Giants Ridge resort - Quarry golf course - 13th
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Giants Ridge resort - Quarry golf course - 13th
The drivable, par-4 13th is one of the most exciting holes on The Quarry golf course at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Wilderness at Fortune Bay golf course
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Wilderness at Fortune Bay golf course
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay, which is affiliated with the Fortune Bay Resort Casino, is one of the best public/resort courses in Minnesota. Courtesy photo
Deacon's Lodge golf course - Breezy Point Resort - 17th
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Deacon's Lodge golf course - Breezy Point Resort - 17th
Don't underestimate the 17th hole on Breezy Point Resort's Deacon's Lodge Course, a 200-yarder that plays harder than it looks. Courtesy of Peter Wong
Madden's on Gull Lake - Classic golf course
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Madden's on Gull Lake - Classic golf course
The Classic Course at Madden's on Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minn. is a definitive "hidden gem. Courtesy of Madden's on Gull Lake
The Legend at Giants Ridge
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The Legend at Giants Ridge
Look for the "giant's" footprint bunker on no. 3, a 501-yard par 5 at The Legend at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minn. Courtesy of Giants Ridge
Mississippi Dunes Golf Links
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Mississippi Dunes Golf Links
Mississippi Dunes Golf Links is a highly rated semiprivate club located next to the Mississippi River, 10 minutes southeast of Minneapolis. Courtesy of Mississippi Dunes
Rush Creek Golf Club
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Rush Creek Golf Club
Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, Minn. hosted LPGA Tour events in the 1990s. Courtesy of Explore Minnesota
Dacotah Ridge Golf Club - hole 11
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Dacotah Ridge Golf Club - hole 11
Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton is one of the off-the-beaten-path courses worth discovering in Minnesota. Courtesy of Dacotah Ridge G.C.
The Pines at Grand View Lodge
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The Pines at Grand View Lodge
The Pines at Grand View Lodge is one of the best golf courses of Brainerd, Minnesota. Courtesy of Peter Wong
Meadows at Mystic Lake golf course
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Meadows at Mystic Lake golf course
The Meadows at Mystic Lake is a beautiful amenity of the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minn. Courtesy of The Meadows
The Wilds Golf Club - hole 18
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The Wilds Golf Club - hole 18
The Wilds Golf Club is one of three high-end, daily-fee courses in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Courtesy of Peter Wong
The Preserve at Grand View Lodge
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The Preserve at Grand View Lodge
The Preserve at Grand View Lodge rolls through the beautiful backwoods of Brainerd, Minnesota. Courtesy of Explore Minnesota
Bobby's Legacy at Cragun�۪s Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake - 9th
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Bobby's Legacy at Cragun�۪s Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake - 9th
The ninth hole on Bobby's Legacy at Cragun's Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake plays only 112 yards long. Courtesy of Peter Wong
Dutch Legacy at Cragun's Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake - 12th
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Dutch Legacy at Cragun's Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake - 12th
The 185-yard 12th is one of the most scenic holes on the Dutch Legacy golf course at Cragun's Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake. Courtesy of Peter Wong
Willingers Golf Club - hole 3
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Willingers Golf Club - hole 3
No. 3 at Willingers Golf Club in Northfield, Minn. is a 185-yard par 3 sandwiched between two ponds. Courtesy of Willingers G.C.
The Legends Golf Club - clubhouse
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The Legends Golf Club - clubhouse
The finishing hole at The Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake, Minn. sits in the shadow of the clubhouse. Courtesy of The Legends G.C.
Superior National at Lutsen golf course
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Superior National at Lutsen golf course
Superior National at Lutsen is in the midst of a $4.5-million renovation by Jeff Brauer. Courtesy of Superior National
Edinburgh USA Golf Course - hole 15
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Edinburgh USA Golf Course - hole 15
The 15th hole at the Edinburgh USA Golf Course in Brooklyn Park, Minn. is a 544-yard par 5. Courtesy of Edinburgh USA
Chaska Town Course - hole 18
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Chaska Town Course - hole 18
The finishing hole is filled with trouble on the Chaska Town Course. Courtesy of Chaska Town Course
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Picturesque: The best golf courses in Minnesota, host of the 2016 Ryder Cup Matches

Minnesota -- the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" -- is home to almost 9,000 golf holes, courtesy of the roughly 500 courses in the state. It has always boasted more golf courses per capita than any other state in the U.S.

With the 2016 Ryder Cup Matches coming Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, a suburb of Minneapolis, all eyes of the golf world will be on a state that too often gets overlooked as a top-class golf destination.

The best resorts and public courses are found north of the Twin Cities in Brainerd Lakes and the Iron Range. Brainerd's best resorts -- Madden's at Gull Lake, and Cragun's Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake, both in Brainerd; the Grand View Lodge Golf Resort & Spa in Nisswa; and Breezy Point Resort in Pequot Lakes -- all offer multiple courses and plenty of family fun on water or land. Deacon's Lodge at Breezy Point, an Arnold Palmer design, and The Classic at Madden's regularly rank among the top 100 public courses in the country.

Heading farther north toward the Canadian border near the beautiful Boundary Waters are the 36-hole Giants Ridge Resort in tiny Biwabik and the Wilderness at Fortune Bay, a casino-owned course in Tower, Minn., that overlooks Lake Vermillion.

A nice mix of strong municipal courses -- mainly the Chaska Town Course in Chaska and Edinburgh USA Golf Course in Brooklyn Park -- and higher-end daily fees ring the Twin Cites of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Edingburgh USA and Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove hosted the state's only LPGA Tour event for nearly a decade in the 1990s and remain popular choices today.

Willingers Golf Club in Northfield, StoneRidge Golf Club in Stillwater and Mississippi Dunes Golf Links in Cottage Dunes anchor the east side. Legends Golf Club, The Meadows at Mystic Lake and The Wilds Golf Club -- along with the state's largest casino, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel -- have turned Prior Lake into a great weekend getaway on the south side.

Not to be forgotten, Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton (110 miles southwest of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport) and The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City (70 miles southeast of the airport) are off the beaten path. Golf Advisor users ranked The Jewel 14th among the top 50 courses in the country that cost less than $50.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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Picturesque: The best golf courses in Minnesota, host of the 2016 Ryder Cup Matches