Alexandria Golf Club is one of the oldest golf courses in Minnesota, and the look and feel of the course reflects this, especially the front nine which was built many years before the back. The front nine has undulating fairways that are generously wide and lined with old oak trees. The rough is not terribly punitive, and our group managed to find all our balls that wandered from the fairway. The guys in our foursome had played courses all over the state and all agreed that these greens were among the fastest they’d played all year. Subtle breaks and concern about downhill putts screaming past the hole meant that many putts were left short and there were few one-putt greens in our group. Most of the greens slope from back to front, and many of them are built slightly above the fairway with a definite false front. Several chips from off the green ended up rolling back to the feet of the unfortunate golfer. The back nine looks quite different from the front. Evergreen trees, cottonwoods, and other trees dominate and there are few old oak trees. But the fairways and greens are consistent with the front, and the greens are just as smooth and fast. A major novelty of the course is that three greens are shaped as the outlines of Minnesota, Texas, and Oklahoma. Minnesota is understandable, but I had to ask about Oklahoma and Texas and was told by a staff member that several of the early founding members of the club had connections to those states. The seventh hole, a par 3, plays to 138 yards from the member tees. The elevated tees allow you to see the Minnesota-shaped green with water on the left and OB on the right. A sign tells you the placement of the pin by reference to a Minnesota city- Winona would be front right and Thief River Falls would be back left. The rolling terrain on which the course is set means that several holes have an elevated tee shot down to the fairway and then an uphill approach shot to the green. This is a problem on the 16th hole, a 344 yard par 4, which has a blind tee shot over a hill. The hill can hide golfers in the fairway, so be sure the way is clear before hitting that 250 yard tee shot! The finishing hole again has a semi-blind tee shot to the fairway which slopes significantly from right to left. No one in our foursome had played the course before, and we were all surprised when tee shots that seemed to hug the right side of the fairway ended up at the bottom of the slope on the extreme left edge of the fairway. Lesson learned- if you don’t know what’s in front of you, drive up to take a look before teeing off. The golf club is private, but non-members not accompanied by a member are allowed to play for a slightly higher greens fee. There are six sets of tees ranging from 6,540 yards to 5,188 yards, so the course is playable for golfers of all skill levels, including seniors and women. Alexandria is slightly off the beaten path for most golfers in Minnesota, but this golf course is well worth the drive.
