Amazing Brainerd,Minnesota Golf See pages 4-5

September 2012

MIURA INTRODUCES ITSFIRST FORGED & MILLED

MALLET PUTTER Page 2

Barry CalandWins Thunder BayDistrict Open AndRetires From Golf

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Superb GolfJust A Short

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Growing up in Northwestern Ontario Iam very familar with the northern terrainfound in Minnesota. My first trip toBrainerd allowed me to play 5 fantasticcourses in a few days and leave with anexcellent golf experience!

Cragun’s Resort is on the south end ofGull Lake and has 2 - 18 hole golf coursesdesigned by Robert Trent Jones Jr., theDutch Legacy and Bobby’s Legacy. TheDutch course recently got rated 5 stars byGolf Digest, one of only 24 courses in thecountry. Bobby’s Legacy got 4.5 starswhich is no slouch either. Cragun’s alsohave a 9 hole par three course around theirlarge driving range which is reversible sothey change it each day. The courses havea 30,000 square foot clubhouse with 2 din-ing rooms, a bar, large patio and ballroom.People can sit out overlooking the groundson the deck which is a great setting.

“ We started construction of the golfcourses August 6th 1997 and opened inSeptember of 1998. The Dutch Legacy wasfirst and then Bobby’s Legacy and theclubhouse came in 2000. The courses areowned by Dutch, age 78, and Irma Cragun,

husband and wife. Cragun’s has been inoperation for 70 years,” said ChuckKlecatsky, Director of Golf Cragun Legacycourse. “ We also have 240 cottages andhotel rooms which can sleep over 1000when we are fully operational. It is a bigproperty. We were was known as a confer-ence and family resort but we have nowmade a mark in the golf industry.”

The public green fee is $125 atCragun’s with a golf cart equipped withPro Link GPS and includes the range. Theoff seasonal spring rate is $79 and fallrate $50. There also is a twilight rate of$62.50 after 2:30 each day. “ We try toappeal to all segments of the market. Ifyou stay at the resort you get a rate of $79anytime of the day. The best way to cometo Cragun’s is on a golf package whereyou get your meals, room and golf allincluded. See www.craguns.com/golf. Wecustom build packages for each group andwork with our neighbours on thewww.brainerdgolftrail.com You can fill ona online request,” said Klecatsky. “Dutch’s Legacy and Bobby’s get equalrequests. We have been blessed with a nicepiece of land. We have 5 sets of tees soyou can never get bored with the holes.The Dutch course is a unique course with

6 par 3’s, 6 par 4’s and 6 par 5’s. The par 4is the hardest hole for the amateur becauseyou have to hit two good shots in order tohave a chance at par. People like par 3’sbecause everyone thinks you may make ahole in one and on par 5’s everyone feelsyou have an extra shot to play with. Youhave plenty of challenge but the penalty

fits well with the challenge. The coursesare on 450 acres and meander betweenwetlands and the forest. On the Dutch 18we moved very little land.”

“ Our biggest challenge here at Brainerdis to get people to try us out. If we get thefirst try we get great repeat business. Wewant people to think of Brainerd instead ofgolf destinations like Pinehurst, MyrtleBeach or Scottsdale- traditional places. Weput our product up against those any dayat a fraction of the cost. For the Canadianmarket it is a drive destination. You canalso fly here with Delta. We will pick youup at the airport and transport you betweencourses,” said Klecatsky. “ Minnesotanice is a true statement. It is a little differ-ent feeling here. We are happy you choseto spend your dollars with us and workhard at offering exceptional service. Ourmarket is Minneapolis, a 21/2 hour driveaway as well as Winnipeg and ThunderBay. The Canadians seem to enjoy thevalue. We love our Canadian Market espe-cially in April and May as we may openearlier. The Canadians are also good atsharing their experiences with others so

that helps.”The two Cragun’s courses will do over

40,000 rounds between April 15th toOctober 15th. Craguns is open 12 monthsof the year with cross country skiing andsnowmobiling. The Brainerd area has apopulation of 23,000 people but can swellto over 100,000 on Brainerd International

Race weekends.It was a real treat to stay in the Brainerd

area at the historic Grandview Lodge mainlodge building.This stately structure is partof a large compound area which includescabins, a conference facility, 9 hole execu-

tive course and the Pines 27 hole facilitybuilt in 1990, the first high end course innorthern Minnesota.

Continued Next Page

Amazing Brainerd, Minnesota Golf

BY SCOTT A. SUMNERNW Ontario Golfing News

Page 4 September 2012

Continued

“ Our course started it off as a golf focusfor the area. We have cottages with 4 or 5bedroom units with poker tables. You canbring 4, 8 or 16 golfers here as a group andwe have large common areas for them. Sixmiles north of here is the Preserve an 18hole golf course and then Deacons Lodgewhich is another one of our properties. Wehave 72 holes ourselves and you can alsoexperience Maddens, Craguns and BreezyPoint on the Brainerd Golf Trail,” said EricPeterson, the Director Of Golf atGrandview Lodge, “ We at Grandview havebeen recogonized nationally as a top 75golf resort by Golf Digest.”

“ The Deacons Lodge course is situated

on a big property of 500 acres with 18holes with wide fairways and without sideby side fairways. It is a unique layout theoffers great vistas off the tee boxes. The 17th hole is a nice looking hole ranked highlyby Arnold Palmer. He used the land well,”smiles Peterson. “ The Pines has 27 holesand all have there own feel. We rotate thenines evenly, the conditioning is impecca-ble and I would put it up against any publiccourse. Joel Goldstrand is the designer andhas designed many Minnesota golf cours-es.The Pines course has matured over theyears.”

