by MIKE BAILEY
BIWABIK, Minnesota – One of the few states I had never played golf in was Minnesota, until recently. My first foray into Gopher golf turned out to be better than good after spending several days at Giants Ridge Resort in northern Minnesota on the Mesabi Iron Range and playing the two courses there – The Legend and The Quarry.
Both designed by Jeffrey Brauer, these are two of the top public courses in the state. The Legend is ranked no. 5 in the state in 2024 by Golfweek, and The Quarry has been ranked as the no. 1 public course in Minnesota for nearly a decade by Golfweek. So my expectations were high. I wasn’t disappointed, both in the golf and the overall experience of visiting the region.
I flew into Duluth, then rode for about an hour and half north to reach this incredibly beautiful part of the state.
The locals sure know how to relish summers here and play a lot of golf. I was glad we could join them. Giants Ridge doubles as a ski destination, so you know there are hills. And The Quarry, which also was named the 44th best course you can play in the United States by Golfweek, takes advantage of an old iron mining site, so it’s unique, beautiful and oh, so challenging.
Of course, a big part of the fun of visiting the courses is getting a taste of the local cuisine, culture, and history, and we were able to do that, too.
SAME DESIGNER, TWO DIFFERENT COURSES
It was interesting that the golfers in my party were actually split between which course was their favorite. It seems some liked the subtlety of The Legend over the more bold design features of The Quarry, which is also more difficult. In any event, they make a great one-two punch. In fact, during the longer days of the summer months, the resort offers a package where you can play both courses in one day with lunch. It’s quite a deal at less than $200.
The Legend is no pushover by any means. From the tips, this tree-lined layout that’s nearly 7,000 yards has some pretty tough holes, and some that are most memorable. One that makes a quick impression is the par-5 third. It has a large fairway bunker shaped like a bear claw (yes, there be bears in these woods). The play is to carry that bunker to the fairway and have a crack at this green in two if you’ve got the length. During my first round there, I buried my second shot in a greenside bunker, so that didn’t go so well. More success (relatively) came the second time around with a three-putt par.
Because of environmental restrictions, Brauer designed this course on a large footprint. Some of the holes, especially on the back nine, are far from each other, so it’s definitely not walkable. Still, it’s incredibly enjoyable.
The No. 1 handicap hole is the 456-yard eighth, which requires a tee shot over a gorge through a narrow chute, and then you have to avoid a large fairway bunker on the left. The long approach is into a well-bunkered green.
The most talked about hole, however, is the par-3 17th, which plays off an elevated tee over a portion of a lake into a sloping green on the side of a hill. With extensive flora on the tee, this is one of the prettiest holes you’ll ever play.
THE QUARRY
It’s clear that Brauer really let his architectural chops fly on The Quarry layout. It’s visually more intimidating, but there is plenty of room off the tee. Still, it doesn’t take much to lose a shot in the high fescue, woods, wetlands, or drop-offs on this course, which tips out to more than 7,200 yards.
“The Quarry at Giants Ridge may eventually be judged as my finest and most unique course,” Brauer, who is from Texas, was quoted as saying after the course was completed. “This is a tribute to the site, a mixture of virgin land, iron ore open pit mine and sand quarry, which gives the course its distinct character.”
Translation: The Quarry is stunning. And it’s also difficult, which means it’s not a bad idea to move up a tee. That’s what I did after the first round playing it from the blue tees with very little chance of reaching the no. 1 handicap hole, the 455-yard eighth in regulation. (It’s 478 yards from the gold tee.) It’s not only long, but narrow in spots. You need to bomb the drive, then hit a long accurate approach to a green surrounded by slopes on both sides that are heavily grassed. Honestly, a bogey is a good score there.
One of my favorite holes was the short par-4 13th, which has a split fairway. It plays from an elevated tee down to a wide greens complex that’s drivable if you play the right tees (It was about 270 yards for me the second day from the white tees). The green is perched up on a bit of a plateau, surrounded by banks of tall grass and the forest in back and on the right. I actually just missed the green on the right side off the tee but wound up missing a five-footer for birdie..
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS
As for the resort itself, you can stay at the lodge or if you have a group, rent a cottage between the two courses. Also if you come in the middle of summer, mosquitoes and other bugs could be a problem, especially on the course. You should definitely have bug spray, but wearing long pants would definitely be a help.
Each course has its own clubhouse restaurant, both of which offer good, hearty food at a reasonable price. You’ll find the Wacootah Grille at The Quarry (particularly good for breakfast) and Neighbors BBQ at The Legend. The best dining, however, would be at the resort’s Burnt Onion Restaurant, which features grilled or fried walleye, steaks, local brews, and a variety of desserts. It’s a great spot to hang out in the evening, take in a game and just relax.
My group also took a couple of excursions. One was to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth. That was a real education for a hockey novice like me. We could test our own slapshot skills there, which was eye-opening for me (it recorded mph).
And finally, we also checked out the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisolm, where we took an antique electric trolley tour through the former mining community known as the Glen location. We got to see how difficult it was for mining families back then and how they got on with their lives, sharing sleeping quarters, and living together in tight spaces. It sure gave me a perspective on what we were doing earlier in the day on the course.
(Mike Bailey is a Travel Editor for Pro Golf Weekly. He can be reached at mstefan.bailey@gmail.com)
(PHOTOGRAPHY: Evan Shiller)
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