For Minnesota courses, I don’t have an absolute favorite but, The Cragun’s courses are top notch… Mississippi National is a beautiful challenging course and Rush Creek is another everyone should play once. Never got to Hazeltine yet, maybe some day !!!
The only drawback was no beer on the course, it’s on the American Baptist Assembly grounds and they don’t drink.
I can assure you that is no longer the case. 
fishthumper wrote:
Blackberry RidgeThat is a nice course that has come a long ways, the back 9 used to be a wide open corn field.
I think its a really nice fun course. Fun but yet rather challenging. It was in such great shape last season. Due to the lack of rain this years its not in near as nice shape, but that’s to be expected given the total lack of rain for the area. After each small amount of rain we get it seem to spring back a little but then after a week or so of hot weather its back to looking a little tough again.
For Minnesota courses, I don’t have an absolute favorite but, The Cragun’s courses are top notch
I’d probably put The Quarry #1 and Deacon’s Lodge #2 for me in MN. The one I don’t get that regularly is highly rated is Dakotah Ridge. Pretty meh imo, but that maybe because there’s been a 40 mph prairie wind every time I’ve played it.
Golf, I good walk gone bad!
I kinda golf.
Told a friend that I was golfing, got mad and threw a club.
He said “you’re not good enough to throw a club”
I agreed and now I enjoy golf a whole lot more.
I’m sure Justin would agree with me that the key to putting up a decent score is to hone your short game. You can save a lot of strokes by getting up and down, avoiding 3 putts, and making a few birdies. In HS it was always trying to show off with long drives, but our coach really tried in ingrain into our teenage heads that the short game is what won matches. If you think about it, almost half your strokes on the card are putts.
I agree completely. It’s very common sense, but if you want consistent solid scores:
1. Keep the ball in play off the tee
2. Have a good short game
In college I was too poor to play a lot of rounds, so I’d spend hours on the practice green just messing around, mainly chipping. Even with poor ball striking and inconsistent play off the tee, I’d put pretty low rounds together.
That even continued as I got older, I’d have poor ball striking days at Stoneridge, hit like 3 greens in regulation in 18 holes and shoot a 78. And if you’re playing friends competitively, there is NOTHING more frustrating than playing someone who has a good short game. They see you hack it up off the tee box and approaching the green, then you get up and down from some ridiculous spot and it just deflates them. Meanwhile they hit the fairway, hit a good shot into the green, and two putt for par and you walk away even.
The only thing more frustrating than someone constantly chipping it close after hitting a bad approach is someone who keeps draining long putts on you lol.
Most people just don’t want to practice though, which I get.
And just don’t go on tilt after a bad shot or two. You really only need 1 good shot on a hole to make par!
Legends in Prior Lake is my favorite course in the cities. For underrated and less expensive, Baker National is good.
Chaska is my second favorite local course. Great track all around.
For greater Minnesota, The Classic at Maddens, Deacons, and the Quarry are great courses.
Not a golfer but a lot of guys go to Northern Bay near Adams, WI. See a lot of MN cars in the condo parking lots.
Not a golfer but a lot of guys go to Northern Bay near Adams, WI. See a lot of MN cars in the condo parking lots.
I played there once, it was pretty cool playing some replica holes of famous courses. I golf in a league on Monday nights (only reason I look forward to Mondays). Im not good by any means but still have a good time. If Im traveling somewhere and have time, I will look for a course that has great scenery over course difficulty or condition. I have enjoyed playing Cherry Hills in Door County, WI on my wedding day years ago, but the best scenery courses I play at were in Sedona AZ (Sedona Golf Resort & Oak Creek Country Club).
OK, OK, I will say it… “Drive for show.. Putt for Dough” I started marking my card with total score and number of putts… it was amazing how many strokes I had from 3 putts, that should not have been. I usually get on in 3 or 4 depending and then a 2 putt was a victory, but there are too many 3 putts. Sure a better short game, might give you the occasional gimme putt, but the putter is the quickest way to shave strokes IMHO. 
I started marking my card with total score and number of putts
I did the same thing years ago. I’d keep specific track of my putts on the scorecard. I can also recall one specific practice on the putting green at Deer Run in HS when the coach had marked 10 different spots where we had to make a putt all in a row inside of 10 feet. If we missed one, we had to start all over. Some guys were stuck there for hours lol
Yeah a lot of people spend big money on a driver, but the putter is the only club that you use on every single hole and can save you far more strokes than a big drive. I had a $40 driver that I could hit over 300 yards, but a $200 putter. Still couldnt putt though LOL
I have a $350 driver and a putter I got used for $5…
I usually get on in 3 or 4 depending and then a 2 putt was a victory, but there are too many 3 putts.
Three putts will kill you. I’ve been having far to many of them the last few rounds. The sad thing is that my putting went to crap right when the rest of my game was getting better. If only I could have all parts of my game clicking well at the same time it would be great.
