The Jewel - Minnesota - USA

Had the pleasure of visiting on an absolutely beautiful fall day with no wind. With the layout being in and out of woods the need to be aware of the wind would make this course much more demanding. The key to this course is in making sure that you are hitting fairways.

Greens were in superb condition and the fairways were all top notch. Par three holes are all fairly difficult due to the length. Make sure to play the proper tees as forced carry's abound and most holes have scrub area at the end of tee boxes to the bane of low ball hitters.

The Jewel is just that: a jewel. While the first few holes lack excitement, from 3-18 it is nearly a nonstop adrenaline ride to the finish. Massive trees, elevation changes, blind shots, draws, fades, eagles; you name it this course has it. The par 4 6th is arguably one of the best drivable 4's I have played. The back 9 is a nonstop freight train of fun with scoring or disaster around every corner. The main upside of the Jewel is the variety, quality, and exciting nature of the course design. You can be creative and play approaches in off slopes and hit nearly anything you want off the tee. The downside of the course is its accessibility for most people. Located 1.5 hours from Minneapolis, it is a hard sell if you are looking for golf while in Minnesota's biggest city.

Also ranked far too low in my opinion. Being located 1.5hrs outside of Minneapolis, location takes this course out of a lot of the lists for top courses in the state. Plop this course down anywhere within 30mins of the metro and it rockets up lists! Played it yesterday when the leaves were changing colors and it was spectacular!