Deacon's Lodge Golf Course, Breezy Point, Minnesota - Named Minnesota's #1 Public Golf Course in 2005

The Grand View resort in central Minnesota has been a popular destination for tourists and vacationers since the early 1900s. Golf was only added during the last decade or so, but has since become the prime attraction. The resort now boasts three championship golf courses, as well as a "social'' nine-hole course.

The Deacon's Lodge Course is the latest in the lineup, and the most highly acclaimed. The course is an Arnold Palmer design (named after his father) and has been hailed as one of his best works. Too much fanfare, the course opened in 1999 and was christened by Palmer and then-Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura as the two played a nine-hole exhibition.

The 18-hole, par-72 course is not especially long, playing to 6,964 yards from the Palmer Tees, with a USGA rating of 73.8 and a slope rating of 146 on Penncross Bent grass. From the forward men's tees the course plays to slightly more than 6,000 yards.

The course is situated on 150 acres amid Minnesota's mixed forests, wetlands and lakes. In fact, the course touches three lakes - Shaeffer, Lynch and Douglas Lake - which come into play on five holes. The layout has a very rolling, undulating design that will not allow for many even lies. Mature pine and birch trees abound, as well as plenty of native marsh areas that come into play, with ten of the 18 holes requiring carries over wetlands.

The course, which sits upon 170 feet of native sand, also features some distinctive waste bunkers, as Palmer made use of that element to create natural waste bunkering reminiscent of the Historic Pine Valley Country Club in New Jersey. The course also features a number of traditional sand bunkers, with Blue-Fescue grass borders intentionally left long to enhance the presentation.

The fairways tend to be generous at 45 total acres, which is about 60% more than the national average, but that's offset by the undulating terrain. The greens are also large, averaging 7,500 square feet, are moderately contoured and are said to play extremely true. Bordering the greens are large, undulating chipping aprons designed to be very similar to those found at Pinehurst in North Carolina.

One of the most noteworthy and challenging holes on the course is No. 17, a par-3 that plays to 200 yards from the longest tees. Golfers play from an elevated tee to a green surrounded by marshland on three sides. With sand bunkers to the left and a lake behind it, hitting the green on this hole is mandatory for a good score.

Since opening, the course has received much acclaim. GOLF Magazine named Deacon's Lodge one of the Top 10 New Public Courses in the U.S. in 2000, Golf Digest awarded it 4? Stars on its Places to Play list for 2004-2005, and Golfweek Magazine rated it Minnesota's #1 Public Course in 2005.

Practice facilities include a driving range with grass hitting surface, as well as short-game practice area with a sand bunker. A variety of golf instruction options are also available.

The resort also features a spacious, full-service clubhouse designed to resemble a Cedar-log cabin. The clubhouse is home to a golf pro shop, as well as a full-service restaurant with a spacious patio.

Lodging is also available, and other amenities include 11 tennis courts, a 300-person swimming pool with a 110-foot water slide, and a beach on Gull Lake. The Paul Bunyan Trail, which is one of the nation's longest paved trails, provides guests with a place to hike, bike or rollerblade.