2021-22 GOLF GUIDE MINNES TA AWARD WINNING GOLF COURSES Play on championship-quality courses that will challenge your game and delight your senses Tom Lehman’s Minnesota Bucket List Beautiful scenery, diverse terrain, great golfing FROM THE DIRECTORS While Minnesotans know our of the best turf and playing conditions during the state is a top golf destination, season’s peak in August and September. many visitors are surprised by the When you pair accessibility with quality (weather PLAN YOUR caliber of the courses they find in and playing conditions) and value, you begin to understand what sets Minnesota apart from MINNESOTA the True North. other golf destinations. For both the experienced GOLF There’s a reason why Minnesota will be the golfer, as well as someone who has recently first state to host the Ryder Cup on the turned to the sport, discovering our golf gems GETAWAY makes for exceptionally rewarding travels. same course twice, and why we’ve hosted Share how you find every major tournament from the U.S. While you’re here, we invite you to explore your True North with Open to the PGA Championships to the all that makes Minnesota a great place to hashtag #OnlyinMN. new 3M Open. visit, from the North Shore to the Twin Cities Minnesota boasts nearly 450 golf courses, and everything in between. Fabulous lodging ExploreMinnesota.com/Golf 6,985 holes of golf encompassing 65,400 options, from lakeside resorts and campgrounds acres of green space and 4,400 acres to downtown hotels to charming bed-and- of wetlands. Ninety percent of our golf breakfasts, offer more than just a place to rest courses are open to the public, including 26 your head. Restaurants, breweries, museums, resorts and 12 standalone driving ranges. shops, charming downtowns and plentiful outdoor adventure opportunities will turn your The challenges of recent times have golf vacation into much more than that. inspired more interest than ever in golf, as it is naturally conducive to social Visit exploreminnesota.com to plan your distancing. As a result, the number of Minnesota golf getaway, and share your best rounds played is up in every corner of the shots with hashtag #OnlyinMN. state. Minnesota’s golf season, beginning in April and running into November, spans some of the best golfing weather found anywhere in the continental U.S. Long summer days leave plenty of time to get in Tom Ryan, Executive Director, John Edman, Director, 36 holes and golfers can experience some Minnesota Golf Association Explore Minnesota Buy One, Get One Round of Golf FREE GOROSEAU.COM OAKCRESTGOLFCOURSE.COM · CALL FOR AVAILABLE TEE TIMES 218.463.3016 1 | EXPLOREMINNESOTA.COM/GOLF MNGOLF.ORG | 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS THIS GOLF GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY: The official publication of Explore Minnesota, an office of the state of Minnesota 121 Seventh Place E, Suite 360 St. Paul, MN 55101 888-VISITMN (888-847-4688) Director John F. Edman Meadows Hole 6 Mystic Lake Casino Hotel - Photo by Mystic Lake Casino Hotel Project Manager Melissa DonCarlos Editor Brian Fanelli FEATURES Graphic Designer 05 09 13 Melanie Graves Minnesota Golf Trails Unique Golf Holes Golfing The Classic Follow these “trails” to Discover some of Minnesota’s Head to Madden’s Resort to golf experience multiple courses most unique and challenging this incredible five-star course. all in one trip. golf holes. 19 Tom Lehman’s COURSE Bucket List LISTINGS Born and raised Find your next fairway with Minnesotan Tom features “Ohio’s Best” white sand and fi ve sets of tees. The Lehman shares his these helpful listings. Minnesota golf bucket list. 21 Minneapolis-St. Paul Area 15 25 Southern Fall Color Drives 29 Central Take the scenic route and savor the fall foliage on 31 Northeast your next golf getaway. 33 Northwest Cover: Deacon’s Lodge Golf Course Photo by Paul Vincent 3 | EXPLOREMINNESOTA.COM/GOLF Nestled along the Poplar River between Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains, Superior National at Lutsen ranks as one of Minnesota’s must-play golf courses. Surrounded by unparalleled natural beauty, golfers can enjoy 27 holes of play. Our Premier 18, comprised of the River and Canyon nines, offers scenic views of boreal forest and Lake Superior and features “Ohio’s Best” white sand and fi ve sets of tees. The Mountain nine is perfect for a quick game or a round of family-friendly FootGolf. Superior National now offers GPS Club Cars, giving players an enhanced golf experience. SuperiorNational.com 218-663-7195 MNGOLF.ORG | 4 GOLF EXPLORE THESE MINNESOTA GOLF TRAILS With nearly 450 courses in Minnesota, it can be hard to know where to begin planning your next golf getaway. But with multiple courses grouped together along “trails,” you can hit several top-rated courses all in