2009 Golf Season’s Last Stand

As the calendar turns from October to November so too does fall begin it’s transformation to winter here in Minnesota. It’s Halloween and the forecast today calls for a spooky cold high of 41 degrees, but tomorrow may be the seasons last stand as it is predicted to stretch into the 50’s.

The fall golf season is my favorite time of year, with the exception of losing balls in the leaves. However, with ridiculous amounts of rain this October Mother Nature cheated us of one of the best golf months of the year here.

So tomorrow, fellow Minnesotans, grab the sticks for one last round. TiVo the Vikings/Packers and enjoy the prcious few hours that remain in this treasured season!

October Snow Stalls the Golf Season

It’s hard to believe it’s October 12 as I look out my office window and see snowflakes falling from the sky. This is not “crazy,” but it is pretty unusual even for Minnesota.  Here’s the good news, the long term forecast has temps in the mid 50’s for next Saturday and possibly into the 60’s on Sunday.  So, though the golf season has just a few weeks left this year, hold on fast to the belief that there are still a a handful of good rounds left on the links here in the upper midwest.

Fall Golf is Upon Us

As I see the leaves change and the temperatures drop I’m quick to recall why this is my favorite time of the year to play golf.  It’s the combination of cooler temps, lush fairways and greens and the low autumn sunshines long shadows.  Last week I played Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik for the first time and it was simply spectacular.  The course may be the most dramatic in the state and as the fall of the year is upon us, this will be a glorious spot in the coming weeks.  I highly recommend getting there before the snow flies!

Territory Golf Club Introduces Special Summer Rates

This week Territory Golf Club in St. Cloud, MN introduced special summer rates for golf, which are frankly, stunning.  Monday and Tuesday you can play WITH a cart for $29.95!  Wednesday to Sunday it’s $26 for golf $13 for a cart for a total of $39.  Twilight on those days is $29.95 with a cart after 3:30pm and the “Sundowner” greens fee on Sunday after 1p.m. is also $29.95 walk or ride.

 

Okay, I had a chance to play Territory Golf Club a couple weeks ago and the course is fabulous.  The nine’s are very different, one playing in the prairie, the other in the woods.  It’s a forgiving, yet challenging golf course with rolling fairways and undulating greens.  For those of you not familiar with Territory, it is owned by Tradition Golf which also owns stellar properties like Legends Club in Prior Lake, MN and Willinger’s in Northfield.  

 

If you haven’t checked out Territory, now is a great time.  Leave early for the cabin next time you head up north and carve out a few hours to play Territory, you’ll love it.

Wilds 4P5P7485

Wilds 4P5P7485

Originally uploaded by StoryTellerMN

The Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake is in fantastic shape.

The Wilds Golf Club in Top Shape

One round down, and most of May still to go!  I had a chance to get down to play the Wilds in Prior Lake, MN earlier this week and I was shocked at how well the course made it through the winter.  The greens were firm and quick for the most part and the fairways and rough, albeit still coming in, were in terrific shape.  The one exception would be the number 7 green, that resembles a pimple faced teen with some scattered pock marks.  That said, with the right pin placement, it may not effect your score and it definitely will not impact your golf experience.

 

To top it off, the round was free!  Not because someone comped me, but because I subbed for a player in a golf league.  This golf league may be the deal around.  From what I understand, it’s $660 for the summer, golf every Monday with tee times beginning after 4:15pm, unless the course is hosting an event, and play as many holes as you can.  The league lasts through the entire summer.  We did the math and it comes out to like $40 a round and on a course like The Wilds, that’s a fantastic value!

Why Golf is Still Good For Your Business

I play golf.  I don’t play nearly as much as I’d like or as much as I did before my wife and I started raising children, but I love the game and will play whenever I can sneak away to get in 18 holes.  Heck, I’ll take 9 if that’s all I can get in.  I’ll also play with just about anyone.  Man, woman, senior citizen, little old ladies and little kids. I have friends I enjoy playing with, but I’ve never been averse to taking my clubs to the course alone and finding a group to play with.  You always meet interesting people when you join others.

Teach Your Children Well – PLAY GOLF!

I screwed up.  I forgot to schedule a golf lesson for my two boys, aged 12 and 9.  My 12 year old pointed it out to me while I was surfing my Tweetdeck and enjoying a cup of coffee this morning.  Coincidentally, at about the same time, I came across a link to a blog that discussed why kids don’t play golf.  A fitting blog based on what was happening in my house at the moment.

Anyway, I’m not so sure that kids are not interested in playing golf. Sure, the numbers are not as strong as most golf associations would like and the swell of young golfers has quieted since the initial emergence of Tiger Woods on the scene in the mid/late ’90s, but kids are still out there taking up the game.

