The Best Golf Courses in Minnesota
From the Ryder Cup turf of Hazeltine to the iron range resort golf of Giants Ridge, the Land of 10,000 Lakes punches above its weight. Our ranked six, with verdicts, fees and how to play them.
Photo: Hazeltine National Golf Club via Google.
How we ranked them
Minnesota golf has two distinct faces. In the south, around the Twin Cities, sit the championship clubs that have shaped American golf history: Hazeltine National, a multiple major and Ryder Cup host, and Interlachen, the Donald Ross gem where Bobby Jones completed three legs of his Grand Slam in 1930. To the north, on the old iron range, the resort courses of Giants Ridge and Fortune Bay deliver some of the most acclaimed public golf in the United States, carved through birch, granite and lake country.
Our ranking weighs the quality of the golf, the design pedigree, the conditioning and the championship record together, while flagging how realistic each course is to play. Every fact here, the designers, the opening years and the host history, was checked in June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Fees move with the short northern season, high in midsummer and softer at the shoulders, so treat the numbers as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If your group wants any of these built into a costed itinerary, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The 6 best golf courses in Minnesota
Hazeltine National Golf Club
The clear number one and one of the great championship venues in America. Robert Trent Jones laid it out in 1962, and after early criticism his son Rees Jones reshaped it into a modern major test. Hazeltine has hosted two US Opens, two PGA Championships and the 2016 Ryder Cup, the rare US win on home soil, and it is set to host the Ryder Cup again in 2029. Private and demanding, it is the benchmark every other Minnesota course is measured against.
Giants Ridge, The Quarry
The best public course in the state and a regular on national lists. Jeffrey Brauer routed The Quarry in 2003 across a former sand and iron ore mining site on the Mesabi Range, with rust red rock outcrops, wetlands and birch framing bold, strategic holes. Walkable, dramatic and beautifully kept, it is the headline round of any northern Minnesota golf trip and the reason Giants Ridge became a destination.
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay
On the shores of Lake Vermilion in the far north, The Wilderness is another Brauer design, opened in 2004 and stretching to about 7,200 yards through dense forest and granite. Routed in near total seclusion with no homes in sight, it is consistently rated among the very best public courses in the country. A round here, paired with the Quarry an hour west, is the heart of an iron range golf escape.
Interlachen Country Club
A piece of golf history in the Twin Cities suburbs. Donald Ross reworked the course so thoroughly in 1919 that it became essentially his own, and in 1930 Bobby Jones won the US Open here on his way to the Grand Slam. A recent Andrew Green restoration reclaimed the famous Ross greens to acclaim. Private and traditional, it is the most storied parkland golf in the state.
TPC Twin Cities
The state's PGA Tour course, an Arnold Palmer design shaped with Minnesota native Tom Lehman on a former sod farm north of the cities and opened in 2000. Water comes into play across the property, and since 2019 it has hosted the 3M Open on the PGA Tour. Largely a private club with limited access, it is the most accessible tournament test in Minnesota for the connected visitor.
Giants Ridge, The Legend
The original Giants Ridge course and the one that put the resort on the map, opened in 1997 to a Brauer design shaped with input from Lanny Wadkins. The Legend winds through forest and around Wynne and Sabin lakes, with water and wetland in play and a more classic feel than its quarry sibling. Together the two courses make Giants Ridge the strongest public golf base in the upper Midwest.
Designers, opening years and host history verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Hazeltine, Interlachen and TPC Twin Cities are private or semi private with limited visitor access; the Giants Ridge and Fortune Bay courses are open to the public. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Where they are, and indicative costs
Minnesota's best golf falls into two clusters. Hazeltine, Interlachen and TPC Twin Cities sit within the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metro, easy to reach from the airport but mostly private. The public stars are up north on the Mesabi Iron Range: Giants Ridge at Biwabik and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay near Tower, about three to four hours' drive from the Twin Cities or a short hop into Duluth. Most visiting golfers base in the cities for the metro courses, or at the northern resorts for a self contained golf escape.
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Public resort green fee | Around US$90 to US$170 | Per round at Giants Ridge and Fortune Bay in the peak summer season |
| Shoulder season green fee | Around US$60 to US$110 | Spring and autumn, cooler and quieter, better value |
| A few days, all in | Around US$1,200 to US$2,800 per person | Lodging, several rounds, car, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Plan your Minnesota golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head, secures the tee times and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Minnesota golf questions
What is the best golf course in Minnesota?
Hazeltine National in Chaska is the standout, a Robert Trent Jones design from 1962 later reworked by Rees Jones that has hosted two US Opens, two PGA Championships and the 2016 Ryder Cup, with another Ryder Cup due in 2029. For courses a visitor can actually book, the Giants Ridge resort courses at Biwabik and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay near Tower are the best public golf in the state.
What are the best public golf courses in Minnesota?
The Quarry and The Legend at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, The Wilderness at Fortune Bay near Tower, and the semi private TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, host of the PGA Tour's 3M Open, are the best courses open to visiting golfers. The far north resort courses are routinely rated among the finest public golf in the United States.
When is the best time to play golf in Minnesota?
The Minnesota season runs roughly May to October, with the prime window from June to September when the northern courses are in peak condition and the days are long. Spring and late autumn are cooler and quieter with better value, while the courses close over the long winter. Always confirm conditions before you travel.
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