Playing Meadowbrook

Saturday I took my dad, my wife, and my father-in-law out to play a little golf for a belated father's day gift.  We ended up going to a local course that has missed my rotation for a number of years- Meadowbrook.

Meadowbrook golf course is in Hopkins, MN. It is actually a part of the city of Minneapolis Golf Course umbrella. It was opened in 1926 and offers a very similar parkland layout to the other Minneapolis courses.  The course is adjacent to storied Interlachen but since this is a muni, it has the typical conditions of spotty fairways and shaggy greens.

I really wish that Minneapolis would spend some coin on their courses.  Most of them have a pretty decent layout but their lack of upkeep is the major downside.  I have not played Meadowbrook for over 7 years.  Really my only memory of the last round was that canoers were traveling down Minnehaha creek that transects several of the holes.

The major gripe of the course is that it offers too many blind shots. The course was renovated in 1995 and it is a little surprising that the layout offers so many blind shots.  The positive side is that almost every hole is dead straight and plaques near the MGA markers tell of any hazards up over the hills and their distance from the tee.  So basically if you hit it straight the blind shots are not a big deal.

We played after several days of strong storms and showed up to the course to find out they were not letting carts out.  A policy I commend for the upkeep of the course but one that meant a long walk over the various hills of the course.  Both my dad and my wife's dad played with us and it wasn't exactly cool, but we all made it safely around the course without any heat exhaustion.  One other bad thing about the no carts- the pull carts the course rents are absolutely horrendous.  They offer no straps to hold your clubs on, which is a crime given the hilly nature of the course.  My father-in-law's bag must have fallen off his cart 10 times during the round!

So muni conditions, blind shots, and wet conditions with no carts.  I must have hated it, right?  Well no.  Actually exactly the opposite.  I really enjoyed playing the course.  I found the elevation changes of the course one of the great things.  Sure there are blind shots because of it, but if you are straight (which I happened to be that day) the blind shots are not that detrimental.

Lets take a look at the course.

The course is not too long.  From the tips it is 6557 yards with a 72.4 rating and slope of 132.  From the forward most tees it drops to a pint sized 4934 yards.

Hole 1- Par 5 (512/497/462/398 yards)
The opening hole starts off with a layout that is straight away.  As I said, almost every hole on the course offers this layout, with only one hole that can be considered a dogleg.  From the tees here, you can see the green in the distance over the top of a hill.  The hill from the MGA markers is around 240 yards. 

Over the hill down the right side is a pond, not visible from this picture.  The fairway cascades downhill before rising again to an elevated green on your third shot.

The green also falls off behind the hole and the course property boundary is close by both left and behind the green.

Hole 2- Par 3 (162/154/144/119 yards)
The second is a down hill par 3 with a mounded green protected in front by a pair of bunkers.

Hole 3- Par 4 (322/306/298/234 yards)
This is a straight ahead par 4.  Here you experience the first of the blind tee shots up the hill. 

Once atop the hill the green has a single bunker left.  As long as you avoid the trees off the tee it is a relatively easy hole.  Hitting from the hill can be tricky to a hidden green.

Hole 4- Par 5 (462/452/441/405 yards)
Again, straight ahead.  From the tee the view is constrictive with trees lining either side of the hole.

 From the forward tees the narrowness of the fairway looks more pronounced.

 The bunker down the right can be carried off the tee.

 The approach to this green is again a blind uphill shot.

Hole 5- Par 4 (442/381/367/354 yards)
A tee shot over a praecipe; this is another blind tee shot.  Markers by the MGA marker warn of water both left and right with the yardage to each.

Once you reach the crest of the hill you can see the hole falls away before Minnehaha creek bisects the fairway.

 A well placed drive just short of the creek will leave 160 yards to the green.  Because of the water this hole plays pretty tough.  Driver is not an option and, if played conservatively off the tee, your second shot can be a long 200 yards into the green on this par 4.

 A view back down the hole.

Hole 6- Par 3 (187/178/167/120 yards)
A longer par 3 with 2 bunkers protecting a wide but narrower green.

