A few hours’ drive northwest finds you in Minnesota’s Brainerd
Lakes region. Brainerd has long been a Midwestern golf mecca and Madden’s at
Gull Lake (Maddens.com, 218-829-2811) has been a Brainerd centerpiece resort
for almost 80 years. Occupying more than 1,000 drop-dead beautiful acres on Gull
Lake’s Pine Beach Peninsula (including a full mile of sandy coastline), Madden’s
is the quintessential, classic Midwestern resort—not surprisingly, it’s been
named one of the Historic Hotels of America.
It’s hard to believe, but the golf actually pre-dates this
80-year-old resort. The first golf course on the property was built in 1909—one
of Minnesota’s first tracks. And Pine Beach East, built in 1926, was the state’s
first 18-hole resort course. You can still play it today, along with two other
18-hole courses and a 9-holer. Like many of the game’s oldest courses, the East
is a charmer with some eccentricities (including a 618-yard par-6 hole—now
there’s something you don’t see every day). It’s a blast to play. The
Pine Beach West course is of executive-course length (just 5,000 yards), but it
boasts a couple of the best holes in this golf-rich region. The Classic at
Madden’s is the resort’s crown jewel. Many believe it’s the finest public course
in Minnesota. Giant red oaks with maple understory line the fairways, which
sweep dramatically over knolls—The Classic is blessed with near-perfect golf
terrain.
Off the course, you can enjoy the full range of watersports on the
lake, in addition to biking and tennis. You’ll find manicured, USCA-sanctioned
croquette lawns, lawn bowling and even a full-time naturalist for guided nature
hikes. Trapshooting has been a Madden’s activity of choice for decades. Panache
is Madden’s lakeside spa—enjoy a hot stone message before dining at one of the
resort’s five restaurant options.
Across the border in tiny Erin, Wisconsin—about 35 miles northwest
of Milwaukee—you’ll find Erin Hills Golf Course (ErinHills.com,
866-724-8822). Put simply, to play Erin Hills is one of the great
experiences in American golf. Like Pacific Dunes, Sand Hills and Shinnecock,
it’s rugged American linksland—a true rarity and an absolute joy to play. It’s
the sort of place romantics go to commune with the soul of golf.
But Erin Hills is far more than romance and ambience. The golf is
outstanding, as well. How good is it? Just beginning its second full year of
operation, it already has been awarded the 2011 U.S. Amateur. It was also
awarded the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links—before the course had even
opened! Do not be surprised if the U.S. Open pays a visit to Erin Hills in the
next 10 years.
Designed by Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten, Erin Hills
opened in 2006 to immediate acclaim. The native grasses, knolls and rugged
bunkering puts one in mind of an Irish links. You’ll encounter charming quirks
like back-to-back par-3s and blind (but fair) shots. No houses intrude on the
experience; you won’t spot any power lines. It’s pure golf at its best.
Pure—and a stern test. The course plays 7,824 from the tips and is
sloped at 141. (Should the Open be contested over Erin Hills, the world’s best
players could be facing an 8,200-yard beast!) Just be sure to play from the
correct set of tees for your ability level and take—and listen to—one of the
course’s fine caddies.
The nearby Delafield Hotel is a casually elegant inn—a perfect
complement to the experience. The only better option is one of the seven
guestrooms in the Erin Hills clubhouse, designed in the manner of an Irish
country inn. The pub on property also reflects the Irish influence—and is the
perfect setting to relax, post round.
