Grand View Lodge (Pines - Lakes & Woods)

“Lakes and Woods...tell me something I don’t know.” The title of the foremost golf round at Grand View Lodge Resort might sound like an obvious description of its Minnesota homeland, but don’t be fooled...there is little lull in the course itself. Joel Goldstrand is one of the most accomplished designers in the state’s history, and this is yet another feather in his homeland cap.

Pines are on the menu more often than Lakes, both in the trees that guard fairways and in the Pete Dye-style railway ties that appear on the sides of bunkers and hills alike. Still, water will make itself known — whether that’s in the form of a forced carry or simply a scenic vista — along stretches such as Nos. 5 through 7 on the “Lakes” nine.

The most discussed hole during your round will feature neither Pines nor Lakes, however. Closing the front nine will be a long par three with a very wide green (nearly 60 yards). The right half is nearer to the tee, but is tighter and surrounded by bunkers. If you’ve merely been playing into your slice or hook all day, a lone tree (not a pine) standing sentry at the front of the green will work to prevent you from taking an angled approach to the right or left sides, respectively.