Travel File : Minnesota's Wild North

Golf Digest, August, 2002 by Mike Stachura

To know northeastern Minnesota, you have to realize it is still the kind of place--admirably, I might add--where the friends of a blind man get together every fall to help him hunt deer.

They aim to please here.

In this particularly woolly region north of Duluth, known as the Wild North, even the place names such as Lutsen and Tofte and Biwabik and Eveleth and Hibbing seem to come with a beard.

Minnesota has gained acclaim for its public golf around the Twin Cities, and its Brainerd Lakes resort region is awash in sturdy resorts with superb golf (Cragun's, Madden's on Gull Lake and Grand View Lodge all are must-go's). But up here in Minnesota's tundra, framed by Canada on one side, and Lake Superior on another, the golf is the quieter, simpler kind. Courses fit into the surroundings almost accidentally, and although it can be rough around the edges in some spots (not all), the days come with a gentle feel. And the waterfalls? They were here long before the golf.

This is not Pebble Beach, nor is it Myrtle Beach. Cart-paths, parking lots and even some thoroughfares aren't likely to be paved. The "director of golf" not only rings the cash register, he makes your coffee, too. You'll find more places that'll process your deer than will reshaft your 5-iron.

But you will be served well here. The prices often are insane, in a discount-electronics-store kind of way. The meals are fare fit for loggers and hunters, the hot dogs come in at half a pound apiece, and the whipped butter for your fresh-baked rolls is served in scoops fit for an ice-cream cone. The golf ranges from serviceable to spectacular, often on the same course.

But the drama of this place lingers. Come here and shudder at the roar of the rapids on the Poplar River as it rushes toward Lake Superior, or glide along Highway 61 as it winds majestically toward the end of America, or stand silently on an elevated tee and listen for the song of the loons on a little lake on a little golf course in Eveleth. Then, tell me it wasn't worth the trip.

BUNYANESQUE

....11/42 Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort, Biwabik (218-865-4143, $45-$77).

The paved roads end not too far outside the doors, which in a way is just fine. Counting the quirky little town of Biwabik, getting stranded up here could do your soul more than a little good. Lounge by the fireplace in the exposed timber-beam lobby of the lodge, or take a drive into Biwabik proper for some great Jamaican food (that's right) at the Whistling Bird. But the golf course, carved from slopes of boulders and trees, is what leaves the lasting impression, and not just because the bunker on the third hole is said to be the remains of a mysterious man-beast's gargantuan footprint. The Legend at Giants Ridge, as you might imagine, is not small-time stuff. Fairways, bunkers and greens are all fit for those who shop at the Big & Tall stores. Even the white-chocolate macadamia-nut cookies are XXL. The course conditions are exquisite, and it's hard to pick a favorite hole, though the no-bailout, 226-yard 17th over a finger of Sabin Lake gets your attention. A second Jeff Brauer 18 is scheduled to open next year, set in a quarry with tees on ridges and greens on ledges.

Superior National (not yet rated), Lutsen (218-663-7195, $50-$75). It's hard to decide which is more exhilarating, playing the 27 holes at Superior National or making the drive up to Lutsen along the shore of the lake Gordon Lightfoot fans remember as "Gitche Gumee." The land of big water is stunning, particularly from the Canyon's par-3 eighth tee, where Lake Superior stretches in the distance like an ocean. The Poplar River intrudes dramatically in several places, including the Canyon's fifth and sixth holes, where the rushing water sounds like a rock concert. The fifth is just 298 yards long and about as wide as a footbridge. Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas is historically quaint and as comfortable as grandmother's knitting. It lies on the edge of the great lake, and when you take a walk before dinner (save room for pie), look for a bald eagle surveying his domain.

GRAND BARGAINS

...11/42 Eagle Ridge G. Cse., Coleraine (888-307-3245, $27-$30).

...11/42 Pokegama G. Cse., Grand Rapids (888-347-3444, $28-$33).

..11/42 Sugarbrooke G.C., Co-hasset (800-450-4555, $28-$35).

...11/42 Wendigo G. Cse., Grand Rapids (218-327-2211, $28-$35).

If you fly into Duluth, you can play some quality affordable golf there (Enger Park heads the list), but you'll find nifty deals an hour or so west in Grand Rapids. Again, Brainerd may be better established, but the prices in Grand Rapids are ideal, and the settings are stirring. Packages go for as little as $170 for two nights, two rounds of golf, food and lodging at the

Sawmill Inn. Similar packages are available at other inns, including Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge, where the breakfast buffet is not to be missed. Eagle Ridge, Pokegama and Sugarbrooke all are set around lakes, while Wendigo bounds through pines and wetlands. Wendigo might be the stouter challenge, and the choice of two different fourth holes is something you probably haven't seen before. The others are just plain fun stuff. The 18th at Pokegama runs along a ridge line above the lake (a great place to see fireworks, too), the nasty par-3 17th at Sugarbrooke followed by the sparkling 18th makes for a great finish, and Eagle Ridge's par-5 sixth is one giant panic attack from tee to green.