Royal Golf Club – Already A Minnesota Legend – Grand Opening May 18!

The golf landscape across Minnesota is littered with legendary golf courses. Minnesota’s collage of legendary courses runs from the wilderness courses on the Iron Range to the glut of wonderful resort courses in the Brainerd Lakes Area, from the beautiful re-do of historic Keller to the current overhaul of Braemar, from Hazeltine’s legendary 2016 Ryder Cup to the historic sequel Ryder Cup in 2028.

The Royal Golf Club was legendary from conception. No golf course ever built in Minnesota has the “Legendary Bloodline” of the Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo. The Royal Golf Club resides on the wonderful parcel of rolling wooded property where old Tartan Park Golf Course once stood. Tartan Park was created for the employees and guests of 3M, the legendary company first known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. Hollis Cavner, golf entrepreneur and developer of the Royal Golf Club, brought together the undisputed King of Golf, Arnold Palmer and Annika Sorenstam the reigning Queen of women’s golf to create a legendary golf course on legendary property.

With the Grand Opening rapidly approaching, Royal Golf Club is a beehive buzzing with activity.

Arnie’s Restaurant at Royal Golf Club opened in August of 2017. With great food and an open atmosphere, Arnie’s has already developed a growing gallery of loyal followers. These dedicated diners eagerly await the new weekly lunch special. The menu at Arnie’s, an American Steakhouse, is loaded with comfort food… prepared with just a little something special. Regulars love Arnie’s signature dish, the fried chicken sandwich. On weekends brunch is served in a family friendly atmosphere where families can sit around the table, like legendary days of the past. Arnie’s offers a wonderful view of Horseshoe Lake and the variety of wildlife that make their home at Royal Golf Club. Throughout the winter months families and the after church crowd have made repeated trips to Arnie’s.

Arnie’s has a full selection of cocktails served with and without alcohol. Many patrons like to enjoy an Arnold Palmer (a drink named after the King – ice tea and lemonade served over ice in a tall glass) with or without spirits.

Homes and Lots at The Royal Club have been selling at a brisk pace. Most of the 73 lots available in Phase I have already been snapped up. The 50 lots in Phase II are now on the market, and the pace of sales is expected to increase once the golf course is open.

Living within the The Royal Club community is like living in a wild life refuge. There is an abundance of deer and wild turkey. The fishing on Horseshoe Lake is very good and Royal Golf Club staff will chauffeur residents and their canoes and kayaks from Clubhouse to the lake shore. The carrot that might entice a potential buyer to purchase a lot or home is the fact that The Royal Club community is a golf car friendly community where members may pay an annual trail fee allowing them to drive their personal golf car on the course.

Green Fees at Royal Golf Club are $79, including a power cart. The rate seems very reasonable for a trip around a beautiful legendary golf course. Green fee players may reserve a tee time 7 days in advance.

Annual Memberships are available at the Royal Golf Club. The golf club is not a private golf club, but has the look and feel of a fine private club. The price of a single membership purchased by the general public in 2018 is a modest $2,999. All annual memberships include no green fee and unlimited golf privileges. For those who enjoy riding, a season long cart pass for a single member is $600. For a family membership the price is $3,999 – add an unlimited carts for only $800. Single and family members who are residents of Royal Golf Club property, current or retired 3M employees and Lake Elmo residents receive a discount on memberships. Annual members also receive a 10% discount on logo merchandise from the Golf Shop.

Jim Leary, Director of Golf and General Manager, has already sold 50 memberships and anticipates another 50 once they play the golf course. “One of the things that members like is the fact that they can book tee times 14 days in advance.”

The Short Course is a six hole executive course. The Short Course was Cavner’s idea. But Arnold Palmer, who understood that young golfers today are the golfers of tomorrow said, “I’d love a place for kids to play golf free!”

So, golfers under the age of 18 may play golf all day, everyday for free. There is no limit to how much kids may use the Short Course. The Short Course is not exclusively for kids though. Adults may play the Short Corse by making a contribution to Junior Golf of $10 per round. There is an annual fee of $75 for unlimited golf on the Short Course. Those who make the $75 annual contribution to Junior Golf also receive a bag tag.

Leary explained that Royal Golf Club is extremely interested in Junior Golf. “The Royal Golf Club will host the local competition for the Drive, Chip & Putt competition on June 26th. The winners advance through the sub-regional and regionals to qualify for the finals. During Master’s week, Augusta National hosts the finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt competition each year. We are excited to host the local competition.”

Golf Outings and Tournaments Royal Golf Club has already proven to be in high demand for corporate and group golf. Leary has already booked 27 events for the 2018 season. “Tournament organizers love the idea of having their group play on the newest and certainly one of the best golf courses in the Midwest,” Leary said.

Soft Opening of Royal Golf Club is scheduled for Tuesday, May 1. Golfers eager to play the Royal Golf Club should stop by and have lunch and browse the well stocked Golf Shop. There is a great selection of logo merchandise available today.

The Practice Area was created on the same scale as the golf facility designed to honor the King and Queen. The 40 hitting stations offer perfect turf and a variety of targets similar to golf course settings. Dedicated golfers will quickly learn that the practice area at the Royal Golf Club is a great place to work on their game. Golfers will hit new Titleist NXT Tour S balls. These balls will produce the exact reaction off the clubface every shot.

Grand Opening of the Royal Golf Club will be May 18th. A tee time on that day will be a tough ticket. With members, local celebrities and news media on site, it will be a happening. The Queen will be present and the King’s presence will be felt by all who attend.

The management of Royal Golf Club has many more exciting events planned for the grand day. The May issue of Tee Times will feature a complete rundown of the Grand Opening extravaganza.