Golf Courses Near Brainerd, MN

The Brainerd Lakes region of Northern Minnesota, located a good 2.5 hours northwest of the Twin Cities, is renowned as a vacationland, second home cottage retreat, and fishing paradise. It’s also Minnesota’s great golf mecca with a slew of fine courses. The Classic at Madden’s, a former top-100 U.S. public course, is all about variety, scenic beauty and excellent playing conditions. Madden’s On Gull Lake Resort has 45 additional holes including the 1926-vintage Pine Beach East Course, the oldest 18 in Brainerd Lakes. At Cragun’s Resort, a major revision and expansion is underway led by Tom Lehman. Until 2023, Cragun’s is keeping 27 regulation holes open all season long along with its unique Reversible Par 3 short course. Breezy Point Resort’s Deacon’s Lodge course, perennially rated one of Minnesota’s best, is an Arnold Palmer design favored by skilled players. Carved out of piney woodlands on a heroic scale, it features expansive waste bunkers and gnarly scrub vegetation. Breezy Point is also home to the Whitebirch and Traditional eighteens, and you may be able to score a Hot Deal on any of them. The Pines is a 27-hole “player’s course” owned and run by Grand View Lodge. The Lakes is the easiest and most photogenic nine, the Marsh is the toughest, and the Woods is the most varied. Though inundated by wetlands, Grand View Lodge’s The Preserve, another of Minnesota’s finest courses, is a pretty and playable up and down 18 located seven miles from the historic Lodge.

Brainerd is a destination best enjoyed by those who love the outdoors. Life centers around several classic resorts, most notably Madden’s on Gull Lake, Cragun’s Resort, and the rustically elegant Grand View Lodge. The Lodge dates back to 1921 and is a stunning example of log resort architecture. Lakes, wetlands, woods, and wildlife are never far away in Brainerd. You’ll find beaches and swimming, boating, water skiing, windsurfing, and more. To the delight of hikers and bikers, the Paul Bunyan Trail passes through the area. But really, who needs to hike or bike when you can play golf in Brainerd?