Golf Courses Near Red Wing, MN

Red Wing, a small city on the Upper Mississippi River in eastern Minnesota, was named after a great Dakota Sioux chief. The National Trust for Historic Preservation lists Red Wing, which is just 55 miles south of Minneapolis, as a “distinctive destination” due to its impressive architecture and natural surroundings. Those surroundings, part of the Midwest’s Driftless Area bluff country, make for intriguing golf. Red Wing Golf Course, which dates back to 1915, is not only one of the very best courses in Minnesota, it rates high on Golf Advisor’s lists of the top 25 Friendliest and Best Value courses in the United States. Even better, you may be able to score a Hot Deal discount when making your tee time.The city-owned Mississippi National Golf Links consists of two 18-hole courses that are also very popular. The more traditional Lowlands layout is a championship-style test, while the more scenic Highlands showcases breathtaking vistas of the surrounding valley. Gopher Hills Golf Course features a championship 18 and a par-30 executive nine. Wild turkeys, deer, foxes, tortoises and, yes, gophers, are often in view here. Though it tops out at only 6,200 yards, Mount Frontenac Golf Course packs plenty of challenge with its tree-lined fairways in a round filled with spectacular views.

Red Wing may be a small place, but it has achieved fame on many fronts. Bob Dylan immortalized its prison with the song “”Walls of Red Wing,” and the town is well known for the annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival. Red Wing is also home to Riedell Skates, Redwing Stoneware, and yes, Red Wing Shoes. You can visit the Red Wing Store and Museum in town. One of the first ski clubs in North America was formed here and in the 1880s Norwegian immigrants introduced the sport of ski jumping to Americans in Red Wing. To explore the development of the sport, head to the Ski Jumping Museum and Hall of Fame. Downtown Red Wing is an architectural treasure with its red brick buildings from the 1800s. For the best bird’s-eye view of this town situated at the sharpest navigable turn of the mighty Mississippi River, head up to Barn Bluff rock formation. Short of that, the vistas are almost as jaw dropping from some of Red Wing’s golf courses.