This year for my birthday I asked my brother-in-law to golf a round with me. I don't get to get out with him often enough and this guarantees me at least one round with him. The bonus is that he even pays for my round! This is the second year I have done this. Last year we went to Southern Hills. This year it was to The Summit Golf Club in Cannon Falls, MN.
Cannon Falls is about 50 miles south of Minneapolis on highway 52. The course was built in 2001 and is a tale of 2 sides. The front is generally open and flat. The back is tree lined with some crazy elevation changes. We pulled up to the comically small clubhouse. You can see it in the picture below.
The course has a decent putting green and a driving range across the parking lot. The practice area is nothing special but the practice green was pretty fast, even with the morning dew. The greens rolled true and were very smooth. A good sign of things to come.
Hole 1- Par 5 (562/517/501/437)
The tee shot one one is a nice warm up as there is little trouble to be had. The hole has a bit of a double turn, first bending slightly left and then back slight right. On the first shot only a couple of small trees on either side of the fairway offer any danger.
On your second shot a large bunker down the right side can come into play. The bunker is just short of the single large tree guarding the front of the green. Your second shot should be played down the left side to avoid having to deal with this tree and give you a good angle into the green.
The green is around 40 yards past the tree and guarded short left by another bunker.
Hole 2- Par 4 (393/360/329/263)
The most open hole on the course awaits on the second hole. It is hard to find trouble here. I suppose if you stray far enough right there are a few trees to thwart your approach.
My brother found some problems off the tee, not clearing the forward tees.
Even from the rough on the left there is no danger to affect your second shot.
The approach into the green must avoid the two bunkers flanking the fronts of either side of the green.
Hole 3- Par 4 (420/382/355/305)
The 3rd starts to narrow up a bit. On this dogleg right par 4, you must avoid the trees lining each side of the hole.
At the dogleg, a bunker awaits on the right side.
As the hole turns towards the hole, down the left side is death by trees. Left of the green also slopes down towards the trees. Down the right side you will notice an interesting hollow.
The hollow is visually curious. You actually park your carts down in it. It is not somewhere you want to play from.
My dad hit his second down into the front edge of the hollow. He had to play his ball back away from the hole before he could advance it. Past the hollow, three small bunkers line the right side of the green.
Hole 4- Par 4 (389/352/321/257)
A death defying tee shot is required on this hole. You must navigate a narrow chute of trees before finding the fairway.
Dave didn't clear the trees and had another shot through the trees to the fairway.
Once on the fairway, the hole descends slightly downhill towards the green. Over the hill in the picture the fairway slopes pretty dramatically towards the left.
A view of the approach shot to the unprotected green. Aside from the tree troubles, no other hazards are in play on this hole.
Hole 5- Par 3 (178/160/116/110)
A pretty par 3 that requires a carry over a rocky waste area.
Here is what the tee shot actually looks like. There is a lot more room to miss to the right than it looks. There is no room to miss left.
A shot of the 5th green. The green does slope towards the front so a lot of balls tend to end up collecting there. If the pin is back make sure to take enough club.
Hole 6- Par 5 (569/535/505/446)
After the tight last couple holes you emerge onto 6 and another more open hole. Off the tee this hole narrows to a thin neck of fairway separating a large bunker on the right and a grove of trees on the left.
My tee shot found the fairway bunker. That is better than down the left and into the trees. Unfortunately my ball was a little too close to the lip to get a lot of distance on it. That is too bad because the second shot on this hole is into the most wide open landing area on the course. This is definitely a rip it second shot hole.
My dad hitting his third.
A view back down the hole. The green is protected down the right side by a green side bunker.
Hole 7- Par 4 (426/389/355/289)
Another relatively wide open hole. There are some hazards at the landing zone off the tee. Two fairway bunkers are down the right and a clump of trees is down the left.
Here is a shot of your aiming points. The best play is just to the left of the bunkers. You can clear these off the tee as long as the wind isn't against you. The shot into the green must avoid a pair of bunkers located on either side of the putting surface.
Hole 8- Par 3 (158/137/127/100)
A slightly downhill par 3 with a large green that is protected along the back and left by water. The right is guarded by a bunker.
Hole 9- Par 4 (419/385/359/303)
The final hole on the front is a slight dogleg right, Off the tee, you must hit between a chute of trees.
In this shot of your aiming point off the tee, the trees down the right side can be reached, I discovered : ( There is more room to the left than you can see from the tee. The best play is at the tall tree in the center of the fairway.
From the fairway, the hole travels downhill towards the green. The green is slightly elevated in the front and falls off sharply behind.
A shot of the barn adjacent to the ninth green.