Hole 7- Par 4 (398/326/319/226 yards)
The 7th is a par 4 that require a good drive to clear the hill off the tee.  If the course were dry I can imagine a lot of balls rolling back down to the base of the hill.  As it was today, the balls stopped on the hill and that was our typical landing area.

 Off the tee you must clear Minnehaha creek.  Not a problem for anything hit well.

 A view from just beyond the creek showing another uphill blind shot towards the green.

 The approach to the green is unguarded but you do not want to go long.

 I hit a lucky shot with my ball on the upslope of the hill and had a 5 foot birdie putt that I converted.

Hole 8- Par 4 (363/326/319/226 yards)
Another dead straight par 4.  Other than the trees, there is also water left  off the tee.

 The approach from the fairway is guarded by 2 bunkers in front of a slightly elevated green.

 The rough in front of this green is pretty thick.

Hole 9- Par 4 (450/440/324/313 yards)
An elevated tee shot to a straight ahead, tree lined fairway.  Like the last hole, water is down the left side.

 From the fairway the green is unguarded.

 A view from behind the green showing some of the storm damage.  All in all there were not too many trees down, unlike a lot of areas in the city.

Hole 10- Par 4 (389/369/343/282 yards)
A pair of ponds must be navigated on this par 4 hole, with the finish rising to an elevated green.

 From the right side of the hole you may need to carry the large oak.  A pair of bunkers are placed short on either side of the green.

 A view back down the hole.

Hole 11- Par 4 (367/356/319/275 yards)
Water comes in play down the right.  Trees cover all other escape routes.

 Another rise to the green completes this hole.

A view back down the hole.  My drive was behind the trees on the right of this picture off the tee and it was very difficult to find an approach to the green.

Hole 12- Par 4 (349/344/309/271 yards)
A slight dogleg left.  Water is in play down the left on this hole.  A small pond just out on the right but a well struck drive should not have a problem with the right hazard.

 The green has a single bunker short right.

Hole 13- Par 3 (126/123/120/118 yards)
A par 3 that has two distinct appearances based on the tee used.  From the back 2 tees you must carry 2 bunkers and the hill in front of the green.

From the forward 2 tees your tee shot is a different angle, providing access to the full width of the green to aim at.

Hole 14- Par 5 (494/487/420/358 yards)
A blind tee shot over the hill on this par 5.  Again, plaques on the ground define hazard distance and location.

 From atop the hill you can see water is in play down the left.  Trees are the hazard down the right.

 The approach into the green is guarded by a flat bunker covering the entire front of the green.  A clever design to protect a run up shot on this short par 5.

 My ball found said bunker, covering the circular green.

Hole 15- Par 4 (416/394/333/279 yards)
The only legit dogleg on the course.  A tall tree blocks the most direct path off the tee.

 A view from the right edge of the dogleg.

 This hole also features a Candyland inspired candy cane forest.

 A view of the 15th green and the three square bunkers guarding the right side on approach.

Hole 16- Par 3 (163/152/107/102 yards)
The final par 3 is visually similar to every other one on the course with two bunkers protecting the front.

Hole 17- Par 4 (409/399/366/328 yards)
Another blind tee shot on this par 4.  This picture was taken a ways up from the tee.

 At the top of the hill, you can see how squeezed the fairway gets between the water hazards.

 The approach is guarded by a single bunker short left.

Hole 18- Par 5 (546/536/449/442 yards)
The finishing hole is a dead straight par 5.  There is water both left and right of the fairway in the first shots landing zone.

 A view down the flat fairway to the green.

 A shot back down the hole showing some of the standing water around the course from the heavy rains.

If you hate blind shots you are going to hate Meadowbrook.  I found the layout fun, if not a bit quirky.  Again with better grooming this would be a more fun experience.  The layout of the course over the hilly terrain makes for more interesting play than a completely flat course, like Minnehaha in South Minneapolis.  However these same hills make for a lot of blind shots, either off the tee or on approaches to uphill greens.