By Josh Miller
Another week, another slew of courses and memories on the Driving Minnesota Golf Tour
I played seven courses this week and the ones I visited each brought something unique to the table. On Monday, I began my week with a visit to Stonebrooke Golf Club in Shakopee before traveling to Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton. I then visited Crow River Golf Club in Hutchinson before traveling back to the Twin Cities. I needed to take Wednesday off due to poor weather, but on Thursday I played Medina’s Baker National in the morning and Brooklyn Park’s Edinburgh USA in the afternoon. The week ended Friday with a morning round at the Minneapolis Golf Club and an afternoon round at Deer Run in Victoria.
I started the week at Stonebrooke Golf Club in Shakopee. The course is an affordable, quality course in the southwest metro. The greens were in great shape and the course featured a boat ride over water after the tee shot on No. 17. There are only a few courses in the country that have that feature.
Afterwards, I visited Dacotah Ridge Golf Club. Talk about a special golf experience. Designed by famed architect Rees Jones, who also designed Hazeltine National, each hole is exciting and provides a new challenge. The beauty of the links-style golf that exists at Dacotah Ridge is that you are constantly seeing the vast openness of the course with its smooth fairways and maintained fescue. The course is owned and operated by the Lower Sioux Indian Community, which also operates the nearby Jackpot Junction Casino and Hotel.
Tuesday, I visited the Crow River Golf Course in Hutchinson, a town with a population of about 15,000. Situated on the Crow River (hence its name), the course is clearly well taken care of by the community and plays a central role as a community gathering space. The course itself was pleasing to the eye and played a lot more difficult than it may seem at the outset. The greens here were in great shape and the very pretty clubhouse overlooked the river.
Thursday, I visited Baker National Golf Course in Medina. This facility holds a special place in my heart. It is where, last year, I developed my love for the game of golf. The course is a true test of even the best golfers, with every hole offering numerous options off the tee and a scenic backdrop on nearly every shot. Additionally, the course makes a lasting impression with its opening hole featuring the signature red barn, and its closing hole, an uphill par four that is one of the most visually intimidating holes in the state. It’s no wonder that this is one of the busiest courses in the metro area.
I also visited Edinburgh USA in Brooklyn Park. Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, is one of only a select few golf courses in the state with professional accolades having hosted an LPGA Tour event for seven years. The course is a fun, well-manicured track with a gorgeous clubhouse that adds a Scottish flair to the golfing experience. The course strikes a balance of being both quality and affordable, with an easy to access location. There are two really neat features on the course: first, the famous 17th hole requires a tee shot onto an island, followed by an approach shot onto an island green. It’s a difficult hole, and although I was almost on the green in two I had to settle for bogey. The second feature Edinburgh is known for is that it boasts the largest green in North America. It combines the practice green with the ninth and eighteenth greens for one green complex making up more than 40,000 square feet.
I played Brooklyn Park’s Edinburgh USA this afternoon with 14-year-old golf entrepreneur Seth Damsgard. He is the founder of Golf By Numbers, a maker of yardage books for courses nationally and partner of the Korn Ferry Tour. I have a lot of respect for other young entrepreneurs and it’s great to see someone like Seth make his mark on the game. Check him out here.
Friday morning I was treated to a round at the Minneapolis Golf Club. This course is significant in Minnesota’s golfing history. The course has hosted the PGA Championship and the Minnesota State Open, and most of golf’s legends have played the course at some point during their career. I got to play the Minneapolis Golf Club with Tim Murray, third generation owner of the famous Murray’s Steakhouse in Minneapolis. It’s a beautifully manicured track whose sloping greens make it very difficult to post a low score.
The week ended on Friday afternoon with a round at Deer Run GC in Victoria. The course is in great shape and weaves through neighborhoods with a couple of picturesque tee boxes. I played with Luke Mueller, the man behind the instagram page Land of 10K Golf, and he helped me better understand the social media golf landscape in Minnesota. There are a number of accounts dedicated to highlighting great golf courses, but behind each account are real people who make up a remarkably strong Minnesota golf community.
Favorite Hole: No. 1 at Baker National
Interesting Person: Seth Damsgard. Like I said, it’s awesome to meet young entrepreneurs, especially those in the golf space.
Best Shot: I didn’t make any incredible shots this week and continued to battle poor putting. But on Monday I hit eight of eight par three greens in regulation which I was happy with.
All scores:
Stonebrooke GC: 80 (+9)
Dacotah Ridge GC: 82 (+10)
Crow River GC: 82 (+10)
Baker National GC: 82 (+9)
Edinburgh USA: 81 (+9)
Minneapolis Golf Club: 85 (+13)
Deer Run GC: 82 (+10)
