There was a golf course here in 2002 – here in the southeast corner of the Twin Cities between Prior Lake and Shakopee. The course was called Lone Pine Golf Course. I didn’t play that course, so I know nothing about it – living in Dallas, Texas at the time. But, while I was moving my family north to Minnesota, construction crews were moving dirt just south of Minneapolis, revealing a brand new course where Lone Pine Golf Course once stood – a course that is WAY more than “just a course” now… now that it is the feature amenity of a luxurious stay-and-play palace called Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community purchased Lone Pine Golf Course in 2002 and hired Garrett Gill and Paul Miller to not only rebuild, but also to rebrand it as The Meadows at Mystic Lake, which opened in 2005. This course was, is, and will be (when you play it) a most memorable golf experience. The Meadows at Mystic Lake has won countless awards over the years and has been ranked high on the “Best in State” lists from GolfDigest, Golfweek and other regional golf/resort publications. “It’s the most exciting golf course project I have been involved in,” Architect Paul Miller says (having completed more than 200 golf course projects in 30+ states). “A dramatic golf experience that is second to none in the state of Minnesota.”

Paul built the course, so naturally he loves it, but you’ll find plenty to love about it, too. The 18-hole championship course traverses a stunning property from the first tee to the last green, with bent grass fairways contrasted by tall fescue grasses, and a stream splitting through the course, five waterfalls, 80 bunkers, 13 holes with water in play and twenty (yes, twenty) fountains. The description alone promises a natural splendor that you can’t possibly miss and (regardless of score) will absolutely enjoy.

The course offers five sets of tees, from the Black Tees at 7,144 yards to the Gold Tees at 5,293 yards, allowing golfers to find a length and challenge that suits their game. The head golf professional encourages players to go down a box your first go-round to familiarize yourself with the course and enjoy the experience more. “If you find out you’re way too good for those tees,” he says with a smile, “move back the next time you play.” (Personally, I wish people would do that at every course! Especially at courses with this much water.)

On my first visit to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel I took some journalist friends along and we followed the pro’s advice, playing down to the White Tees at 6,318 yards. That was plenty of a challenge and tons of fun for us. The comfortable carts were equipped with advanced GPS systems, facilitating club selection, and we found that we went through every club in the bag multiple times. An editor friend of mine from California said, “A sub-four hour round in the Twin Cities, with this much scenery and variety in shots for that crazy-good price – that was awesome.” (And we each hit our handicap exactly from those tees.)

We were impressed with a number of holes on each side. Three highlights on the front include the Par-5 third – a legit three-shot hole with an island green – the Par-4 fifth hole, with another crossover to a protected green, and many a player has the signature Seventh hole “Eagle” as their front favorite – a pretty, little downhill 3-par over a pond. And then it’s impossible not to focus the back nine “highlights” on the closing three holes with “water, water everywhere!” The Par-4 sixteenth hole – “Cattail” – has challenges everywhere, even beyond the water. The Par-3 seventeenth hole – “Fox” – has wetlands all down the left and a “stadium bunker” in the back. And the eighteenth hole – “Moose” – is considered by many to be amongst the “Best Closing Holes in Minnesota” – a lengthy Par 5 that requires length off the tee, focus in the middle and some more aquatic navigation in reaching (and holding) the green. (Watch for the moose on 18!)

All in all, the golfer is rewarded with a wild and wildly beautiful round, and very few people are satisfied with a single go-round. The resort often offers Stay & Play specials, so take advantage of any 36-hole deals you can steal!

The Meadows has a full driving range, complimentary with a paid green fee, and two large practice greens mimicking the slopes, conditions and speeds of the on-course greens. The golf professionals offer lessons to all ages and skill levels, and are one of the only public facilities in Minnesota to use TrackMan (a swing analysis video system) to assist with the instruction and track your progress. Once you’ve fine-tuned your game with them (or if you’ve readied yourself elsewhere) those same professionals can do a full club-fitting session with you and set you up with whatever game-improvement irons, woods and wedges you want.

The Meadows Bar and Grille is indoors and temporarily closed (due to COVID restrictions), but The Sand Wedge Grille with its outdoor patio provides plenty of quick eats, snacks and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for golfers and/or those looking for a place to sit and relax outside.

In exploring the rest of the Resort and Casino, you’ll find another ten bars and restaurants – food of all flavors and varieties: Mystic Steakhouse, Minnehaha Café, Gambler’s Grille, Fusion Noodle Bar, Mystic Deli, Drinx Bar, The Lobby Lounge, The Promenade Bar and Caribou Coffee are all open (The Buffet and Sweet Temptations are temporarily closed). Beyond the dining options there is an exceptional spa, one of the Midwest’s largest and most active gaming floors, and plenty of clean, spacious hotel accommodations (766 rooms and suites). Rest assured that your health and safety is management’s top priority. Group sizes have been limited, tables (in restaurants) and floor games (in the casino) have been adequately spaced and frequently cleaned, and sanitation stations are everywhere. Despite the COVID-related restrictions, guests are thrilled to find the fun is absolutely unrestricted, and the extra space considerations and staff efforts only enhance the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel experience.

This pocket of the Twin Cities metro is a golf and activity gold mine. A Mystic Lake Casino Hotel stay grants you access to half a dozen of the state’s best public plays, and rooms with spectacular views of The Meadows at Mystic Lake and the 11 acres of wildflowers and prairie surrounding the course. It’s no wonder people (even in-state residents) book multiple night stays to explore the golf, dining and activities in the area. Only five miles from Canterbury Park, six miles from Valleyfair, 16 miles from the Minnesota Zoo, and 20 miles from the Mall of America, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel offers unbelievably convenient access to everything fun and family-friendly you can imagine.

Resort management isn’t selfish – not only open to guests exploring the area on a stay, but encouraging it. With so many great public courses around, they are heavily booked by golf groups, and the golf professionals in the shop are generous with their suggestions. “Stay here, play here, then play everywhere else, too.” It’s that approach and easy accessibility that keeps the golfers coming to The Meadows at Mystic Lake in droves.