Fairways & Greens - Minnesota

Northfield, Minnesota offers golfers one of those “just rural enough” escapes. At only 30 miles south of Bloomington, just off I35, Willingers Golf Club is a course that’s easy to get to and even easier to enjoy, making repeat “escapes” there essentially a given. “But there are rural golf courses everywhere,” you say. True. But most of them aren’t like this one.

It’s comforting to know that under the ‘new normal’ fairways will still climb and fall providing landing zones that challenge our accuracy. It’s also reassuring that greens will roll and tilt requiring a keen eye to read the nuances on slope. These are the basics, the same tests that have been in place since modern golf emerged from the Scottish Highlands in the 15th century.

On a very recent visit in mid-May we rolled into the parking lot under the bright sunshine, we unpacked our clubs and were guided to our luxury carts under the new check-in procedures smartly in-place. We hit a round of warmup shots on the no-touch driving range and then sank a few putts on the large, well-spaced practice green. You could feel the positive vibe in the air.

Situated in the big sky, rolling landscape around Lakeville lies a gem of a course. The Heritage Links Golf Club often gets overlooked among the collection of high profile courses in this corner of the Twin Cities, but that is about to change.

The author of this particular comeback story is Mark Dvorak, and he started writing the comeback story of Whispering Pines Golf Course in Annandale seven years ago. How is it going now? “It’s going great,” Mark says.

Vast stretches of fescue, large waste bunkers, serpentine fairways, long carries and undulated green complexes. News flash – The Links at Northfork has been bringing this type of golf for years!

Many locals, with enough firsthand experience to know, insist Pebble has more character than several TOUR stops. The difference is, people outside of Minnesota don’t know about Pebble Creek, which only leaves more tee times for the rest of us.

There are a handful of blue-chip historic courses across the greater Twin Cities area and the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course is certainly in that league. Having morphed and reinvented itself several times since opening as a nine-hole course in 1915.

Many of us started playing this game caddying either for a parent, family member, friend, or a complete stranger who hopefully tipped you well! Or at minimum gave you a few life long stories!

At Deer Run Golf Club, there is a clear sense that someone has their eye on the big picture and someone has an eye on the small details. You notice it as you pull into the well-organized layout, make your way up to the clean clubhouse and check in for what is about to become a truly first-class golf outing.

If you are going to build a golf course, the smart money says to plant stakes in a community that is positioned to grow. When Crystal Lake Golf Course in Lakeville opened in 1995, the city’s population was around 40,000 residents. In 2019, Lakeville is one of the fasting growing suburbs in the Twin Cities area with a population percolating at over 61,000.

Chances are good that if you’ve played 18 holes at Timber Creek Golf Course in Watertown you’ve met or arranged a tee time with Vonnie. If a golf course has only one chance to make a good first impression, then Timber Creek is golden when Vonnie is the first smiling face, voice, or personality you encounter in the clubhouse.