Golfing the Legend at Giants Ridge

Our second day of the golf weekend was at the Legend at Giants Ridge.

The Legend at Giants Ridge was the first course to open at what is now a golf mecca in Minnesota to rival the courses offered in the Brainerd lakes area. When it opened in 1998 it was rated as one of the top 10 upscale public courses in the nation.  The next year it ranked as the #1 public course in Minnesota, and #3 overall.  While its newer sibling, the Quarry is widley regarded as the better of the two courses it still is winning awards after 14 years, including #10 best course you can play in Minnesota.

Similar to all of the courses this weekend, free driving range balls are included with your greens fees.  While all courses here do allow walking this is one course that it really makes no sense to do so.  Some of the distances between holes are ridiculous and would take you a good 15 minutes to walk them.

Located right behind the lodge at Giants Ridge, the Legend offers a daunting first tee shot.  You must clear a chasm off the tee and a large bunker seems to steal into the left side of the fairway. At 365 yards, this par 4 is not too long if your tee shot can find safety.  The best location is just to the right of the bunker.  I happened to find the bunker but hit a great out from there onto the green and got down in 2 for par.

The green on one is fairly deep.  Long at right have some margin for error and balls hit there may funnel onto the green.  Short and left will run off the green.  There is a ridge in the middle of the green so hitting to the correct half is important.

After a fairly long drive after the first hole, you will find the 146 yard par 3.  A scenic shorter par 3 water is in play short with a bunker placed between the water and the green on the right.  Bunkers are left and deep is trouble with mounds and thick rough. I managed to hit my shot just left of the flag but spun it back downhill away from the pin.  I then proceeded to three putt for a bogey on what was a legit bird opportunity.

Hole 4 is a dog leg right 381 yard par 4.  Aim between the buker left and the woods right.

The next shot will require navigating bunkers long and on either side to a deep green.  On this day the pin was up front.

I hit my best iron of the year from about 195 yards, just over the flag stick and past by five feet. 

I dropped my putt for birdie, getting back the stroke I gave up on 2.  Through 4 and even.

Hole 5 is another dogleg par 4 at 398 yards.  The tee shot looks fairly narrow but you can hit over the trees on the right side if you have the distance.

The second shot is to a green bunkered on the left and running away on the right. My approach was short and I failed to get up and down.

The sixth hole is a longer 180 yard par 3.  With a bunker the entire left side of the hole and marsh further left, missing right is the better option where moguls can play as a backstop. Par for me here.

Hole 7 is a 388 par 4 dogleg left.  A large bunker on the corner of the turn is where the ball should be aimed to cut off as much distance as possible on this hole.  The green runs perpendicular to the fairway making back pin placements a real challenge. I bogeyed another here.

Hole 8 is the hardest hole on the course, a 445 yard par 4.  The hole is all uphill and requires a solid tee shot to have a go at a green gaurded deep and right with bunkers. 

I hit my tee into the bunker on the fly and had more trouble from there.  I finished with a double.  Ick.

Hole 9 is a downhill par 5, at 516 yards, to finish the side. 

Water short of the green makes going for it in two a risky shot.  Both Jeremey and I hit great tee shots and were both about 200 yards out and had to go for it.

Jeremey hit long into the bunkers behind the green.  I made the green.  Neither of us were able to take advantage and both made pars.

Going out I had 3 bogeys, one double and a bird for a 40.

Hole 10 is another daunting tee shot, similar to one that requires clearing a chasm before the fairway.  We were hitting directly into a fairly stiff wind and it was a real challenge getting the ball to advance far.  I hit just short of the bunkers on the right. 

The second shot is to a green with a large slope short.   I hit a great shot that ballooned in the wind and found that front slope.  I failed to get up and down and scored a boegy.

Hole 11 is a short 130 yard par 3.  Water front and right requires carrying to the green.  Missing left will find the large bunker.  All four of us hit the green hare and we all made par.

Hole 12 is a 383 yard par 4 that requires a carry off the tee over marsh.  A large hill to the left protects the corner on this dogleg.  I tried to cut the corner here, something I will never do again.  Don't try it.  The hill runs too far and I found myself having to take a lost ball.  Play your tee shot center or right. 

Bunkers protect the green short on the second shot.

I walked away from this one with a double after my foolish atempt off the tee.

Hole 13 is a 392 yard par 4.  A large cluster of fairway bunkers on the right hand side gives you the clue the best tee shot is left which gives a good angle to the green and takes the large greenside bunker on the right out of play.

I just missed the greenside bunker on my second shot, hitting just over it.  This bunker was actually all under repair and there was no sand in it when we played.  I made my putts here and got my second par of the side.

Hole 14 is my favorite hole on the course.  I love all of the bunkering.  Aim your tee shot down the middle on this 480 yard par 5.

The green continues the bunkering theme and has a large slope short.  I hit a great tee shot here, followed by an awful second that put me behind the trees on the left side.  My third shot was great...until it clipped a branch and came up short.  A filaed up and down gave me a bogey on my favorite hole.

Hole 15 is a dogleg left par 4 at 424 yards.  The hardest hole on the side, the fairway here slopes hard right to left.  A large divide in the fairway can cause problems for longer drives.

Hole 16 is a 493 yard par 5 that is fairly open and lets you rip it off the tee.

On the second shot a large bunker left can come into play for those laying up to make it a three shot hole.

I opted to try for the green in two but hit a bad enough second shot that it ended up playing like a lay up.  I did get on in regualtion and down in two for a par.

Hole 17 is a long 216 yard par 3.  The opther signature hole of the course, this tee shot requires a carry over lake the entire distance.  There is virtually no room to miss the green but long is the safest escape route.

Hole 18 is a fairly non-descript finishing hole at 337 yards.  The fairway is divided in two by a large valley.  Off the tee jeremy cleared the divide, a carry of over 300 yards.  I was short and in the valley.  We both got in safe with pars.

I limped home a bit on the second half with 4 bogeys and a double for a 42, giving me a total of 82.  While not the blistering 77 I shot at the Wildreness, the conditions today were tougher with strong winds on some holes that made club selection and distance control difficult.  A bad descision on 12 gave me a couple of extra strokes for my stupidity.

Still the golf was great, the company even better.  Also, one of the great things about playing up north is the chnace to see wildlife on the course.

One last round to go tomorrow.  The Quarry, what is probably the hardest course we play.  We'll see how it goes.