While there are certainly a couple of tough shots on the front, it is generally the easier of the two sides. I puked up my nine going double, par, double, par, double, bogey, bogey, double, par, double. I attribute a lot of those doubles to tow things: a) never having played here before and knowing where to avoid b) The speed of the greens. With the morning dew the greens were hard to judge. The continued to change as they dried up making putting a learning experience.
Onto the back
Hole 10- Par 4 (412/365/348/288)
I forgot to get a picture off the tee on 10 but this is a relatively straight forward hole. There are small trees lining the right side and a larger growth of old trees down the left. If those can be avoided the only trouble on this hole is the large bunker on the right side of the hole just short of the green.
Hole 11- Par 4 (390/357/327/278)
The 11th is a hole bisected by a large bunker down the center-right of the hole. Down the left is tree lined. The best play here is to play just short of the bunker (around 200-220 yards) and then play a mid to longer iron into the green. The green has no bunkering but is tucked right up against the trees.
Hole 12- Par 3 (190/175/155/145)
A tough longer par 3 that is extremely narrow. Trees line the right side and the initial tee shot is through another chute. There is room to miss to the left on this hole. There are no bunkers around the green but a small rock gully messes with your mind off the tee.
Hole 13- Par 5 (552/518/492/467)
As you turn the corner after 12 you come to one of the most impressive looking holes in Minnesota. From the elevated tees, the fairway sits aver 110 feet below you. Your tee shot must be hit between a chute of trees down to the fairway.
A better shot of the landing zone below. The fairway is narrow and trees line its length until about 280 yards out. From there there is a break in the trees down the right but another clump on the left.
A view descending the hill to the fairway.
I smushed my drive and landed it just past this tree. That is about 330 yards!
A view looking back down the the hole from the green. The green is significantly elevated above the fairway. I ended up with a bogey after my second shot failed to carry up to the green. I found myself in the bunker to the right in the picture. After getting out of there I was on the back of the green and three putted. Puke.
Hole 14- par 4 (397/373/324/268)
Another daunting tee shot through yet another tunnel of trees. This fairway rises the entirety towards the hole.
My brother had a little more trouble off the tee. This hole is extremely tight with trees down both sides. With one small concession, the green is unprotected by bunkers.
Hole 15- Par 5 (589/561/531/466)
A big looping par 5 double dogleg right. The hole is in the shape of a C. From the elevated tees you must hit a straight shot on this tree lined hole.
Your second shot should allow you to get to the second dogleg. From here the hole turns sharply as it proceeds to the green.
A shot at the second dogleg.
As you approach the green a single bunker is short left.
After repeatedly finding the trees, Dave managed to score a 10 on this hole. He said that was his first 10 in probably 15 years. Congratulations!
Hole 16- Par 3 (163/150/144/135)
A sigh of relief can be made standing on this tee. Finally a relatively open hole on this mid length par 3. A single bunker runs down the left side. Trees can come into play right.
I teed off first and hit a great shot that came up about 6 feet from the hole. I was upstaged by my dad who hit inside me to maybe 3 feet. Unfortunately, we both missed our birds but made pars.
Hole 17- Par 4 (425/393/366/315)
An open tee shot on the 17th. Aim just at the end of the cart path. It is better to be left than right as trees can block out the right side.
A better shot at the aiming point on the hole. It is better to aim at the rock wall, down the left.
The fairway ends at around 150 yards and the hole falls sharply from there.
At the edge of the fairway the hole falls away before rising to the green. Missing short leaves a disastrous roll down the hill.
A view back up the hole from the green.
Hole 18- Par 4 (390/362/331/293)
A final tree lined hole awaits on 18. Trees line the length of the left side. There is water down the right side. The hole takes a right turn over the water to the green.
From the narrow fairway you must clear the water to the 18th green.
A shot again of the barn separating the 18th and 9th greens.
My back nine performance eclipsed my front nine- by one stroke. I still managed to hack out 3 doubles, 4 bogeys, and 2 pars. All told I shot a 93. That is my highest round of the year. I have to say that aside from the crap score, I had a great time. I got to play with Dave, my Dad, and my Brother. My round was free and I got to check out a great new course.
At only 38 for 18 holes, this course is a great value. It was actually voted as the #1 New Affordable Course in Minnesota upon its opening in 2002 by Golf Digest. In 2004 it was ranked by Golf Magazine as the #20 best value course in the nation. Those are some pretty high praises and I would agree that for the money it is an excellent value. It offers a whopping challenge with all of the tree lined holes. From the tips it has a slope/rating of 74.9/139 and plays at 7022 yards.
Summit Golf Club
31286 Highway 19 Blvd.
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
1 877 582 4653
