Handicap
5-9
Age
35-44
Gender
Male
Skill
Advanced
Plays
A few times a week

Review Statistics

Average Rating

4.3
4.2
Total 8 Reviews

Rating Breakdown

8 Reviews
5 Stars
4
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Recommended Courses
7
Not Recommended Courses
1
Helpful Votes Count
1
Not Helpful Votes Count
0
First Review
08/17/2020
Last Review
11/10/2020

Reviews Map

Reviews

4.2
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Course Difficulty
First time playing this course
Recommended
Review has

Rum River Hills Golf Club

Played On 11/07/2020
2.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

If price is your main concern, then this might be your place

I'll break this review down because it's not an all encompassing review for the rating.
Course: C- to D. If you don't hit it straight, or don't know where to hit it off the tee, you will struggle. You probably don't need a driver here either as even the Par 5's are short from the blue tees. Once you get to your ball, good luck having a good lie as the ground was firm for bouncing balls, but soft on approach shots. The greens are tough and not in good shape and the tees, especially on the Par 3's are in horrible shape. The landing areas were barren of grass and there were several holes where our group had to instill the "leaf rule" because the maintenance staff hadn't done any kind of leaf removal prior to the last week of warm weather here. For $40 (incl cart) this is a good deal if you don't care about the shape of the course.
Pro shop: F. This is still the original clubhouse/restaurant/pro shop its always been. You basically time warp to 1985 when you walk in. I was genuinely shocked to see a box of ProV1's for sale.
Pace of play was terrible and we were yelled at by 2 pro shop workers to get off the course after playing for 5 hrs (we had 1 hole left in a "last round of the year shotgun - not a scramble, just all players teeing off at the same time to make sure everyone finishes by dark").
The driving range was closed, so that wasn't great.
Their practice green is about 4 paces wide so you had 20+ groups of golfers all trying to practice putting and chipping on a sliver of a green. Not ideal
The only silver lining was the bev cart woman who had a great attitude and was really happy to see us every time she drove by, and she made sure we were staying hydrated as we saw her about 5-6x during our round.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Play before the leaves start dropping

This review goes for all three of the championship 9's at Bunker Hills. Playing these courses teaches you course management. You can't just bomb driver on every hole, especially if you don't hit it perfectly straight every time. The bunkers are great here, as they should be considering the name of the course. The courses are all very walkable for people of all ages. The only downfall is once the leaves start dropping, it's tough to find your ball in the rough as there didn't seem to be any kind of leaf maintenance when my group was out there - which slowed down our pace of play. The greens had also just been small tine aerated, which led to some terrible offline putts, but having played the course the day prior, I can say with confidence that these greens are typically in great shape.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Rush Creek Golf Club

Played On 10/02/2020
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

You pay for the experience

Want a "country club" feel without the monthly dues? Rush Creek is your spot just 30 mins NW of Minneapolis and about 50 mins from the airport (it takes awhile to get here from there). Bag drop in the parking lot, but the many attendees were just standing around doing nothing, so I dropped my own bag loudly in disgust that no one was offering to help (I was here for a charity event which is why I was shocked no one ran over to assist so I could go park). The staff in the pro shop was top notch as usual, and even pointed out their current year-end specials on apparel. The bar/restaurant is also a hot spot for my family during the year as they offer a wide menu and great drink specials. The course: various tees to play from ranging from 5,000-7,000 yards depending on skill level (not gender). Wide fairways, lush rough and firm & fast undulating greens is what you can expect when teeing it up here. You also won't see any members of the great maintenance staff (unless you're a dew sweeper) as they tend to get off the course fairly early in the morning. Rangers keep the pace of play adequate, bev carts parked at certain locations to keep you refreshed throughout your round and a course that offers some stunning views of lakes, glorious overpriced homes and even some farmland if you look close enough.. Don't mind the trailer park on the right of 16 tee, usually you don't even notice it's there. If you're looking to save $20-$25, walk the course, it's not that difficult to walk, but probably not advised as you're there to enjoy your $100+ round, not beat yourself up. Overall, this marshland course is a fun, fair test of golf that will leave you wanting to come back.

Conditions Excellent
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Chaska Town Course

Played On 09/03/2020
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

If it was a bit cheaper, it would probably be the best public course in MN

Course is always in great shape. When the wind is up, this course will eat your lunch. When it's not, its a fun place to be. You can save $ on fees by walking, but I don't think I'd recommend it as there are many hills to climb. First hole fairway is almost impossible to hit, so don't even bother trying and don't get down on yourself if you miss it because unless you're bombing a draw 300+ from the combo/tips, you're going to end up in the bunker. Other than that the typical amenities are what you'd expect. Overpriced gear in the pro shop, bev cart sales as expected and "bar food" at the turn/19th hole.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart

Gimmicky holes, but fun to play

First off, we come here every year as part of a guys "Ryder Cup weekend". This year was no different, except for the weather. Thunderstorms started at 2am, and didn't let up until we were through 9 holes and yet we were told to play away as our tee times were not going to be pushed back due to weather. Keep in mind, I noted there were thunderstorms, with a lot of lightning and we were told to play. This did not sit well with myself or my group and I understand we had this event planned several months in advance, but putting our lives on the line to keep our tee times is not something I ever plan to do again. We played cart path only, which slowed the pace of play down a ton, and the pro shop sent out twosomes in between our group at the turn, for whatever reason (twice - we played 36 holes this day). This is my first "bad" experience with the GVL group, so I'm not going to hold it over their heads too much, but I felt like they could've handled the day's weather and our play much better. We were thankful to not only live another day (a large birch tree fell during the storms across the cartpath near the clubhouse) but also to get all of our rounds in at this course. The course is always in immaculate condition, and this weekend was no different. I'm not a fan of hitting irons off the tee on Par 5's but if that's your thing, this course has that in spades as many of the holes are less than driver (there's also a Par 3 where you could hit driver off the tee if you're not very long)

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Hidden Gem, wish it wasn't so remote

This course is fantastic from a scoreability and challenging perspective. We played the course twice, and just knowing how the course played the 2nd time, resulted in a 7 shot swing (for the better). Pay attention to the directions on the cart for each hole, as it is very helpful. Also make sure you're taking proper lines off the tee as trying to cut off more or less can result in some penalty strokes. This course is literally in the middle of nowhere, which is great when it comes to playing a well maintained course, but driving from this course to Nisswa (where our golf trip was finishing the weekend) was quite the challenge as it's all backroads. You won't find a better course for the price, I can tell you that.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Grand View Lodge - The Preserve

Played On 08/08/2020
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

If you're playing in Nisswa, play here

Very friendly course for players of all skill levels. We played a "Ryder Cup" style match with 16 players and always have a blast when coming to this course. The greens are tricky to read, especially the 13th & 14th greens as they slope the opposite of how you think, but other than that this place is a treat to play. Staff is always friendly and helpful and the food at the turn is good and at a fair price.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate

St. Cloud Country Club

Played On 07/21/2020
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

If you can find a way to get on, do it!

Private course, but man is it worth it. I will gladly pay the guest fee ($65 to walk during non-guest appreciation month, $50 during GAM) because the course is always in pristine condition. The greens are fairly flat, but roll true. If you're not having a good putting day, just get your speeds and line down and you'll be just fine. Off the tee, the course doesn't require too much accuracy, but does require knowledge of sight lines. Too far one way or the other and you're hitting through a fairway on the front 9. Back 9 is pretty straight forward as most of the holes don't dogleg until you get to the 18th. Memberships are fairly cheap and the drive from the Twin Cities is faster than one might think (as long as they're not working on 94).

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Now Reading