Where is your happy place? Where do you go to “get away?” If it’s on a golf course then you can relate to this story. If you’ve loved golf as far back as you can remember, then you can relate to this story. If you’re someone who savors visits to special places, then you can relate to this story. Willingers Golf Club was a Tee Times “Readers Choice Award Winner” (2018) in several categories (Best Golf Value, Best Greens, Favorite Par 4), and long before that a winner in my heart.

I woke up eleven years ago (July 1, 2008) with a unique excitement. It was 5:00 AM and still dark, but I was pumped. I shook my five-year-old son’s shoulder and he bolted out of bed almost as quickly as I had, just as excited as I was. “Are we going?” he asked. I nodded. “We are.” (Small fist pump from the kid.) “Can we get donuts on the way, Dad?” (Nod from me.) “Of course, son.” (Bigger fist pump from the kid.) “Yes! Today is going to be awesome!”

It was one of our first golf trips – the first of what has since been hundreds all over the world. This one was local, about a 90-minute drive to a place I’d wanted to play for quite some time – a small course with a BIG reputation, near The Cities, called Willingers. I was going there to write an article – the first of what has since become hundreds all over the world. Yes, Willinger’s was the first golf story I EVER wrote.

Maybe some of you have never played Willingers before. Maybe you’ve never heard of it, or (like me, back then) maybe you’ve long since wanted to and wondered how the experience would compare to your expectations. My anticipation couldn’t have been greater, and I’m happy to say the “product” I reviewed was even better than I hoped it would be. That isn’t often the case. But it sure was for Willingers.

The natural beauty of the surroundings was mind blowing. The quality of the golf course… creativity of the design… fun of the entire experience… was better than I’d imagined it would be. There wasn’t GolfAdvisor then to tell me how much other people loved it. (Man, look at all those glowing reviews today!) Willingers wasn’t a Top 100 course on major golf publication lists – and I’ve played 68 of Golf Digest’s Top 100 since then – but on that day… at that time… that didn’t matter to me at all. Willingers was #1 on my “Must Play That Day” list. (Live in the moment.) Willingers was everything I hoped it would be and the only place I wanted to be. I didn’t care about lists or rankings back then, and you shouldn’t either. If you take every golf experience as a blessing, one day at a time, a visit to Willingers will leave you feeling mighty blessed.

The more you can disconnect from the outside world and dive into the Willingers experience, the more you’ll appreciate the incredible property. Forget your phone, turn off your music and immerse yourself in a rural romance. Focus on remembering the experience instead of rushing through it. Some courses you just want to be done with. Courses like Willingers, you just want to savor.

Willingers opened in 1991 essentially as a nature preserve you could play golf in – a 275-acre natural wonderland with 40 acres of forest and 60 acres of water and wetlands. The course has always been cited for it’s incredible value, and lauded by publications like Golf Digest with a prestigious 4.5 Star rating.

I’ve taken golf architecture classes from the Willingers architect – Garrett Gill – and listened to his own love stories of the place, of how special it was to be given the opportunity to build that course. “I hope all of you,” he addressed our class, “get the chance to be that blown away by a project.”

The 6,809-yard course plays across four sets of tees, with tons of elevation changes, fifty-five bunkers (one of them 20,000 square feet), dramatic tee shots and more than enough challenge for every level of player. The large receptive greens are typically meticulously maintained, smooth and fast putting surfaces. The award-winning course has a distinctly “Up North” feel, only 30 minutes south of Minneapolis and St. Paul. If you can’t get away for a weekend and don’t have the golfing budget to play the world’s (advertised) best, Willingers presents a unique opportunity – the chance to feel like you are far away from the chaos and playing a Top 100 golf course. If that doesn’t get you out of bed with excitement and a smile, then… well… maybe pick up some donuts on the way.