Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (Ackerman-Allen Course)

Originally known as the South Course and then Ackerman Hills, the Ackerman-Allen course occupies the more interesting land at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. In 2016, the Dyes completely reimagined the old Bill Diddel design, creating a new routing and infusing Pete’s trademark bunkering and use of angles. Additionally, 88-year-old Pete Dye was able to thin out the dense pockets of trees to create long sightlines across the rolling terrain. Fifteen of the holes occupy very undulating terrain that offers few flat lies, while the stretch of Nos. 15-17 plays over the flattest land. A deep ravine cuts through Nos. 2, 6, 13, and 18, providing some unique tee shots and interesting ground movement to play over. The new routing was able to take advantage of the site while balancing uphill, downhill, and sidehill holes. Angled greens coupled with hazard placement create advantageous fairway positions and strategy on many of the holes.

It’s quite stark how different and more compelling the land movement is on this course compared to the Kampen-Cosler course. This allows the land to dictate many of the holes' character as opposed to the overly manufactured nature of the Kampen-Cosler course. Ackerman-Allen is a terrific opportunity to see Pete’s late-career design work on a natural piece of land. His designs were often on flat and boring land, requiring heavy manufacturing to create interest at places like TPC Sawgrass, Whistling Straits, Brickyard Crossing, and others. Be sure to set aside time to play both courses at Purdue as they are equally interesting in drastically different ways.

Take Note…

50 Cents. Is what Pete charged the university for his design and professional fees on the Ackerman-Allen. Pete joked that he charged them half of what he charged in 1996 to do the Kampen course. Once again, he wanted to “donate” his time and expertise to the place that helped transition him from insurance salesman to golf designer.

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