The daily green fee rate is $94 and $104weekends at the Pines with Deacon’sLodge $10 more. Grandview offers 3rounds of golf with 2 nights accommada-tion and meals from $300 to $550 per per-son based on double occupancy in golferoriented units. Grandview has 200 roomsranging from hotel to 8 bedroom cabins. “We can have over 800 people staying withus on any summer day. Our main market inMinneapolis, Winnipeg, Fargo andThunder Bay, We are 2 1/2 hours fromMinneapolis and 2 hours from Duluth.These are drive markets,” said Peterson. “We have seen a growing Canadian marketwith the quality and variety of golf with thedifferent designers that we offer here inBrainerd. The Canadians usually stay 3nights with 4 days of golf. They play a lotof golf, usually twice per day. We will buildpackages for any schedule.”

It was also fun to play the Preservecourse managed by Grandview Lodge. Thecourse opened in 1996 and was designed byDan Helbing. “ I believe our patio offers thebest view in the state. For me the views ofthe course from 11 elevated tee boxes hit-ting down are great,” said Nathan Erickson,Head Professional at the Preserve GolfCourse of Grandview Lodge. “ We doaround 20,000 rounds each year. Our primetime season is May 15 to September 20thand green fees are $94 during the week and$104 on the weekends. You get discountedrates if you stay at Grandview. Also from 2to 4 pm our rate is $ 69 and after 4 pm $49so if you are price conscious you havechoices. If you stay, play and eat we pro-vide good deals with our great golf pack-ages.”

Deacons Lodge opened in 1999 and wasdesigned by Arnold Palmer. Deacon wasPalmer’s fathers name. “Deacon’s Lodgeoffers a broad variety of golf holes on over500 acres with a lot of waste bunkers.Everything is very big- fairways, greens,tees and the water hazards. You will enjoythe separations of each hole.” said NathanWeisenburger, Shop assistant and previous-ly an assistant professional at Deacon’sLodge.

My last course at Brainerd would be thewell known and highly recogonized, TheClassic at Madden’s. This large golf resortdevelopment includes 4 courses and over300 units to stay including hotel rooms,suites or cabins with 2 to 4 bedrooms. “ Istarted here at Madden’s in 1973 but theresort has been here since 1929. This hasbeen my life. When I first started we had 36hoes of golf and a additional social nine, sowe were the largest at the time. There were3 resorts that were separate and we assem-bled them into one,” said Brian Thuranger,Owner and General Manager of Maddens. “My job is to keep it going and improve it.The basic infrastructure was here when Icame in 1973. We have just dusted it off alittle bit and improved it.”

The well known Classic course atMaddens was opened 13 years ago with thedesigner of the course their superintendent,Scott Hoffman. It is ranked 40th in the GolfDigest top 100 list and 5 stars by GolfDigest magazine. “ When you are out thereyou are out there alone with your group andsee few other golfers. It is a great test ofgolf and you have to play well to shoot agood score. It is a championship golf coursebut with a variety of tees so any one canplay here,” said Chris Foley, Head GolfProfessional at Maddens. “ We get about18,000 rounds per year on this course. Thegolfers come from Minneapolis and wehave many Canadian guests. The green feeis $ 119 weekend . If you stay at the resortit is $85, from Memorial to Labour Daywhich is our peak season.”

“ We originally contracted with RobertTrent Jones Sr. who did some beginninglayout work. Our superintendent, ScottHoffman gave so much advice and Ibelieved in him so I said get three people tohelp you and he found three fantastic guyswho worked well with him to create theClassic at Maddens. We walked every one

of our existing holes to get a feel for whatthe Classic would be. This golf course isminimalist. We didn’t have to move muchdirt, this golf course was here. As Scott saidhe just brushed it off.”

My time on the Brainerd Golf Trail was afantastic golf experience. The quality ofgolf here stacks up with anywhere you canfind in North America, but remains some-what generally unknown. When you make

your first golf trip to this area I am sure itwill become an annual event!

Page 5September 2012

Amazing Brainerd, Minnesota Golf

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Golfers in NW Ontario can hop in theircars, drive some 90 miles and be on oneof the most scenic golf courses you willever find at Lutsen, Minnesota. SuperiorNational is a 27 hole facility with threeseparate nines the River, Mountain andCanyon. Superior National at Lutsenopened in the fall of 1991 with 18 holesand in 1999 went to 27 holes with thepretty Canyon nine added. SuperiorNational is owned by Cook County inMinnesota and new this year are 40brand new Yamaha golf carts and wallto wall cart paths on the Canyon golfcourse.

“ In the spring of the year, most ofour golfers come from Thunder Bay. On

Memorial weekend most come fromMinneapolis. We are a travelling golfcourse and with our member rounds weget 19,000 in a typical year,” said Greg

Leland at Superior National. “We offerfull service, a friendly atmosphere andrelaxed golf. If you phone ahead or are amember of our e club we offer golf dis-counts. There is a Thunder Bay saverscard which many come down on, wherea round of golf is $40, a good deal withcart and range included.”

Superb Golf Just A Short Drive Away In MinnesotaBY SCOTT A. SUMNERNW Ontario Golfing News

Page 8 September 2012

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