Hazeltine National - Minnesota - USA

I was very lucky to be invited to play here in June 2021 on a brutally hot afternoon. Given the heat, we took a cart that day, but the course would be best experienced walking and is not difficult in that regard.

That would be the only way the course is not difficult. It is a brutal course for an average golfer like me, with extremely thick and long rough, deep and ever-present sand bunkers, and lightening fast greens. I have never seen a course so well conditioned. Not a blade of grass seemed to be out of place anywhere, and the greens must have been running at US Open speeds.

The holes around the lake are iconic and the most memorable. Not much of the rest of the course really stands out to me as particularly memorable in terms of layout. The land is relatively flat and featureless (aside from the lake) and was once farmland. You can see the course was indeed built to host tournaments, but it is honestly on the dull side throughout much of the course.

Nevertheless, to experience the hospitality of this place (which was second to none), the immaculate conditions, and the history were all something I won't soon forget. They make you feel like a member from the minute you set foot on the property, and there is no attitude at all here.

As far as championship golf courses in America go, there are few more recognizable than Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota. The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design has hosted US Opens, PGA Championships, and is slated to become the only course in the United States to have held the Ryder Cup twice. Accolades aside, Hazeltine is a fine walk because of its stellar conditioning and the fact that it is one of the fairest tests in golf. Nothing is tricked up on the property and there are few subtleties; Hazeltine is hard-nosed, straightforward golf. The course can beat you over the head without flash, and I think that’s a rarity in 21st century golf. There are plenty of good holes, and my personal favorites are the two on Lake Hazeltine, the 10th and the 16th. My only real knock against Hazeltine is that there’s not much memorability beyond the best holes; numbers two through five and 13 through 15 fit that mold of not being particularly special. The recent introduction of the elevated 16th tee box gives off the impression the club wants to improve, and it succeeds. Another improvement Hazeltine has made is the removal of unnecessary trees, something I noticed particularly when I played the course last year. Even sitting in the dining area after my round, I noticed you could see about six different flagsticks from your table. The course has changed a lot since the first time I played it in 2005, mostly for the better. Hazeltine’s fame is only part of the reason you should never decline an invitation to the place; underneath all its history is a course you will get beat up by and tell everyone you know how difficult it is.

It's true championship golf in immaculate condition. I'm not sure if I've played a more well conditioned golf course (8/1/2020). The history and championship memorabilia throughout the clubhouse was truly special. Aesthetically, the course was somewhat underwhelming with the exception of the holes everyone has already mentioned- 10, 16. With that being said, it is still a world class facility that you should play if invited. We were able to go into the crow's nest and memorabilia room in the clubhouse which was amazing.

Long, longer, longest. Even longer if the wind is blowing from the wrong direction. A challenging, if not sometimes, a brutal challenge if you pick the wrong tees to play from. Expect the very best conditions, a fabulous staff, and a wonderful opportunity to play one of the gems of Minnesota.

Over the years Hazeltine has had numerous changes to the course, and clubhouse, to increase the best use of the property and to make sure that the course is keeping up with equipment changes and the abilities of the very best players in the world.

Do not miss an invitation to visit this venue. It will be remembered.

Hazeltine is a good championship course, but I wouldn't describe it as spectacular. Ranking it in the top 5 in Minnesota seems a little off for me, but I tend to prefer interesting/quirky courses to challenging courses. That is not to say there aren't some interesting holes. I like the way that holes 9 and 18 play alongside one another up a hill to the clubhouse. Both par 4s are more uphill than it appears on TV, and have some interesting greens. The backside (of the typical routing, not the Ryder cup routing) has some excellent holes. Hole 10 is my favorite on the course. It is a fun dogleg left that has a huge elevation drop to a green perched along Lake Hazeltine. The drive is strategic and asks the golfer whether they should lay up on top of the hill, or try to cut the corner and get down closer to the green. Hole 14 is a very good short par 4 that is probably the best hole on the course strategy wise, and No. 15 is a well bunkered par 5 with an infinity green overlooking the lake. Hole 16 is the hole that everyone knows and is highlighted on TV whenever the course hosts a tournament. It is a short little par 4 that doglegs just slightly to the right, and the green is on a little peninsula jutting out into the lake. It is a picturesque hole that plays nearly as well as it looks.

My main criticism of the course is that the land is mostly featureless, and many of the holes are just not that memorable. The front side is rather bland, and features a lot of unnecessary water that is typical of the RTJ family tree of architecture. There is also an overabundance of doglegs, and it seems like every par 4 moves significantly in one direction or another.

Hazeltine is a great asset to the area as its mission is to be a major tournament venue. However, there are many other courses in Minnesota that I prefer.