one trip. The following six golf trails offer high-quality WILD NORTH GOLF play with varying degrees of difficulty. The trails This trail encompasses eight courses along the match up nicely with several popular Minnesota North Shore Scenic Drive and the Superior scenic byways, making for enjoyable drives National Forest Scenic Byway. Along the 154- between rounds. So pack your clubs and select a mile North Shore byway, the Silver Bay 9-hole is trail to explore. a popular prelude to Superior National’s dramatic MINNESOTA GOLF TRAIL 27 holes at Lutsen. After years of renovations, Superior National unveiled its completed project This selection of courses is located near the Otter in 2018, designed by Jeffrey Brauer and featuring Trail and Lake Country scenic byways, popular lake white sand, five sets of tees, wider fairways and areas with excellent golf. In Battle Lake, Balmoral idyllic greens. You may be lucky enough to spot a Golf Course’s record is a blistering 64, so have fun moose while playing Gunflint Hills, 4 miles north trying to card a score that low. Savor the woods of the Grand Marais harbor. and water at Blueberry Pines in Menahga, designed Inland from the shore, the Superior Forest byway by former PGA Tour player and Minnesota native leads to the towns of Aurora and Hoyt Lakes, with Joel Goldstrand. Both Longbow and Tianna are a 9-hole municipal course. The next stop is Giants neat tracks in Walker, and the 27 holes at Perham Ridge in Biwabik, home to two of Minnesota’s Lakeside Golf Club provide a topographic mix that most acclaimed golf courses, The Legend and The administers every type of golf test. Quarry. Municipals in Eveleth and Virginia round Wildflower Golf Course at Fair Hills Resort in out this tour. Detroit Lakes is also a Goldstrand creation, with 7,000 yards and course and slope ratings that suggest challenge. In Ottertail, Thumper Pond’s MINNESOTA RIVER VALLEY 18 holes feature more than 30,000 pine trees, Shoreland Country Club in St. Peter presents and the resort sports a spa and indoor water park. itself where the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway turns from south to west. It’s a short BRAINERD GOLF TRAIL par-69 with seven par-3s, views of the river valley and routes along Lake Emily. Le Sueur’s Winding its way throughout this fabulous lakes course is relatively short by today’s standards but area is the 54-mile Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway, compensates with pesky hillside lies. Mankato where Gull Lake and the Whitefish Chain of offers two courses on this trail. One, North Links, Lakes provide a superb background for some of boasts a large driving range and two practice the state’s best golf. The 27-hole Pines and The holes. Thirsty New Ulm Country Club patrons can Preserve at Grand View Lodge set the bar for opt for après golf at the nearby Schell’s Brewery golf on this trail. The two Robert Trent Jones Jr. or Morgan Creek Vineyards, and then peruse the designs at Cragun’s Resort are impressive, and town’s Germanic flavor. The Traditional, Whitebirch and Arnold Palmer- designed Deacon’s Lodge at Breezy Point Resort A Minnesota gem emerges on the wide open keep players returning. Golden Eagle’s exquisite prairie near Morton. Dacotah Ridge is Rees setting is enhanced by the cozy cabins that keep Jones-inspired golf, with vast expanses of native players on-site. fescue swaying in the prairie winds and framing portions of Wabasha Creek. 5 | EXPLOREMINNESOTA.COM/GOLF GOLF Granite Run in Granite Falls and River Crest Golf Course combine with courses in Appleton and Ortonville to complete this trail along the Minnesota River. MISSISSIPPI BLUFFS True to its moniker, this trail rides along the Mississippi River with the river bluffs on its wing, along the southern stretch of Minnesota’s Great River Road. It begins with three courses in Hastings, which lies at the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. In Red Wing, the Red Wing Golf Club and the two courses at Mississippi National are championship golf options. Just down shore, Mount Frontenac Golf Course tracks up and down the bluff, where deer are plentiful. Lake City Golf is gateway to The Jewel Golf Club, an upscale Hale Irwin course that doesn’t disappoint. Lake Pepin and Coffee Mill courses are highly elevated, and the two courses in Winona, The Bridges and Cedar Valley, are both peaceful oases in lush valleys worth the trip for golf and surprising dining. WATERS OF THE DANCING SKY This golf trail follows the scenic byway of the same name just south of the Canadian border from Hallock to Voyageurs National Park. The trail begins with courses at Hallock, Karlstad Tee off at Superior National Golf Course in northeast Minnesota - Photo by Wander the Map and Greenbush before the 18-hole Oakcrest Golf Course in Roseau.