The Doglegs Of Summer: Little Bighorn Golf Course [VIDEO]
Vinay Tikka tees from the second hole at Little Bighorn Golf Course, which is the only elevated “cliff” shot in the county.
This feature is the sixth installment of a series of reviews for golf courses in the Kosciusko County area.
PIERCETON – Little Bighorn Golf Course, by far, is the most serene course we have played. Other than the hum of the power lines diagonally crossing through the course, there really isn’t much distraction. A lot of woods, a lot of ponds and streams and a lot of rolling prairie make the 18-hole, 5,814-yard par-72 course a solid stop on the tour.
We encountered plenty of Mother Nature’s bounty, from squirrels on steroids to a crane, the environment was just a little different than the others.
These are regulation holes, too. An 18-hole disc golf course is also situated around the 18-hole normal golf course.
One of the most unique features of the property is the 18-hole disc golf course that wraps around the outskirts of the golf course. As part of a vision when the Custer family retook ownership of the course a few years ago, the disc golf circuit has become a destination stop for the die-hard discers.
“We’re still working on getting some of the trees cleared from the disc course,” said Peg Custer, manager for LBGC. “Ours is a par-four course, and people can pay just $4 to play it all day. You can’t find that anywhere else.”
Custer also pointed out the golf course is settling in after a couple years of renovations upon the acquisition. Most of the construction around the course is for the disc golf, but there are minor maintenance points on the pitch.
“We are very family oriented, fun oriented,” Custer said. “We want people to come in and have fun. We want to see people come back happy with their previous experience with us.”
Also offered at the course is a driving range complete with aluminum “zoo animals”, several membership opportunities as well as outings all summer. On certain days, the course also has a barbecue cart for guests to enjoy.
[weaver_youtube CkZ5BBEaq80 rel=0]Dates Played: June 18 for the first four holes, June 25 for the last five holes. We were rained out the first day, so we came back to finish up after apparently a very heavy rain soaking the night before. Nick and Mike played the front nine.
Best Hole: We would love to say the second hole. The view from the cliff off the tee into the fairway is unlike any other hole in the area. Even the old bell used to signify play can safely continue adds charm to the hole. The trees on either side of the fairway, well…and the water behind the hole, well…it’s still the best of the lot. Kudos to the eighth hole, which has a ton of challenges surrounding it. From the water on the right to the giant hill to which the hole sits, this par-four is a tough one.
At times, it was very rough. Very tall grass met us on a few holes on the front nine.
Worst Hole: We could also award this to hole two, but ironically, the wide-open fifth hole gave us trouble. The first time around, we didn’t finish the hole because of the huge thunderstorm rolling through. The hole, which is 404 yards long, is nearly equal in width. With that much room, one would think golfers could stay safe. We didn’t. We found the creek to the left, the tree line to the right the first time out. The second time through, we lost a ball in the very tall rough to the right and had to deal with a very soggy rough and saturated green. We overshot the green the first time around thinking we had more room. Sometimes simple can bring out the bad in a golfer.
Major Hazards: The course is dealing with a lot of renovation to its infrastructure. While not directly in the field of play, there are heavy machines present to clear up brush and some landscape along the course. The otherwise peaceful setting does exhibit a lot of streams that line several holes. And some of the low lying areas do retain a lot of water, as we found after a couple heavy rains. Those rains also affected how the greens played. Our second visit to the course saw several well-struck putts falling short. A large tree also fell on the fifth hole into the rough, which got in the way of at least one golfer we saw.
Little Bighorn Golf Course
5179 E. Old Road 30, Pierceton
(574) 267-5431
www.littlebighorngc.com
Links to our previous reviews:
1. Maxwelton Golf Club
2. Tippecanoe Lake Country Club
3. Wawasee Golf Club
4. Raccoon Run Golf Course
5. Rozella Ford Golf Course
Hit a horse, win a prize! Well, not really. Aluminum animal statues along with a couple breakable options await on the driving range. One of the plates, if broken during range play, earns a prize. (PETA nor LBGC endorse taking aim at animals with golf equipment or otherwise).
