Kist was renowned for his hard shot. He won the European Golden Shoe of the 1978–79 season with 34 goals in the Eredivisie, making him the first Dutch footballer to win this award. He also won the Eredivisie Golden Boot twice. In the summer of 1982, Kist left AZ for French club Paris Saint-Germain, and was sent on loan to recently relegated FC Mulhouse for the 1983–84 season. He returned to his old club AZ in late summer 1984, before retiring as part of his first senior club, Heerenveen, under head coach Foppe de Haan. Kist scored a total of 212 goals in the Eredivisie, which puts him in fourth place on the all-time leaders list, behind Willy van der Kuijlen, Ruud Geels and Johan Cruijff.