Giants Ridge

Course conditions were perfect. For nearly $100 though, I would have expected GPS carts. It would have been helpful as there are some "target golf" holes where I took penalties because I didn't know distances.

On a trip to play Giants Ridge and Wilderness. Started at Legends. Excellent course design, except that too many holes were not fun for a 14 handicapper. By that I mean several par 4's were 400+ from the white tees and 250 or less from next set of tees, They need a set of tees at 5800 yards or so, not to choose between 6100 and 5100. Also, for a resort course to NOT have GPS on its carts lowers the experience for the cost paid. Also no one around to clean clubs after the round. Not much service.

The Legend is one of two courses designed by Jeff Brauer at Giant's Ridge resort. While The Quarry gets a lot of the acclaim, The Legend is plenty good in it's own right. And after playing The Quarry in the morning, The Legend feels like a warm hug with it's softer edges and gentler greens.

The Legend starts out with a few, fairly easy holes to get your round going, then ramps up the challenge a little bit for the rest of the front 9. The back 9 takes you through some of the most beautiful scenery Giant's Ridge has to offer while providing a mix of challenging and breather holes.

The condition of the course is really good, though not quite as good as The Quarry down the street. The greens are pretty fast and roll very true, and with gentle sloping, you'll get the chance to roll in some putts.

On the back 9, there are a couple of very long drives between holes. As first time players, our group was very confused when we drove about 5 minutes between holes 12 and 13. We were better prepared when we had the long drive between 16 and 17. Just keep following the signs and you'll make it!

The Legend is definitely a must play! I'd recommend doing the 37 hole special at Giant's Ridge, playing both courses and getting lunch for a great price.

My favorite hole on The Legend is the par 3 11th. I'm a sucker for short par 3s, and this one is the quintessential short 3. If you can hit a good wedge you'll have a birdie look, but if you're even a little off and you'll be working to make bogey.

The Quarry at Giant's Ridge is one of two courses designed by Jeff Brauer at The Giant's Ridge Resort, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. This is one of the more challenging courses you'll find anywhere, but it's also one of the most fun courses you'll find anywhere.

The Quarry is built on top of an old mining quarry, which lends itself to some massive land forms and wild golf holes. If you can check your ego and hit fairways and greens, you'll score well. But when you get out of position, that's when the fun begins. You'll have chances for hero shots, but fail at those and you'll be looking at double bogey or worse.

The conditioning of The Quarry is outstanding! The greens were some of the purest and fastest I've played. The fairways were firm but fair, and good shots are definitely rewarded.

There are a couple of odd holes on the back 9, specifically 15 and 18, both of which require a lay-up off the tee and then a long 2nd. But they don't detract from the overall experience.

When you play here be sure to grab lunch on the patio at the Wecootah Grill. You'll be treated to a fantastic lake view while you dine on some really good food.

My favorite hole is the par 5 2nd hole. You can't believe the scale of the hole until you see it in person. It requires three good shots to reach the green, and then a deft putting touch to make your birdie or par.

We took a golf junket in early October and was treated to spectacular fall colors and a visually intimidating track. But we played it from our tees and it was fun round, the wind gusts into the 40-50 range made driving a challenge but we survived. Will go back and play the Legend, its a great track and the staff let us do a cart tour during the frost delay which let us plan our round better. A great time, will definitely be back.

Giants Ridge has two golf courses. Most people seem to prefer the Top 35 in the country Quarry course. I definitely prefer (the former Top 100) Legend.

We played this round on GolfBikes, motorized bicycles, and couldn't have had more fun.

I LOVE the "shotgun" starter holes at 1 and 10 that launch out from the clubhouse over the ravine. The front has a few really fun holes, like the Par 5 fifth hole with the Giant footprint bunker. The back nine is even better with what I consider to be "Minnesota's Best Golf Hole" at the Par 3 17th. I could stand on that tee box forever. I don't know why Legend doesn't get the love that Quarry gets. I absolutely love it.

Jeff Brauer is extremely underrated as an architect and has built four stellar courses in Northern Minnesota that are each "must plays" for their own reasons. I consider Wilderness his best, but insist everyone should play all four.

Jeff Brauer has built four stellar golf courses here in UP NORTH Minnesota and Quarry is his most revered-a Top 35 US golf course according to Golf Digest. Everything is excellent here, from the staff to the service, to the amenities, and riding the course on the GolfBikes was a new kind of awesome.

