There is very little that is sadder in the world of hospitality than a legacy family resort being bought out by vulture capitalists who proceed to strip its bones for profit as it decays. Happily – very happily – this is not the fate of the iconic Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake. The recent saleContinue reading “Cragun’s Resort builds for future with transformative upgrades”
Tag Archives: Midwestern Golf
Sand Valley’s Mammoth Dunes delivers mammoth fun
The term “resort course” is often used to describe certain golf courses. But I’m willing to wager that most casual golfers don’t know what the label denotes, aside from “a golf course at a resort.” There’s only part of it. Resort courses – good resort courses – share certain features: wide fairways, visible hazards, minimalContinue reading “Sand Valley’s Mammoth Dunes delivers mammoth fun”
Sedge Valley is Sand Valley’s shortest 18, but not its easiest
In this age of 460cc drivers and 300-yard drives, length is king. In the U.S., most recreational players immediately check the yardage of the back tees on the scorecard to determine a course’s difficulty or even its appeal. This is an amateur mistake, however. Distance and difficulty are certainly correlated, but correlation doesn’t imply causation.Continue reading “Sedge Valley is Sand Valley’s shortest 18, but not its easiest”
Wisconsin’s Sand Valley Golf Resort: “Best Golf Resort in the Midwest?”
Some say Sand Valley Golf Resort’s history dates to 2016, when its eponymous course, Sand Valley, opened for preview play. Others might say it began in 1999, when legendary golf developer Mike Keiser unveiled Bandon Dunes in Oregon, spurring a golf resort development boom in remote, topographically ideal locations with a “Field of Dreams” philosophy:Continue reading “Wisconsin’s Sand Valley Golf Resort: “Best Golf Resort in the Midwest?””
First stop on the Tennessee Golf Trail: Henry Horton State Park
Henry Hollis Horton was the 36th governor of Tennessee, serving from 1927-1933. Upon his death in 1934, the state procured a portion of his large estate with the intention of preserving it as a state park. The sprawling park opened in 1961, and in 1962 the park’s Buford Ellington Championship Golf Course debuted. The 7,060-yard,Continue reading “First stop on the Tennessee Golf Trail: Henry Horton State Park”
Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd Unveils The Dutch Red Nine
In 1955, Dutch Cragun graduated from the University of Minnesota. He called his father and asked if he could make a living running the family’s small fishing resort on the shores of Gull Lake in the heart of the Brainerd lakes region. His dad said, “Hell no.” Nevertheless, Dutch headed north and began a legendaryContinue reading “Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd Unveils The Dutch Red Nine”
Boyne Highlands Resort: A four-course feast of golf
Summer is admittedly short, but if, say, you own a ski resort, and your hotel and sprawling grounds feel abandoned during the long, sun-drenched yet temperate days from May through October in the northern reaches of the state’s southern peninsula, you might well consider expanding your warm-weather offerings. After all, ski season is also onlyContinue reading “Boyne Highlands Resort: A four-course feast of golf”
Bunker Hill Farms: Your Own Course for the Day (or Week)
What’s your golf fantasy? Ask most golfers this question, and the list will probably be predictable: A membership at Augusta National? A round with Tiger? Your very own private golf course? I can’t help you with the first two, but I do have advice about attaining the third, at least for a day or twoContinue reading “Bunker Hill Farms: Your Own Course for the Day (or Week)”
Don’t run, GALLOP to Sultan’s Run in Jasper, Indiana
Indiana is perhaps the most under-the-radar great golf state in the nation. Avid golfers can find top-notch courses not only at the state’s best universities and luxury resorts, but also scattered across the rolling countryside. North to south, east to west, you can tee it up at these hidden gems for a fraction of theContinue reading “Don’t run, GALLOP to Sultan’s Run in Jasper, Indiana”
Pfau rhymes with “Wow!” Indiana University’s new home course dazzles
Big-league universities should have big-league golf courses – at least they should if they dream of competing at the top level of college golf. Indiana University in Bloomington is a stalwart of the Big 10 Conference in many sports, but their men’s and women’s golf programs have historically lagged behind many of the conference peers.Continue reading “Pfau rhymes with “Wow!” Indiana University’s new home course dazzles”
Midwestern Golf 