Most of us are looking forward to turning the page and starting a new chapter in 2021 – with more freedom to roam and more options to choose from. At Tee Times we can think of no better way to kick-start the 2021 year than to begin planning a Golf Destination Vacation. Minnesota golfers are luckier than most, there is an abundance of top-of-the-line resorts located throughout the state. Our Packer Backer neighbors to the east also offer up a long menu of golf resort options ranging from the small, more intimate types to the big names like Kohler, Hayward, Nekoosa and the Wisconsin Dells. Golf orientated vacations have a long history in the upper Midwest and with this in mind we are proud to present a four-part series where we look at how this tradition got started and ask ourselves – why we enjoy it so much. We tap into the insight of the movers, shakers and innovators in the industry and explore where the ‘golf trip’ has evolved to become much more than just birdies, bogies and beers with the boys (not that that’s a bad thing). For those of you who have enjoyed the pleasures of a long weekend or even a week-long trip centered on golf, some of this will ring familiar, for those who haven’t, we hope it provides the spark to clean that golf bag and get planning. The year is young, the time is now.

The annual event that usually gets the wheels turning and starts to scratch that golfing itch is The Minnesota Golf Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  Most of the major resorts from the Midwest are on-hand and very willing to spend time with you pitching their properties. This makes attending the Show an ideal one-stop shopping experience. Unfortunately, COVID-19 and the essential CDC guidelines had a little something to say about that in 2021. The event was officially cancelled this year but promises to return in 2022. Last year in 2020 the show wrapped-up just before the global shutdown went into full-effect with near record attendance, more evidence of the growing demand for golf trips. This was before anyone realized the scope of the pandemic which saw our then golfing industry thrown into a mysterious tailspin where it was shut down and eventually reopened under strict guidelines on extremely short notice. All of this uncertainty added up to the resort bookings going south for much of the summer. Well, it’s back… the courses, the lodging and the dining have all found a way to make it happen safely. So even without the benefit of the Minnesota Golf Show we can begin to look at our 2021 travel plans.      

Vacations always start with a flicker of hope and a need for adventure. From there the picture begins to emerge and the next thing you know you are choosing cabin sites and making tee times for the whole gang. In today’s well-connected universe, jumping on-line to shop and research and compare is a breeze. In no time you will find yourself high-fiving your friends on the 18^th green after sinking that 30-footer on a beautiful summer afternoon. That little urge for escapism also gets lit when it comes time to book entire families under one roof for a classic Minnesota or Wisconsin week at the lake. There is always fun to be had in one form or another and it usually involves a few rounds of golf. The beauty of these family outings at the resort means the fisherman, the fisherwoman, the beach goers, the book readers, the water skiers, the black-jack players and everything in-between will find something to enjoy. The golfing is there to become part of the journey.     

The ‘road trip’ is a revered family tradition. The ‘out-of-towner’ is another way to talk about it and let’s not forget about those ‘boys’ weekends’, ‘girls’ getaways’ or the famed ‘couples’ trip.’  Usually these adventures point themselves at one of the many geographically blessed areas spread around the state. No surprise that a majority of those locations are centered on a body of water. Our ‘lake culture’ in the Midwestern states has its pull hitched to the recreational sports that involve water in all its forms. Places like Alexandria, Biwabik, Brainerd, Lutsen, Ely, Red Wing and Detroit Lakes all have that extra magic – a tree-lined body of fresh water stocked with walleyes, swimming beaches, gorgeous sunsets and a nearby golf course or three.

Regionally these areas have joined forces and developed markets as destinations onto themselves. A quick Google search produces websites like Minnesota Golf Trail, Brainerd Golf Trail, Wild North Golf, and Mississippi Bluffs Golf. All of these yield concise listings of resorts, pricing, course descriptions, and an abundance of add-on recreational things to do that help bring the whole itinerary into clear focus. A three-day weekend can be enough to get a good flavor and enjoy some world-class golf without breaking the bank.   

I’ve had the good fortune to meet a number of resort managers and when you start asking, you’ll find that these industry professionals haven’t moved around too much.  General Managers, Head Golf Professionals, Hospitality Directors and the rest like where they work. They love their jobs; you know this because they wear their enthusiasm on their sleeve and pass it along with a smile. Their years of service at places like Fortune Bay, Cragun’s, Breezy Point and beyond are a strong indication that most of them would rather give their left arm than move into another line of work. This is evident when you roll into any of these impeccably run operations and you are welcomed with a very real smile and a sense that you are their personal guest.       

It is no surprise that there is a recreational center-of-gravity in the greater Brainerd area.  It comes with the territory; you can’t hardly swing a driver without hitting a ball into a nearby lake. The origins of the ’large resort with a golf course built-in’ have their beginnings just east of this water-blessed-spot-on-earth. Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge is generally considered to be the grandfather of this golf resort concept. It opened in 1898 as a fishing camp and a place for the weary city slickers to find some peace and quiet. The Ruttger’s mom and pop operation soon realized they were on to something good with this destination recreation stuff. Joe and Josephine Ruttger worked steady and smart, watching closely as their business grew and the client word-of-mouth spread to the point where the family eventually opened a five-hole course in 1921 as a feature of the ‘resort’. Boosted by the games growing popularity they expanded to 9 and then 18 holes as golf became an integral part of the overall stay and play concept. More on Ruttger’s later this summer. Golf in general was evolving into a high-demand recreational sports as accessibility slowly opened to the middle-class and eventually anybody who wanted to play the sport. This was not only true of the Twin Cities but of the entire country. With a tee sheet full of smiling golfers, a stringer full of fish, a dining room full of hungry families and the loons calling out across the calm water of Bay Lake, the Ruttgers knew it was time to expand. Others soon took notice and followed their lead in creating the beginnings of the Minnesota golf destination industry.         

We will get into the details of the geography, resort specifics and talk to some of the key industry leaders over the next three installments. There is an amazing variety of golf course designs, resort amenities and destination features to talk about. There is something for everyone. That’s the idea.