Fairways & Greens - Minnesota

When the modern era of golf course architecture emerged with a merged emphasis on target-golf, the game was lead into the arms of extreme difficulty, and demanding golf for the average player became more than a wee bit of too much to take.

Few people would describe the Twin Cities area as “wilderness” but at least a part of it is. Central Minnesota is surrounded by and dotted with lakes, marsh, pine forests, fields, etc… and a great deal of those elements are displayed in full splendor at several of the area golf courses.

Every time I look at the Minnesota state quarter I think of The Wilderness at Fortune Bay. Not sure if that’s odd or not. A glance at the loon, fishing boat and tree lined lake (on the “tails” side) takes me to the Lake Vermilion coastline of hole 13.

Most golfers like to take golf trips with their buddies or family members. As much as golfers love to return to familiar venues, where they experience few surprises, they seem to continually be in a quest for something new; new golf challenges, new restaurant menu, new drives through unexplored country with a surprise around every corner, even a tube ride on the lazy river.

Thousands of golfers head north on I35 from the Twin Cities each year towards Tower, Biwabik and Lutsen and, about halfway to each you pass by a Stay & Play destination (in Hinckley) that would serve all as the perfect pit stop and/or tune-up to/from any of those places.

I arrived at Purple Hawk Country Club, a semi-private club in Cambridge, thinking about what seems to be a couple of the main initiatives in the golf industry. These two initiatives are, “tee it forward” and “pace of play.”

If you’re like me, you’ve noticed some courses have names that really don’t make much sense. Either there’s some obscure, long since forgotten reference that led to the course’s name, or someone just pulled it out of a hat. Wild Marsh Golf Club in Buffalo, is not one of those courses.

A lot can happen in 20 years. Would I even recognize her? All sorts of thoughts ran through this writer’s head as he drove into Bunker Hills ample parking lot for the first time in ages.

Pebble Creek is located less than 50 miles from the heart of downtown Minneapolis. If you drive like my dad you could be there in 40 minutes. Drive like my mom and you’d still make it in less than two hours.

I thought I had played all the best courses in the state of Minnesota. Territory took me completely by surprise. I should’ve known better though. Tradition Golf courses, Legends and TC of Iowa, are among my favorites in their respective states. I should’ve seen this coming.

Edina’s Tradition Golf manages a strong portfolio of signature golf properties that is only getting stronger. From its flagship course Legends Club in Prior Lake, to one of Iowa’s best The Tournament Club, to one of the Twin Cities’ best value (and wildest) rounds at Willinger’s.

As golf course architects, there are many issues that we need to consider when deciding how or why to renovate a golf course. Most often, when I get a call from an owner or a golf course manager, they are usually looking to make changes that they hope will increase the popularity of their course and lead to increased membership or improved revenue.

The next person who justifies not going to Willingers because it is too far from the Cities is going to get punched in the big toe. It’s perhaps too far from Alaska… a tad too far from South Africa… and reasonably too far to walk from Hawaii. But too far from the Cities???

Laughter echoes across the rolling fairways, families and friends scattered across the indoor and outdoor patios of the Windsong Farm clubhouse… savoring a perfect evening in the country, embers glowing and logs crackling in the fire pits, toasting happiness before a glowing cloud and sunset audience.

When looking at “About the Course” on the Gopher Hills website it starts out: “With 27 holes on three distinctive nines….”. That couldn’t be truer and the variety of each nine (The Heath, The Glen, and Executive Nine) is one of the reasons golfers return to Gopher Hills.

“We are who we are and we like it that way.”
– Wedgewood Cove Director of Golf Donnie Teeter