By Josh Miller
One of the most exciting weeks on the tour so far, I travelled 600 miles and played eight rounds of golf. The week started in southeast Minnesota with a visit to the Red WIng area where I visited Hidden Greens Golf Club in Hastings, Red Wing Golf Club, Mount Frontenac Golf Club, and The Jewel Golf Club. I then went up to Nisswa and visited Grand View Lodge where I played all 45 holes on property at The Pines and The Preserve. These courses were some of the most scenic on the tour.
I started the week at Hidden Greens Golf Club. The course opened up with a par four featuring a tee box surrounded by trees, and the rest of the holes each had a distinct Minnesota feel. The 8th hole, considered to be the course signature, requires a straight tee shot with a long-iron or three-wood to have a clean look into a water protected green. It’s just a really solid golf hole, and the course overall rewarded accuracy as trees came into play on each hole. This course was a lot of fun to play.
On Monday, I visited the Red Wing Golf Course. The opening hole featured a drastic elevation change off the tee and featured a gorgeous backdrop of bluffs. Hole No. 10, a 150-yard par three that drops about 100 feet from tee to green, continued the theme of elevation changes. Although Red Wing is just southeast of the Twin Cities, it feels like a true getaway on the golf course because those gorgeous bluffs just don’t exist in the metro.
My day continued Monday with a visit to The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City. About 20 minutes south of Red Wing, I am not exaggerating when I say that The Jewel is one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever had the privilege of playing. Check out photos above as words simply don’t do the course justice. The back nine winds through dramatic bluffs and offered some incredible framing of holes. No. 11, a long par three over water, features a volcano-looking bluff directly behind the green. So serene and surrounded by nature, I even had a quick run-in with a deer. I played a great round here, too, finishing +7 with a 78. I will be back.
I visited Mount Frontenac Golf Course on Tuesday morning and enjoyed more spectacular views of the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin. Owned the the Prairie Island Indian Community, the course is part of Treasure Island Resort and Casino and featured possibly the most stunning views thus far on the tour. The drive up the bluff to the course was especially memorable.
Overall, I believe that with a few course improvements and some marketing the Red Wing/Lake City region has the potential to be known as the next great Minnesota golfing destination.
I spent the latter half of the week at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa. The Pines and Preserve Courses at Grand View are just two of a myriad of incredible courses in the Brainard Lakes area, the area most credited with putting Minnesota golf on the national scene. There are nearly 30 world-class courses including Craguns, Maddens, Grand View Lodge, Deacon’s Lodge, and many more. I’ll be spending a lot of time here the rest of this summer.
I played the all 45 holes at the Pines and Preserve courses at Grand View Lodge on Thursday. The Pines boasts 27 holes, while the Preserve is home to a traditional 18-hole championship layout. The courses have a rustic undertone with beautiful natural scenery combined with modern amenities such as beautiful clubhouses and restaurants. It makes for an enjoyable and relaxing golf experience — feeling like you’re away from civilization, but having everything you need to have a great round.
Over the Fourth of July, Brainard’s various resorts and cabins hosted over 300,000 people, according to head pro Adam Haugen. That brings a whole host of challenges for the area, whose infrastructure is designed to host no more than 100,000 people, but is also just one more datapoint that golf is just booming. Grand View Lodge also offers incredible stay-and-play packages, so be sure to check them out.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my time at the 3M Open this week. It started on Tuesday when I went to check out a few practice rounds and stop by at the InSports Foundation’s kids clinic they put on in collaboration with the 3M Open. The InSports Foundation is dedicated to helping kids get in the game through sponsorships and awesome sports opportunities like this one. PGA Professional Jonathan Byrd came to lead an hour-long clinic on chipping and putting with forty young kids, which was real fun to watch.
On Wednesday, I tried my hand at caddying in the EMC Pro-Am at TPC Twin Cities. Two notable amateurs in my group were Martin Nance, Chief Marketing Officer of the Minnesota Vikings, and Casey O’Brien, the University of Minnesota long snapper who beat cancer an extraordinary five times. His story is awe-inspiring, and I’m excited to share that he and I will be playing a round together later in August. It was neat to be able to go inside the ropes with two pros, Sean O’Hair and Lucas Herbert, to see just how good they are compared to the average weekend warrior.
I went back to the tournament Saturday and Sunday and saw the exciting finish, when Cameron Champ hit a wayward tee shot left before hitting a wedge to two feet for the win. The atmosphere was electric, and the 3M Open is well on its way to becoming one of the most exciting events on tour.
We’re just over halfway done with the tour, and it’s only going up from here. Stay tuned.
Favorite Hole: No. 1 at Red Wing Golf Course
Interesting Person: Casey O’Brien. It’s an incredible story and it’s inspiring how he is using his platform to help drive more fundraising for cancer.
Best Shot: I hit the best golf shot of my life on the Par Five 16th at The Preserve. My third shot from 140 yards out, I hit a pitching wedge that landed about five feet short of the pin before it hit the flag and dropped into the cup. I wish I got it on video.
All scores:
Hidden Greens GC: 84 (+12)
Red Wing GC: 85 (+13)
The Jewel GC: 78 (+7)
Mount Frontenac: 8 (+7)
The Pines Marsh: 39 (+3)
The Pines Woods: 40 (+4)
The Pines Lakes: 41 (+5)
The Preserve: 76 (+4)
