Why Fall is the Perfect Season for Golf in Minnesota
Why Fall is the Perfect Season for Golf in Minnesota
Between cooler temperatures, prime fall peeping, and less competition for tee times, fall may be the best time of year to golf in Minnesota. There are more than 400 courses spread throughout the state; here is where you can find some of our favorites, from prairie links to lakeside resorts.
Hiawatha Golf Club is an urban golf oasis right inside Minneapolis
Minneapolis-St. Paul
About a quarter of Minnesota’s golf courses are located in the metro 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.
The vast prairies and skylines at Dacotah Ridge Golf Club make for fun fairways
Minnesota River Valley
Follow the golf trail along along the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway featuring 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 St. Peter’s Shoreland Country Club. The Rees Jones-designed Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton blends seamlessly with its rugged prairieland surroundings.
Play the only par 6 in Minnesota at Pine Beach East at Madden's Resort / Peter Wong
Scenic 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.
Wildflower Golf Course at Fair Hills Resort
Prairie Links Courses
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.
Superior National Golf Club is one of Minnesota's most picturesque courses / Sue Howard
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 currently ranked No. 35 in the U.S. according to Golf Digest.
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.