There are golf courses that take themselves seriously… and then there is the Gravel Pit.

Tucked beautifully into a former gravel pit near Brainerd, this 23½ hole par-3 playground flips the script on what a round of golf is supposed to feel like. At Gravel Pit the scorecard matters little, the laughter carries a little farther, and – most importantly – there are trout swimming beside you on the second green. 

Every spring, a delivery truck arrives from a fish hatchery. Inside: roughly 200 rainbow trout, each weighing between two and four pounds. Nate Toumi, the landowner, who reaped the reward from gravel sales, and still owned the property, had the vision. The, near trophy size, trout are released into the small lake at the foot of a waterfall creating a scene that feels more like a state park than a golf facility. “They don’t forget it.”

The fish don’t just live there… they become part of the Gravel Pit experience.

Golfers can grab a cup of fish food in the pro shop. When they pull up to water’s edge, they toss a handful into the lake. Within seconds, the surface erupts – silver flashes, splashes, and the kind of energy you don’t normally associate with a golf round. It’s part nature show, part childhood memory, part reminder that golf doesn’t always have to be quiet and polite. And that’s exactly the point.

Built By Thinkers Who See Golf Differently

The Gravel Pit is owned and operated by Chuck Klecatsky, one of the most creative minds in golf. For years, Chuck served as Director of Golf at Cragun’s Resort, a 45-hole destination developed by the Cragun family nearly a century ago on the shores of Gull Lake.

That resort – and the entire Gull Lake region – has quietly become one of the most progressive golf destinations in the country over the past four decades.

Cragun’s is home to the CRMC Championship, a PGA TOUR Americas event consistently voted by players as one of the best stops on tour. And yet, when those same professionals are done competing, many of them make their way to the Gravel Pit. Not for prestige… for fun!

A Course You Can See – And Feel – All At Once

Designed by Scott Hoffman, the mastermind behind The Classic at Madden’s, a Golf Digest Top 100 public course, the Gravel Pit embraces its unconventional setting. From the hilltop clubhouse, you can see every hole. That’s not an exaggeration! The original 13 holes wind through the contours of the old quarry, with elevation changes, creative green complexes, and natural amphitheater views.

Since opening just five years ago, the course has expanded to include 10½ additional holes, including one of the most memorable “finishing holes” anywhere – a 40-yard downhill putt that serves as the final act of the round. It’s golf… but it’s also something else.

Where Trout, Golfers, And Kids All Meet

The trout are a centerpiece, but they’re also part of a bigger story. Late each season, kids from Camp Confidence – many of whom are experiencing fishing for the first time – are invited out to the Gravel Pit. For them, those stocked rainbow trout become more than just fish. They’re excitement. They’re independence. They’re a moment. And that moment fits perfectly with the spirit of the place. Because the Gravel Pit isn’t trying to be exclusive. It’s not trying to be difficult. It’s trying to be memorable.

Golf And Fun Center

If you call the pro shop, you won’t hear the typical greeting. You’ll hear, “Gravel Pit Golf and Fun Center, how may I help you?” That’s not branding. That’s philosophy.

This is a place where golfers come after a serious round at Cragun’s. Where families show up just to hit a few shots and feed the fish. Where weddings unfold against a backdrop of gravel, water, and sky. Where live music echoes off the walls of an old quarry on summer nights. And where, somewhere below it all, 200 rainbow trout circle patiently – waiting for the next handful of food, the next group of kids, the next moment of surprise.

The Real Catch

In the end, the trout may be the hook. But what keeps people coming back is something deeper. It’s the feeling that golf can still be simple. Still be joyful. Still be shared.

At the Gravel Pit, you don’t just play a round… it’s an experience. And if you happen to leave with a memory of fish breaking the surface in the backswing of your putt… well, that’s just part of the story.