I tend to find out that if the rest of your game improves you generally putt worse. Why is that? Well, if you are hitting greens in regulation (2 on a par 4 etc) you are probably further from the hole than if you reached the green in 3 so you tend to putt more. Short game is the biggest thing to work on and its usually the thing most regular golfers spend the least on.
Putting, putting, putting
My father shot his age into his late seventies on the Mankato Country Club.
When you have 18-24 putts per round it’s amazing ( not really) how low your scores can be. His drives were not long but straight. When you’re not in trouble in the rough or behind the trees the game gets exponentially easier.
Hit the fairway, practice the short game and practice those 6′ or less putts on the practice greens – those are the killers.
I Have played Baseball my whole life followed up by about ten years of playing a ton of slow pitch softball. As I get into my later 30’s I find more and more enjoyment in golfing. It is a game that totally frustrates me at times and yet finding myself wanting to golf more.
I have a friend who every years goes and works at the master and is in charge of the greens for three holes.
My father shot his age into his late seventies on the Mankato Country Club.
When you have 18-24 putts per round it’s amazing ( not really) how low your scores can be. His drives were not long but straight. When you’re not in trouble in the rough or behind the trees the game gets exponentially easier.
That is exactly how my Father plays too and he’s in his 70’s. Does not hit the ball far. Keeps it straight. Rarely hits the green in regulation on par 4’s or 5’s but never 3 putts, often 1 putts, and almost always gets up and down when chipping. I will say he does get a noticeable advantage off the tee now being that he’s 73 but that really has nothing to do with how honed his short game is.
Does not hit the ball far. Keeps it straight. Rarely hits the green in regulation on par 4’s or 5’s but never 3 putts, often 1 putts, and almost always gets up and down when chipping. I will say he does get a noticeable advantage off the tee now being that he’s 73 but that really has nothing to do with how honed his short game is.
THis is exactly what I was eluding to earlier. Hitting the green in regulation can be a good and bad thing. Bad thing if you are a terrible putter.
I play my better games by playing low stress. Hybrid off the tee box if I know I will slice my driver. Get yourself to a full swing out from the green and 2 putt. I average around 90 so im not great but it keeps it mellow.
Golf for me now is a struggle. In my 20’s and 30’s I was between a 8-10 handicap. As I have gotten older fatter and physically fallen apart. I can’t play even close to what I used to score, and that makes golf more frustrating than fun. Now I just am trying to play the nicest courses around the country and not try to embarrass myself. Pebble Beach, Harbor Town, and Baniff are a few I want to hit before I die. In MN I like the Madden’s, Giants Ridge are fun, and Decons Lodge is another favorite.
Currently play about 3x a week. Mostly Tianna up in Walker, also Longbow and Headwaters. Looking At planning a trip to the Biwabik area, Giants Ridge, then up to Superior National next year.
For 2 years, while living on Maui, I played multiple times a week. I played all the Wailea Courses… I lived on the Blue Course, Hole #11, but Emerald was my favorite. I played the Kapalua Bay Course a couple dozen times and the Kapalua Plantation (where the Sentry TOC is played every year) 3 times
Well Big G, we just got back from Oahu, and I had the pleasure of playing Royal Hawaiian aka The Jurassic Park Course. And all I can say is WOW! That was the most beautiful course I’ve ever seen, let alone had the pleasure to play. I’ll post some pics later, but if anyone is going to Oahu I’d strongly recommend playing there. Surprisingly one of the cheaper courses on the island too (Hawaii cheap, not MN cheap fyi). Rental clubs are less than ideal, especially with how that course is setup to reward accuracy far more than length (only 5500 yards from the white tees). But honestly did not care how I played, it was like being on another planet.
Nice 
What was a round there ? More than $350 ? Want to play that someday too ! 
Golfing is can be a lot of fun but its too expensive of a hobby for me to do frequently. At least when I spend $100 on fishing, I usually have a rod or reel to show for it. A buddy of mine has a simulator in his garage and that is a lot of fun – we play almost every thursday night in the winter.
It’s like the guys who buy a new driver for more distance, not going to happen. It’s club head speed, club head speed.
Golfing is can be a lot of fun but its too expensive of a hobby for me to do frequently. At least when I spend $100 on fishing
They are pretty evenly expensive imo, unless you have a small boat and fish close to home most of the time. When I had my boat it was usually $100 in gas, minnows and snacks/drinks before I hit the water. And golf or fishing trips out of state are much more expensive, obviously.
What was a round there ? More than $350 ?
It was $165 + clubs, balls, wife ride along fee, more balls at the turn 
, and beverages. Ended up being about $300 total, which I would gladly pay again! FWIW a fishing guide trip for half a day started at $400…
Let’s see if this video from the Clubhouse posts.
Guess not on the video, here’s some pics.
IMG_7671-scaled.jpeg
IMG_7669-scaled.jpeg
IMG_7676-scaled.jpeg
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
