Pine Acres Golf Club | Abrams, WI | Par 35

Pine Acres says a lot in its name, as large pine trees dominate this nine-hole, par-35 layout. The course isn’t exactly tight, but there is definitely a limit into how far off the fairway you can get. The other primary feature are greens that look small, but actually play even smaller due to their curvature and slope. Those features can make it difficult to get close to the hole or keep the ball on the green at all, and leaving your approach on the wrong side of a ridge can make for a difficult two-putt. Water can realistically come into play on six of the nine holes, making accuracy the most important this when playing here. The back tees measure just under 2,700 yards, so it’s not like you need to max out distance as you play. In fact, playing irons off most of the tees is a very reasonable strategy. There is one par-5, the 7th hole, and while it is also on the shorter side, the large pines can make the hole seem daunting. There aren’t any bunkers on the property, so if you don’t like sand, you have a reprieve at Pine Acres. There are just two tee setups – the white and red – so there’s not a lot of flexibility available. Also, I could not find Pine Acres in the WSGA GHIN handicap system, so your round here might not be able to go towards an official handicap.

For being a bit off the beaten path, the turf conditions throughout the course were quite good. The fairways were in excellent shape with plenty of give and consistency. The greens looked nice and rolled just fine, but I would classify them as slow in most places. There are still some spots where if you’re on the wrong side of a ridge or on the high side, you can be in trouble, but in general, these greens require an aggressive stroke. The rough less consistent than the fairways, but that’s to be expected with the number of large trees throughout the property. There are some spots that ranged from sparse to bare, but it was within reason. The thicker rough could make for some tough lies and challenging approach shots.

There isn’t much in the way of practice space at Pine Acres. There is a small practice green sandwiched between the parking lot and the first tee. You can hit some putts and short chips, but I’d be nervous about anything more. There’s no range, either, so you’ll have to practice full shots on the course.

The “clubhouse” is basically a bar/grill that is associated with the golf course. The corner by the register is the only thing that even makes you aware of the golf. Now, this rating has nothing to do with the food there – I am strictly looking at it from the idea of a golf clubhouse.

The carts are very basic models, nothing special. My cart ran just fine, and did its job, but pretty bare bones. That said, if I was playing here regularly, I would probably walk more often than not.

There wasn’t a lot of interaction with staff at the course, but what there was, was positive. The person that checked me in was very friendly, with a big smile on her face. Definitely a nice welcoming vibe. The beverage cart did a great job getting around the course, making several stops and making sure we were doing alright.

Pine Acres doesn’t blow you away, but for the overall condition of the fairways and greens, it provides excellent value. The price for 9 holes is really reasonable, but if you want to play 18, it’s even better at around $30.

Pine Acres definitely requires that you have some control of your ball, particularly off the tee. That said, the course is pretty short, so it’s not like you have to be hitting driver a bunch to get around. The real challenge is with the greens. Most are small to begin with, and they have some severe slopes and plateaus that really limit the landing areas. Getting an approach shot close to the hole is well-deserved, because there’s not a lot of room to miss.

Pine Acres is a relatively short course that allows for a player to lay back a bit off the tee and still have a shot at getting to greens in regulation. That said, there are plenty of trees and some water features that will make you think twice about where you can hit it. The smaller greens and the areas around them, lend to some creativity from the player when trying to get up and down. The fairway condition was outstanding, leaving well-hit shots feeling rewarded.

I found many of the holes to be enjoyable while playing Pine Acres, but the one par-5 (hole #7) was my favorite. While you don’t have to pull driver there, it’s one of the few holes that you feel more compelled to. Visually, the hole is more open off the tee, allowing you to feel comfortable trying to hit the long ball. The hole narrows the further you hit, though, so you still have to favor the left side to have a chance at reaching in two. If you’re on the right side, the slight dogleg and large trees can make for a daunting shot, depending on how aggressive you want to be. Hit a couple good ones, and this is definitely a birdie hole, and who doesn’t like that?

I would say the final two holes are the toughest ones on the course, but #9 is the most difficult. While I have no issue with a longer par 3 like this – #9 comes in at 184 yards – it does kind of stray from the overall persona of the course’s first eight holes. Visually, the target area gets squeezed by the trees on both sides. You really can’t even see the water lurking on the right. Of course, there’s the water right in front of the tee that can intimidate you a bit, too. Once you get off the tee, you can see there is more room than it seemed, but it still requires a well hit shot to have a good chance at par.

The eighth hole is the worst hole on the course for a couple of reasons, and the first one is just the setup of the tee. It shares a tee box with the fourth hole, maybe for some real congestion if the course is busy at all. I realize that territory is at a premium, so there might not be any way around it, but this is not a good setup. After that, I don’t think the hole is that bad, it’s just deceiving. It’s a big bender to the left, and if you’re even to the right of center of the fairway, you might be blocked by trees. I hit a tee shot that I thought was going to be flirting with the left rough, but instead was on the right side of the fairway and had to hit a punch shot under a tree to get near the green.

My first visit to Pine Acres was incorporated to a family camping trip in the Green Bay area. It was a fun little course that allowed my youngest to play and not feel like we were holding people up or anything like that. With no one in the group knowing the layout, there was definitely some places where we weren’t sure of the best lines to take, but we were pleasantly surprised by the overall condition. The low-key atmosphere with the very reasonable price made this a great option for our family round.