Troy Burne - Wisconsin - USA

If it counts as a Minneapolis-St. Paul public course, Troy Burne stands at or near the top of daily access facilities in the area. The Tom Lehman design, just east of the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, is distinctly a prairie course and features a lot of really strong golf holes. Among them is the stretch from the 10th to the 14th, culminating in excitement at the par three 11th, a picturesque short hole dotted with tall, shaved pine trees. Behind those trees is a downhill par three and five, and a pond that invites any shot headed left on either hole. Troy Burne is a beautiful walk, a challenging course, and significantly better on the latter half of the layout. I concur with other reviewers who note that Troy doesn’t exactly inspire on the front nine. That’s not to say it’s below average by any stretch of the imagination; the second and fourth holes are flat out fun par fours, the latter asking you to put forth your best effort and hit a tiny green surrounded by bunkers from the highest elevation point of the entire routing. At the end of the day, though, Troy Burne is without question one of the best in the area; whether it has as many jaw droppers as StoneRidge or history as Keller is insignificant. There’s a reason Troy was featured in Golf Digest’s Top 100 public courses in the country for a time. If you’re in western Wisconsin, this place is worth visiting. If you’re like me, you might just make a day of it and play 36 holes.

An enjoyable course and certainly an asset for those who live up near Minneapolis/St Paul. The course is somewhat limited in its vibe by residential development, the extent of which is atypical for a top 100 public. I'm caught between 3 and 3.5 balls, so rounding up. That being said, all holes provide good strategy and conditioning. Players of all skill levels will find something they really like about the course. Holes 11-15 are really, really good. Top tier public courses are going away from the lush, parkland style which I think helps this course stand out. Within Wisconsin, TB is not quite to the level of Kohler/Erin hills/SV/Lawsonia Links/SentryWorld, but as good or better than those at that next tier (the Bog/Univ Ridge/the bull/ Lawsonia woodlands etc). There's truly an embarrassment of riches in terms of Wisconsin public golf.

A tale of two very distinctly different nines that show the positives and negatives of artificially creating an environment not natural to the area.

The front nine is very plain and uninspiring. Bulldozed mounding to convert farmland to give the impressions of prairie dunes the holes show a sameness and lack any distinguishing memories that you will remember once you leave the parking lot.

The back nine utilizes the river bluff hills and forest areas that generate holes that look beautiful and blend perfectly into the landscape.

Overall conditions are very good and the greens are always top notch.

Troy Burne is in my mind one of the top three publics in the MSP area. The front nine is a bit easier with the short par 4 4th and par 4 7th being the highlights for me. The back plays over more rolling land and has significantly more water in play. Definitely more difficult for the average golfer. The par 3 11th with bunkers on the left and a stream on the right with a rolling green was the best of the nine for me.

Overall it seemed a bit over bunkered but the course overall uses the land well. It is walkable but elevation changes make it tough. There are houses on the course but the design makes it so they are barely noticed. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the MSP area.