The Quarry course is NOT a course for beginners. Regardless of which tees you play it is bound to require your best play. It is a ruggedly beautiful round and single-digit handicappers definitely will love every bit of it. It is absolutely a must-play, and Head Golf Professional John Kendall is without a doubt one of the state's best golf ambassadors.

I came to this course to play golf with my buddies, I and while the course and the pace of play where amazing, the staff is very rude and ignorant almost seeming like they were above Everybody.

Would highly recommend if you like a good golf course but if you like nice staff look somewhere else.

I love Giants Ridge. As a disclaimer, I am an absolute sucker for heavily wooded golf courses. I love the scenery aspect of golf courses and this course nails that on the head. I have played both the Legend and the Quarry and will definitely be back. The clubhouse is alright, but the patio area where you can eat your lunch between rounds is incredible. It looks over the old filled in mine, just a huge lake now. And it is awesome. That is my favorite place that I have had food/drinks on any golf course. The course is great, a lot of elevation changes and tons of rock structures. The scenery is incredible and the course is a challenge. Pace was pretty good until about hole 15 but it was just a minor wait. This is a northern treat and rewards those who are willing to drive. Do it.

This course is wonderful. It was in perfect condition and the greens were rolling fast at 8AM. The staff was friendly, they accommodated our request of playing as a twosome. The driving range was missing balls but they arrived within 15 minutes of us stepping up. The tee boxes were incredible, perfect views and almost every hole was worthy of some extra time to look around. We played both the Legend and the Quarry, and I liked the Legend more. I loved the layout, although I was swinging driver, wedge on almost every hole. Not a lot of shot variety.

Played both courses back in 2013, just before Golf Advisor was launched. Both are very nice, and it was fun to see the land of Bob Dylan, walleye and giant hockey sticks. Wrote up the trip for GolfChannel.com: http://www.golfchannel.com/news/travel-insider/minnesotas-iron-range-land-lakes-legendary-giants-and-spectacular-golf-giants/

I Played 36 holes at the Quarry and I really enjoyed it. The course was in really good shape and challenging. Played the course from the tips and it was a good test of golf. I feel like the Architect would have used the natural mounds better. Seems like as I looked around he could have created a more memorable golf course but still a great course.

Played 36 holes here and course was in great shape but was not a big fan of the layout. Seemed like I hit the same club into almost every Par 4. If you look at the scorecard you realize that most the par 4's are around the same distance. I do not think it should be the same price as the quarry however. Only reason I would return to this course is if the green fees dropped a lot or if the quarry and wilderness was all booked up and I was in the area.

The course is beautiful with a wide variety of holes. Weather was a little muggy and plays longer than advertised. Greens, fairways and tee boxes are immaculate. Challenging course, but a lot of fun to play. Also got a great rate on a midweek room at the lodge which is also spectacular.

This course is what the MInnesota golf experience is all about. If you're from out of state, make you're way up north and check it out. The staff was kind but seemed very quiet on the day we were there. Not the outgoing friendliness that you see at some other spendy resorts. Great range, carts, grounds. The course is absolutely beautiful. Bring your camera....smartphone pics aren't good enough! Drink cart girls were really nice also! Great layout through the woods, lots of elevation changes and rock outcroppings. A real gem. On the 13th hole, let er rip and go for the green for a chance at eagle! Large greens all around makes you feel like you have a chance for a low score.....a chance. The only negative about our round was a few spots on the back 9 felt like the fairway was thinned out and you were hitting of soft mud. It really defeated the purpose of putting it in the fairway! Other than that, we all loved it!
Oh and do yourself a favor, after your round, have some drinks on the back patio and relax taking in the beauty of the lake! It was a perfect ending to a fun round.

The course was in absolute immaculate condition as it always is!! Congrats to the team that the superintendent has, because they are doing a wonderful job! Also, got my first hole in one on 17!! It was a superb evening thanks to Giants Ridge! Can't wait to get more golf in at both courses. Thanks!

This course is rated high in the Golf Digest top 100 for a reason...it IS spectacular!

Between the Legend at Giants Ridge and the Quarry at Giants Ridge, the consensus seems to be the Quarry is the better course. I was fortunate enough over the stretch of three days to play both courses, and let me say how lucky I consider myself to have done so. And let me also say that I actually prefer the Legend. Why?