In Minnesota we have fabulous junior golf programs through the PGA Minnesota section and the Minnesota Golf Association. Kids get involved at a young age and have the opportunity to learn and compete in tournaments around the area or state.  Best of all, you don’t need to be a member of a private club to partake.  Though I believe it is helpful if, as parents, you also play.

So, perhaps it’s not so much that the kids don’t like the game, but that fewer adults are also playing. No question, golf needs to do some re-inventing of itself as it relates to the kids, but I think as parents we are also responsible for helping our children to become exposed to the game.

Over the years, I’ve had an opportunity to meet with and interview, Minnesotan and 1996 British Open Champion, Tom Lehman. Earlier this year he told me that if you, an adult, really love to play then get your kids involved. Take them with you, get them lessons and help them learn the game. His point isn’t so much to recruit golfers as much as it is to spend quality time together as a family. Lehman made a point to say that golf takes a while to play, with travel at least 5, maybe 6 hours. Rather than leave your children behind (which makes your kids think you’d rather do something else than be with them) bring them with you and help them understand what makes the game of golf such a wonderful past time.

E-Trade Baby is No Shankopatomus!

An associate found this and sent it to me and thought you might get a kick out of it.  It’s like the movie “Fargo” meets golf.  Enjoy!

Minnesota Golf Courses Represented Well in America’s Top 100

Once again, Minnesota golf is well represented in the coveted Golf Digest list of America’s Greatest 100 Golf Courses.  On the public side, Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik, MN pulled in two Top 100′a with the Quarry checking in at number 20 and the Legend at 72.  The Classic at Madden’s also cracked the list at number 40.  If you haven’t had a chance to get up to Biwabik, get there.  The Quarry may be the most dramatic and breathtaking course in the state, which is obviously something that the raters at Golf Digest have picked up on.  The Legend is also splendid, but with fewer (like maybe two) visually eye popping holes.  

 

As for the Classic at Madden’s, each time you play that course, you love it a little bit more.  The layout of the course is extremely fair and every hole makes you stop and say, “wow.”  All three are deserving of their rankings.  Congratulations to them all.

 

Also, making some waves in Golf Digest are two courses owned by Edina based, Tradition Golf.  Willinger’s Golf Club and The Legends Club in Prior Lake were named “Best in State,” which is a compilation of the best courses in the state of Minnesota.  Willinger’s is one of the best hidden gems in the Twin Cities vicinity.  Primarily because it’s about a half hour outside of the south side of Minneapolis, but trust me, it’s worth the trip.  Affordable green fees and a memorable tour around some of the best real estate in Northfield.  The Legends Club is hands down my favorite course in the Twin Cities area.  Play that course and about a half hour into your round you’ll forget that you’re in a suburb of Minneapolis.  It’s stunning and reminiscent of some of the courses in Northern Minnesota.  In case you’re wondering the Top public course?  Pebble Beach, what else?

 

America’s 100 Greatest Courses also rates the “privates” as well and on top of the list is of course, Augusta National.  Not a surprise, but in a sense boringly predictable, like Pebble in the public list.  What’s interesting about the list this year is Hazeltine National’s ranking.  Yes, they’re in the Top 100, but all the way down at 91.  That’s two spots lowere than their previous ranking.  Yes, the course has been around for a while and it has made the list every year since 1966, but it doesn’t get the respect that it deserves.  

 

The members at Hazeltine are addressing some of the obvious changes that need to be made, like the clubhouse, but the course itself is as challenging and dynamic as it’s ever been.  In fact, they added some nasty fangs to the course by pulling back the tees to some 7,500 some yards.  If it plays from the tips at this summer’s PGA Championship, it will be the longest course in PGA Championship history.  Not that length is everything, but if you want to see nasty, wait until the boys tee it up from the back with a prevailing wind blowing across Chaska.  Nevertheless, it’s becoming more and more difficlut to compete on this list with some of the new courses popping up around the country, but this Robert Trent Jones course, that was built in 1962 is still on par with some of the other classics in America that somehow rank higher.  Hmmm, makes you wonder if that new clubhouse will make a difference after all?

 

Interlachen Country Club checks in at 64.  It too is down a couple spots from the last issue of America’s Top 100.  No question, this is a special golf course.  I played my final round of the year at Interlachen CC in 2008.  A beautiful, unseasonably warm November afternoon, and it was downright magical (corny, but true).  Days like that are days that you understand and appreciate what makes Interlachen a special spot.  Still, I’d like to bundle up Interlachen and Hazeltine and strap them to a favorable rater and ride that list up to the top 20!