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MINNESOTA:
FALL COLORS GOLF CAPTIAL OF AMERICA
Nowhere where else in America
will you find a better collection of golf courses to play and experience
Fall Colors Golf. Minnesota’s diverse natural landscape offers
great golf on a variety of terrains. From the rugged rocky cliffs, mountainous
terrain and tall pine forests of the Lake Superior coast, to the thousands
of lakes, historic resorts and wooded hillsides of Central Minnesota,
to the scenic bluffs and valleys along the Mississippi. Minnesota’s
diverse natural landscape is a great host for golf courses, and Minnesota
is a great host for golfers.
Beautiful white sand that was
barged in from the Ohio River valley fills the bunkers at the magnificent
Legends Golf Club located 20 minutes south of the Mall of America
in Minneapolis. The attention to detail and service here is of the highest
quality at this Gill Design, daily-fee facility. The Legends features
huge greens and generous landing areas with a 30 acre lake, cascading
creeks, “links” mounding, boulders, scenic woodlands and wetlands,
native grasses and the best collection of 3-pars you’ll find anywhere.
Needless to say, The Legends “Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” certification
is in the works. The Legends is the #1 course in the Twin Cities area,
Top 3 in the state and was recently voted the “2006 Golf Course of
the Year” by the Midwest Golf Course Owners Association.
Another course to visit after
a trip to the Mall of America is the
Rush Creek Golf Club. Rush Creek is a public course with a private-club
feel and offers an exciting mix of rush-filled marshlands, lush fairways
and tree-lined backdrops. At the Stonebrook Golf Club in Shakopee,
an intimidating tee shot must carry at least 200 yards over water to
the fairway, after your tee shots you must drive your carts onto a ferry
that transports you across Lake O’Dowd. It’s quite unique! Called
Minnesota’s “Crown Jewel of Golf”, The Wilds in Prior Lake
features 150 feet in elevation changes, towering Ponderosa Pines, 70
strategically placed bunkers and breathtaking vistas. The Wilds is also
conveniently located next to the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, so you can
win back any wager you lost on the golf course.
The Northwest/Central Lakes
region has become a haven for golf and is home to the one of the world’s
top golf destinations, the Brainerd Lakes Area. Here, you will discover
a multitude of world-class courses and resorts all within 45 minutes
of each other on the Brainerd Golf Trail. Mature pine and birch forests,
natural marshlands and lakes abundant with wildlife are some of the
reasons the area has become a favorite fall colors golf destination.
Three renowned golf course architects took advantage of Paul Bunyan’s
handiwork by creating 54 holes at one of the “Top 100 Golf Resorts
in the World,” The Grand View Lodge. The Pines at Grand View
Lodge, built in 1990, is one of only twelve golf courses to receive
Golf Digest’s coveted 5-star rating and the only one in Minnesota.
Arnold Palmer recently put his stamp on the Brainerd Golf Trail with
a superb new design called Deacon’s Lodge. Named after his
father and proclaimed as Palmer’s finest design, Deacon’s is a golfer’s
natural sanctuary nestled around three wilderness lakes, deep wetlands
and pristine forests.
Another first class resort
in Brainard Lakes that has a rich tradition of hospitality and treating
each guest with friendliness and personal service is Cragun’s resort.
Located on the shores of Gull Lake, Cragun’s features three new Robert
Trent Jones Jr. courses. These Legacy Courses at Cragun’s Resort
are embraced by the world’s largest Audubon Signature Sanctuary, where
fall colors abound on over 1,000 acres of woods, pristine Legacy Lake
and wetlands areas spanned by 1,400 feet of wooden bridges.
The sun glistening off Lake
Superior reflect on brilliant yellow Birch trees, the whisper of the
wind through the tall pines and the echo of your tee shot off the rocky
outcroppings all awaits you in Northeast Minnesota. Carved out of the
rugged Superior National Forest just one hour northwest of Duluth, Giants
Ridge Golf & Ski Resort boasts two of the Top 100 golf courses in
America and the new Quarry Course, the #1 “Best New Upscale
Public Course in America for 2004.” Award winning architect Jeff Brauer
used a nearby abandoned iron ore mine to create this classic track.
The Legend, is an equally spectacular course at Giants Ridge where
a moose crossed my path on the 13th hole. One of the most
picturesque courses in Minnesota is Superior National near the
shores of Lake Superior north of Duluth. Three separate nines with unmatched
vistas were built across this diverse, rugged topography offering both
beauty and an incredible challenge to golfers of all skill levels.
Another one of Jeff Brauer’s
top designs and the 2005 #1 Best New Upscale Course in America is
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay is
located only 20 miles from last years best new course winner The Quarry.
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay is carved out of the dense Minnesota Northwood’s
near The Boundary Waters and stretches to over 7,000 yards with an impressive
144 slope rating. The first hole, a 649 yard par five sets the tone
on this golfing masterpiece. At the Wilderness at Fortune Bay, play
is not limited to the golf course. Fortune Bay Resort Casino, located
on Lake Vermilion, is a complete vacation destination with golf, marina
and Las Vegas style-casino gambling.
Courses along the Mississippi
River, in the Root River Valley and in and around Rochester welcome
golfers with fall colors scenery unequaled in the Midwest.
Nestled amongst the grand bluffs of the Mississippi River in Lake City
is the new Jewel Golf Club designed and owned by three times
U.S. Open Winner, Hale Irwin. The Jewel Golf Club winds throughout 800
acres of the river valley and is sure to provide an enjoyable and colorful
experience for golfers of all skill levels. Additionally, the Lowlands
and Highlands courses at Mississippi National traverse up and
down the slopes overlooking the Mississippi River providing magnificent
fall colors for golfers and the Bald Eagles soaring overhead as well.
Minnesota offers unparalleled
fall colors golf, super fall specials, lodging and recreational opportunities
for the entire family. In Minnesota it’s golf. And a whole lot more.
For more information log-on to: golf.exploreminnesota.com
Explore Minnesota Golf
6550 York Avenue South
Suite 211
Edina, MN. 55435
800-657-3700
www.exploreminnesotagolf.com
THE JEWEL GOLF CLUB
Nestled among green hills and rugged
bluffs along the mighty Mississippi, The Jewel offers spectacular home
sites, world-class golf, and a dynamic array of recreational opportunities.
On Saturday, September 18, 2004,
at exactly one o’clock, in the shadows of Sugar Loaf bluff, Hale Irwin
hit the first golf ball off a tee at The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City.
Irwin, part owner and designer of The Jewel course, went on to play
nine holes and quickly charmed the gallery of property owners and guests
with a personality as warm as the day’s sun.
The outing, on the eighteen hole
championship course nestled among the bluffs of the Mississippi River
Valley and beautiful Lake Pepin, was part of a weekend long Founders
Club event for Jewel property owners and guests. Construction of the
golf course was completed last summer and its grand opening for play
is expected in May of 2005.
SOMERBY
The crown jewel of the Somerby
Community near Rochester, Minnesota, , is the new Tom Lehman signature
championship golf course with it’s new
“English Manor” style country club.
Nature provided
the perfect setting for one of Minnesota’s newest premier 18-hole
golf courses. Well known golf course architect John Fought teamed up
with British Open Champion Tom Lehman to create
“a golfers paradise” on 450 acres of rolling hills and natural wetlands.
They combined worldwide experience on the
links and exceptional design talent to fashion a course that takes full
advantage of the terrain and meandering creeks. Pockets of grassy wetlands,
lakes and ponds are carefully integrated into the bent grass fairways and approaches to the greens.
The result promises to be as challenging as it is beautiful.
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