It's about as close to Augusta as I would imagine Minnesota has to offer. I played late in the day, and as the shadows cast by the tall pines grew long across the perfectly manicured landscape, I couldn't help but feel the similarity between the public Legend and it's private counterpart. The fairways are wide and receptive, but there is plenty of trouble to be found with errant tee and approach shots, mostly in the form of strategically placed bunkers. The water hazards aren't too terribly menacing until you get to the signature par 3 17th, and then good luck hitting that slightly elevated green from 187 yards out from the white tees! It's a forced carry all the way regardless of which tees you're playing from. I was between clubs and wound up in the water, but somehow managed to chip in from the drop zone to save par.

Aside from the condition of the course, highlights for me included the collectible-grade bag tag and divot repair tool, club and ball washers on all carts, a free yardage book (I prefer this to GPS, which neither the Legend nor the Quarry offer), and friendly staff. Checking in was also a breeze with my Golf Now reservation, which was a decent discount over the normal twilight rate (thanks, Golf Now)!

The pace of play here was also significantly better for me than the Quarry, which I docked a rating star for the five hour round. Here, I was done with 18 holes as a single in just over three hours. I was also very appreciative of the starter's efforts to get me out ahead of a few threesomes. Overall, it was a very good customer service experience.

The only reason I can't give the Legend five stars is because they offer no free drinking water on the course. Call me cheap, but I like drinking water to be freely and abundantly available, and don't appreciate having to pay for bottled water if I'm thirsty.

However, I'd be crazy to let this one item deter me from playing here again in the future - water or no water, if I'm back in the area, I will gladly play either (or both) of the Giants resort courses. It's a bucket list type golf experience!

Rewards good shots and makes you move the ball both ways. Friendly staff and immaculate course conditions.

I would love to give this course five stars. The scenery, layout and quality of the course maintenance are clearly worth it. It also provides a very fair challenge. If you're hitting the ball well, you can easily score here. The toughest part for me was adjusting to the size of the greens - they are massive! A front pin versus a rear pin in some cases could be a two or maybe even three club difference. In the cases I allowed for one club, I paid the price with putts that went over some very tricky undulations.

Highlights for me included three par 4s - the 9th, 10th, and 13th. On the 9th, the landing area is very wide, but if you put your drive too far to the right as I did, you'll face a blind uphill carry over trees. I somehow managed to get a 6 iron over the top and to within four feet for my round's lone birdie.

On the 10th, you're given the option of a safe drive to the right, which will likely leave a longer approach shot over a large bunker, or carrying your driver over the water, keeping it left of a large tree and to the right of the woods. Again, if you're hitting it well and don't mind short pitch shots, the route to the left is a lot of fun!

The 13th is what I would consider their signature hole - a short par 4 full of elevation changes as well as options (and subsequent hazards) off the tee. I played it safe with a four iron, trying to keep it right of the fairway bunker. Depending on the pin placement and your accuracy the day of your round, you could also go for the fairway left of the bunker, but that provides much less room for error and in my opinion isn't worth the risk. Make sure to hit your approach shot on the same tier as the pin or you'll be faced with a very challenging putt.

A few other bonus items: There is no GPS, but you get a free yardage book. It's a wonderful keepsake, and I like that better than GPS, anyway, because it provides a more authentic challenge. The carts also come equipped with ball and club washers, something I don't see very often. And even their most expensive daily rate during peak tourist season is less than half the price of what other top public courses charge. I found an even better deal on a twilight rate on Golf Now.

So I loved the course, why not five stars? Above all else, the pace of play - a life-sucking five hours. I saw the marshal three times. He's a very nice guy, but evidently not very effective when it comes to enforcing a more enjoyable pace of play. The twosome ahead of me was never allowed to play through, nor was I as a single. I also heard there was a fivesome on the course. Thankfully, I still managed to play well, but the pace was extremely frustrating. There is no excuse in my book for a five-hour round.

On a lesser note, I'm glad I brought my own water as there were no water dispensers anywhere on the course. I guess if you wanted water you needed to purchase it. It surprised me that a course of this caliber wouldn't have drinking water freely and abundantly available to its guests.

Should you take either of the above criticisms as reasons not to play this course? Absolutely not. If you are in this area and love golf, you'd be hard pressed to find a better value. It's the number one public course in the state of Minnesota for a reason. I plan to play it again some day!