3278 wrote:Option 2 has a couple of fields within an hour or so, one in Belding, one in Holland.
Looing at the fields available... Here's my take on things.
Gun Lake paintball in Wayland:
Looks okay. Only 2 fields, Woodball and Airball. The Airball field looks like your standard tournament inflatable-bunker speedball environment. Woodball looks like it would be a nice place to play, andI already know I'd be wanting to spend almost the entire day there. $15 field fees, $10 rentals (Tippmann 98 Customs, includes air), $10 BYOP fee, field paint is low quality for $50 or high quality for $60, $3 all-day air for non-renters, Group rates that drop below $15 at 20 or more players.
Projected cost: $50 renters, $48 non-renters (assuming splitting cases between pairs)
Woodland Paintball in Belding:
Looks decent. 4 fields. Indoor Speedball; Hyperball; Woods Field; Mound Field. The one that stands out the most to me is the Hyperball, Woods Field looks fairly standard from what I'm seeing as does the Indoor Speedball. Pricing isn't bad. BYOP with no fee for people with their own equipment, Field Paint only in rentals. Field Paint is $45 for White Box (good for those renting guns) and $50 for the higher quality rounds. Field fee is $10 for a day, unlimited air included. Gun rentals are $5. Barrel socks only - plugs are not allowed. 3-round burst firing mode is allowed.
Projected cost: $37.50 renters (assuming splitting white box cases between pairs), $10 non-renters (not including paint; bring your own.)
M-40 Paintball in Holland:
Not that much information on their page. Indoor (16000 sqft of industrial building, divided out into rooms and corridors, and filled with bunkers) and outdoor (2.5 acres, partially wooded). Air tank refills are $2. It appears that rental and field fee combined is $20, but it is ambiguous. From reviews, BYOP has a $5 fee (if it's still allowed), Field Paint is $20 for 500 balls and is apparently low quality. Many of the reviews are not that favorable. The indoor course is reported to usually be very slippery due to paint on the floor and poorly lit. Most reviewers recomment Gun Lake or TC in Grand Rapids.
Projected cost: Unknown.
TC Paintball in Traverse City and Grand Rapids:
Apparently the Grand Rapids field is somewhat new. Not much in the way of info. $10 field fee, includes air. $10 rentals. Field/store paint only, $50 per case.
Projected cost: $45 renters, $35 non-renters (assuming splitting cases between pairs)
Excalibur Paintball in Battle Creek:
A bit further away, it's also a bit more expensive... And highly reviewed. The fields look amazing. Castle Fortress, Battle Field, Asian Villiage and Bunker Hill all look like amazing fun. Private game hours are available Saturday and Sunday from 9-1 or 2-6, require a minimum of 15 players and a $5 per player deposit. Costs: $10 Field fees (air not included, air price not given), rental $20 including field fees, air, 100 rounds of paint. Field paint only, $60 per case (Diablo Premium - about a $5-$15 markup over retail). Cannot find the cost of air for people with their own equipment.
Projected cost: $50 renters, $40 non-renters (assuming splitting cases between pairs, plus whatever they charge the non-renters for air)
And all projected costs are figured on the idea of each player using a half-case of paint. (1000 paintballs, not bad for a day of play.)
In my opinion, based on those 5 fields and a couple of the other semi-local fields I looked at, I'd vote for Woodland Paintball first (lowest cost and decent fields), followed by Excalibur Paintball (beautiful fields, looks like it could easily be the most fun, and the costs are fairly standard, just don't like $50 low-quality field paint and prefer BYOP) and Gun Lake (I like the Woodball field, and the prices aren't too bad, but I hate the $10 BYOP fee; makes BYOP not worth it, especially for people splitting cases). And TC Paintball in Grand Rapids could easily beat out Gun Lake, depending on what information can be gathered and what the fields may be like. Anyone in MI feel up to checking that oune out?
Also, I'm still not certain of what other fields from
Option 2 would be within a decent radius, so other good fields could yet be found.
