These are all go-to courses if you can score an invitation , but Minnesota ’ s Twin Cities area offers plenty of other challenging public-access layouts dotting the state ’ s shorelines , rolling terrain and prairie-grass landscapes .
If you prefer to drive and explore during your golf vacation , Minnesota also offers six golf trails , grouping multiple courses together — linked by Minnesota scenic byways , including one named for Paul Bunyan .
Speaking of characters , one St . Paul course features a Snoopy-shaped bunker . Where else could you possibly boast a sand save from Snoopy ’ s snout ?
Here are some top Twin Cities-area courses open for public play :
GETTING THERE
Minneapolis-St . Paul International Airport ( MSP ) is served by numerous airlines , including Allegiant , American , Delta , Frontier , Jet Blue , Southwest , Spirit and United ,
Catch your flight out of Richmond ( RIC ), Ronald Reagan Washington National ( DCA ) or Washington Dulles International ( IAD ).
CHASKA TOWN COURSE is a championship-level public course in the southwest metro area of Chaska . Designed by Arthur Hills , it co-hosted the 2006 U . S . Amateur with neighbor Hazeltine National and is consistently rated as a top-three public course in the Twin Cities . The par- 72 Town Course is built on 285 rolling acres of oak groves , open prairie and marsh land , and features seven tee options from 6,817 to 4,853 yards .
RUSH CREEK GOLF CLUB in Maple Grove has hosted three LPGA Tour events , as well as the 2004 U . S . Amateur Public Links Championship . Located 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis , this par-72 Bob Cupp and John Fought design claims to offer a “ private-club feel ” in a public golf course . The layout offers six tee options playing from 7,290 to 5,883 yards .
HIGHLAND NATIONAL GOLF
COURSE in St . Paul is an upscale par-72 municipal course set amid mature trees with water features on 10 of the 18 holes . With four sets of tees offering yardages of 6,638 to 5,125 yards , the course features bentgrass greens and a unique bunker shaped like Snoopy on the 15th hole – homage to St . Paul native and Peanuts comic-strip creator Charles M . Schulz , who learned to play golf here .
STONERIDGE GOLF CLUB in Stillwater , located 15 minutes east of St . Paul , is a Bobby Weed-designed , links-style course ranked by Golfweek as the top public access golf course in the Twin Cities . The challenging par-72 , 7,205-yard layout spans rolling terrain with plenty of pot bunkers , waste areas and native fescue grass . The “ Barn Hole ” on No . 11 features an 1800s barn that golfers can either hit over , around or through .
Highland National Golf Course BELOW : Chaska Town Course