Turning a new page on one of Minnesota’s great golf stories, the spring sale of Cragun’s Resort represents an epilogue not; rather, the historic property on Gull Lake continues to pen fresh beginnings.

In April, Cragun’s sold for a bounty believed to be the largest resort transaction in state history. Previous to its new owner, Baxter, Minnesota-based Leisure Hotels & Resorts, the property had been owned and operated by the family eponymous since 1940, namely by Dutch Cragun and his (late) wife, Irma; now 93-years-old, Dutch had inherited the original grounds from his parents, who bought the property in the aftermath of the Great Depression.

Its chapter anew occurring in real time across these summer months, Eric Peterson, general manager at Cragun’s doesn’t eye the new owners as any kind of corporate entity. “Yeah, that’s not a word they like to use,” smiles Peterson. “And you can see that in a large majority of the properties they (Leisure) manage, which are many independent properties, places which really epitomize that genuine hospitality.”

Leisure (whose owner is also one of Cragun’s investors) entered its debut peak-season with quiet footsteps, keeping staff on-hand and with aims to enhance the allure of its new asset. “This next chapter is exciting, and our new owners have that same vision of Cragun’s,” Peterson continues. “They’re not looking to be in-and-out; they want to be part of this property’s history.”

Swinging for new history, Leisure’s autumn of 2025 planning includes a fresh rebranding take on the resort’s future, along with ongoing buildout of a property which has enjoyed no shortage of reinvestment in recent years. Specifically, plans call for updating and/or redevelopment work on the south end of resort, with blueprints for 25 new lakeside, high-end cabins, along with new amenities, pools, saunas, whirlpools and updated dining spaces.

“They want to advance the resort, if you will,” says Peterson, adding that the cabin homes are Phase 1 of a two-part plan which will eventually see renovation of the resort’s main lodge come Phase 2. “I think we have the tremendous asset of our land; as far as the resort, there’s not a better lakeshore in Minnesota. There’s a great canvass for more growth.”

Said growth can be seen across the property’s fairways, which enjoyed a five-year resort and property upgrade from 2015-2020 and just concluded a four-year, $18 million renovation led by Tom Lehman. In concert with Lehman’s namesake (and stellar) 18, which formally debuted in the summer of ’23, the completion of the trio of nines on Cragun’s fully redone Dutch 27 courses reached the finish line with the spring debut of the Dutch Red.

“Like all our projects, we still did a bit more than we might have originally intended going in,” Peterson says of the Red unveil. “We ended up with four all-new green complexes, built from the ground up, and three of those were moved a significant distance from where they once were, as much as 30 or 40 yards.”

Detailing further, Peterson and team see a Red routing which is now more strategic and playable than its previous iteration, with widened green complexes to open up air flow and sunlight; additionally, an enhanced aesthetic, improved drainage and graduated turf manicuring prove a prime final chapter to the turf grounds’ investment and rework.

“As we look at the whole project and how it came together, the routing probably changed the least on the Dutch Red nine,” says Peterson. “There was one green complex which completely moved from one side of the pond to another on number 7; on all the other holes, the routing stayed the same.”

The GM finds most notable change on the Red’s 457-yard, par-4 third hole. “On the 3^rd, the green was moved back about 50 yards, which actually makes that hole more playable,” he says. “That was probably the weakest hole we had on all 36 holes originally, and it had the wetlands which encroached your tee ball and pinched you down. But we were able to open it up, widen the fairways and now make it a really, really good golf hole.”

What once was a forced/pinched tee layup is now among the Dutch’s best tests. “We were able to take a little bit of that landing area and make it more friendly,” continues Peterson of number 3. “And we then took the green, which was kind of uphill, and we reshaped the hole from the approach shot all the way to the green complex. We then pushed the green back and created this really large putting surface with run-off areas on both sides; there are no bunkers, but we still maintained the challenge with those run-offs into tightly mowed areas for what is now an awesome visual.”

For a fast test of its fresh teeth, the new Red will serve as the opening nine for Cragun’s upcoming CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center from August 28-31, 2025, representing the fourth annual year that the resort has hosted tomorrow’s stars on PGA Tour Americas. Said event was previously played in its first two iterations on what was formerly PGA Tour Canada. For the CRMC, the Dutch White nine will serve as the tournament’s latter side.

Considering the completed course updates, upgrades and additions for both pro and amateur guests alike, Peterson is finally able to bookmark what he sees not as any kind of encumbrance in play, but rather a cherished chance to help turn Good into Great. 

“It’s a once-in-a-career opportunity, and many people might not ever get a chance to do something like this,” he says. “The chance to work with Tom Lehman and to have this opportunity to reimagine what was already a really, really good golf property.”

After five years of lodging updates and four years of golf renovations, Eric Peterson, working with Cragun’s ownership both iconic and nascent, isn’t the sort to find statis on his scorecard.

“I’m not sure I know what that world would be like,” the GM concludes with a laugh. “And, you know what, I’m not sure I want to live in that world.”