I was able to,play Hazeltine National several years ago. I found the course difficult and challenging but there not a lot of distinctiveness to the holes. I agree that 10 and 16 are two of the best and most memorable holes ones the course. You get the sense that the course is favored as a major championship venue not so much by it's quality but due to the fact that it sits on a massive expanse of land that can accommodate the extra curricular activities that a major championship demands.

Richard Smith, Knoxville Tennessee

I have both played and covered all of the key events hosted by the club since the 1991 US Open and most recently with the '16 Ryder Cup Matches. Hazeltine is a testing layout but from a pure architectural side of the equation is fairly mundane. The layout has been fortified since its inception as a Robert Trent Jones, Sr. layout. Rees Jones touched up the course considerably and while the course is not contrived it just simply fails to inspire when there.

There are instances when it does very well -- I am a big fan of the downhill par-4 10th with Lake Hazeltine in the background. The most noted hole -- the dangerous par-4 16th -- is one of the best holes Rees has ever created. There's plenty of risk/reward and having the green protrude deeper into the Lake makes for a thrilling adventure indeed.

Hazeltine has been lengthened considerably to deal with the onslaught of talent from the world's best players but the richness in architectural detail is lacking more often than not.

The 9th and 18th holes were flipped for the Ryder Cup Matches but candidly the holes offer nearly the same in terms of shotmaking requirements. The footprint for the facility is more than sufficient to be a continued host for big time events and the turnout from the local folks in Minnesota has always been super supportive.

Hazeltine has certainly come a long ways from its first foray into the main frame of world golf when hosting the 1970 US Open -- won by Englishman Tony Jacklin and panned by a number of American professionals -- notably Dave Hill. Hazeltine fills the checklist for the key ingredients needed when hosting big time events but the feelings engendered are more aligned with a wink and nod and far from a genuine embrace encapsulating rapture.

by M. James Ward

Played the course in May, prior to the Ryder Cup. Could certainly tell that they were growing the course out in certain areas. Wasn't in the best of shape, but the layout is truly challenging and very entertaining. Playing the course at a shorter length took some of the fun out of the layout - I'd suggest teeing it up a little farther back at the detriment of your own score to see the full course.

Hazeltine and Interlachen are the two Minnesota courses on the Top 100. I have played both several times, and somehow I don’t think about them as courses on my quest, but they are no less important than the others I’ve played.

Hazeltine is certainly the best known of the two. Named for the lake on which it sits, the course was founded in 1962 by Totton Heffelfinger, whose ultimate goal was to host a national championship in Minnesota. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and hosted a U.S. Open in 1970, which brought it plenty of negative press when competitors such as Dave Hill said, “The only thing that Hazeltine is missing is 80 acres of corn and a few cows.”

Hazeltine is a golf-only club – no tennis, no swimming pool. Every hole is a strong test of golf. I have played it several times and have several friends who are members. My favorite holes are the holes in which water comes into play. Number 7 is a par 5 with a pond fronting the green. Number 8, is a beautiful par 3 with water on both the front and right side of the green. The 10th and 16th greens jut out into Lake Hazeltine. Number 10 is a severe dogleg left that tumbles down the hill to a green that sits on the lake. Number 16 is the signature hole, formerly a par 3, now converted to a par 4, with the green sitting on its own peninsula on Lake Hazeltine. Larry Berle.

This was a welcomed return to this major venue. The first time I visited Hazeltine, the new clubhouse was just a foundation and a history of course modifications seemed to disrupt the layout from ever having a chance to settle down. I remember thinking “will they ever leave this place alone?” Rest assured, Hazeltine has a new clubhouse, a new club logo (the walking man) and a mighty golf course which is ready for the 2016 Ryder Cup. They continue to be vigilant over course irrigation subsequent to a very hot mid-west summer which has left its mark on the course. A notable improvement/observation that remains at Hazeltine is the sand in the bunkers. The sands texture, colour and consistency throughout the course differ greatly and it has the attention of the club officers. The sand is sometimes an unattractive feature, which is interesting as the place isn’t short on “I really don’t want to go in there” bunkers. Some of the bunkers hold more water than others and the ball doesn’t always fall to the base of the trap, as my playing partner discovered on the treacherous par 3 17th. Stand out holes include the superb 10th which plays a tee shot to a guarded plateau followed by a down-hill dogleg, and the seriously demanding 9th and 18th holes which bring you back up to the clubhouse and offer memories of PGA champions hitting miracle shots from the depths of danger. This club is made for big events and has so much land which will be effectively used for hospitality during tournaments. With a double-ended range and excellent short-game options, a day at Hazeltine is a day to worship.