Driving Minnesota Week 3 Recap

June 27 - Chaska Town Course (Chaska)

June 28 - Rush Creek Golf Club (Maple Grove)

June 29 - The Wilds Golf Club (Prior Lake)

June 30 - Blueberry Pines Golf Club (Menahga)

June 30 - Blackberry Ridge (Sartell)

July 1 - Headwaters Golf Club (Park Rapids)

July 1 - Wildflower at Fair Hills (Detroit Lakes)

July 2 - Balmoral Golf Course (Battle Lake)

July 2 - Detroit CC - Pine to Palm Course (Detroit Lakes)

By Josh Miller

I started the week on Sunday at Chaska Town Course. The course is in immaculate condition and there are some holes that give a good golfer plenty of risk/reward options.
 
Monday, I visited Rush Creek Golf Club. As a Maple Grove native I always appreciated Rush Creek, but its elegance and pureness make it tough to beat anywhere in the state. It was a treat to be able to play with teaching professional Aaron Jacobson and also McKenna Hogan and Will Karkoc, high school golfers for the Maple Grove Crimson.
 
Tuesday, I played The Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake with GM Mike Ostlund and media personality Tim McNiff. This course is tough, but after playing it twice has quickly become one of my favorites in the state. There are a few unique features such as the split fairway on number six that make it very interesting for the golfer.
 
Wednesday, I went to the two fruit-named courses in Minnesota: Blackberry Ridge in Sartell and Blueberry Pines in Menahga. Both fun, well-maintained courses that provided enough challenge to make it interesting but weren’t too punishing on missed shots. Blueberry Pines has an incredible story, spared in the Green Valley Fire of 2013 and now being led by 24-year-old Gavin Mickelson. The course is in good hands.
 
Thursday, I visited the Headwaters Golf Course in Park Rapids and the Wildflower at Fair Hills in Detroit Lakes. I played with club head Tadd Usher at the Headwaters, which was an absolute treat because at one point Usher was training to become a professional golfer. He holds the course record at the Headwaters with a 61 (11 birdies!) and even on an ‘off’ day shot even par. The layout at the Headwaters is a lot of fun, and I holed out from 60 yards to make birdie! The WIldflower at Fair Hills is in immaculate condition and is a true links-style course surrounded by farmland. The elevation makes for some unique views.
 
Friday, I finished the week by visiting Detroit Country Club and Balmoral Golf Club. My 6:30 am tee time at Detroit CC allowed me to set the pace for the day, so I finished in just over an hour-and-a-half and without any distractions but golf I shot my best round of the week — a 77. My last round of the week at Balmoral allowed me to play with three ladies who did nothing but make putts and hit the ball straight all day long. It proves that length doesn’t mean much for score.
 
Favorite Hole: Number 5 at Blueberry Pines
 
Most Interesting Person: Tadd Usher. Nothing better than watching a great player strike the ball well.
 
Best Shot: I holed out from 60 yards from the woods to make birdie on number 11 at the Headwaters. If only I caught it on video.
 
All Scores:
 
Chaska Town: 83 (+11)
Rush Creek: 84 (+11)
The Wilds: 86 (+14)
Blackberry Ridge: 81 (+9)
Blueberry Pines: 81 (+9)
Headwaters: 81 (+9)
Wildflower at Fair Hills: 83 (+11)
Detroit CC: 77 (+6)
Balmoral: 83 (+11)