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Fall for Great Golf

Fall is a prime season for golfing in Minnesota. Cooler temperatures make for pleasant hours on the course and fine conditions on fairways and greens. This time of year, the tee times are plentiful and the rounds leisurely. It may be the best time of year to explore Minnesota courses—with more than 400 throughout the state to choose from.

METRO PLAY

About a quarter of Minnesota’s golf courses are located in the metropolitan area, which makes it easy to plan a weekend in the city filled with daytime golf and evening culture and fine dining. Many metro courses are tucked into suburban wooded enclaves. There are even a dozen courses right in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Hiawatha Golf Club is one of the gems of the urban parks system. Located just a few minutes south of downtown Minneapolis in Lake Hiawatha Park, the historic 18-hole course is graced by Lake Hiawatha, several ponds, and Minnehaha creek. It is also next to Lake Nokomis and the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a destination for parkway drives and cycling or strolling on trails.

RESORT COURSES

Many of Minnesota’s classic lakeside resorts have exceptional golf courses and packages­­—some including unlimited play on several courses—for the golf-loving traveler. In central Minnesota, the Brainerd Golf Trail has a cluster of acclaimed resort courses situated among breathtaking lakes and woods. This area has been named "one of the top 50 golf destinations in the world" by Golf Digest. Two Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designs and an Arnold Palmer-designed course are among the high-caliber offerings.

THE ARROWHEAD REGION

The North Shore of Lake Superior, Grand Rapids, and the Giants Ridge area offer superb courses and brilliant scenery. Giants Ridge Golf Resort has two courses, the Legend and the Quarry, which is recognized by Golf Digest as “the 16th best public course in the United States.” The North Shore offers everything from laid-back 9-hole courses such as the Silver Bay Municipal Golf Course and the Gunflint Hills Golf Course in Grand Marais, to the stunning 27-hole Superior National Golf Club at the base of Lutsen’s Moose Mountain.      

PRAIRIE LINKS

Minnesota golfers can choose to play in diverse settings, including a number of open, tall-grass, links-style courses that recall the first seaside courses developed in Scotland. Wildflower Golf Course in Detroit Lakes is a prairie-links course with rolling, open prairie lands, oak-lined fairways, and views of Pelican Lake. Fall is a great time to experience the changing prairie hues on this unique course.

MINNESOTA RIVER VALLEY

Along the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway, there is another golf trail that features great courses and trip-extending attractions such as historic main streets, craft brewery and vineyard tours, art, and wildlife viewing along the river. Some of the courses along this route offer views of the river valley, such as Belle Plaine’s Valley View Golf Course and St. Peter’s Shoreland Country Club. The Rees Jones-designed Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton blends seamlessly with its rugged prairieland surroundings.

For more information to plan a great golf getaway this season, visit exploreminnesota.com/golf.