCC but don't have that spectacular size and scale.

[Tom_Doak]

I really like how the routing uses small ridge lines in the fairways to "hide" the outcome of tee shots -- there are some other old-time architects (James Foulis for one, Tweedie does this as well) who employ a similar tactic that I think really adds a dimension to the golfer's choice and swing on the tee.

I suspect that what you're talking about is just an accident of time ... of modern players hitting the ball over the ridges that the architects expected players to hit INTO 80-100 years ago.


Not to take anything away from Battle Creek, it's a cool course.

[Jeff Bergeron]

I really like how the routing uses small ridge lines in the fairways to "hide" the outcome of tee shots -- there are some other old-time architects (James Foulis for one, Tweedie does this as well) who employ a similar tactic that I think really adds a dimension to the golfer's choice and swing on the tee.

I suspect that what you're talking about is just an accident of time ... of modern players hitting the ball over the ridges that the architects expected players to hit INTO 80-100 years ago.


Not to take anything away from Battle Creek, it's a cool course.

Well, this 61 year old 9 handicap playing from the black tees had to bust it to carry the ridges. I think i carried one.

[Chris DeToro]

As one that has spent a lot of time at BCCC, I'm glad that more people are seeing it.  Battle Creek isn't necessarily at the top of a lot of towns to visit lists, but the course definitely is.  You become a good lag putter playing on those greens on a daily basis.  I've yet to see greens anywhere (besides the UK) that are quite so large. 


18 is a one of the hardest greens to putt and a fun hole to mess around with.  During some club tournaments, they'll put the tees on the forward block making it a short par 4.  I actually think it's a harder hole as the pitch shots around this green are harder than the typical approach.  During the winter, they'll sometimes put the pin in the very front of the green too.

[MCirba]

Ben/Chris/Jeff,

Love, love, love me some Willie Park, Jr. who I think is one of the most underrated architects, period.

Your pics bring to mind his courses in the PA/NJ area such as Philmont North, Schuylkill, and Penn State White.   He designed terrific green complexes and I'm wondering if Frank James was involved in the construction of Battle Creek?

Thanks for sharing!