While deer hunting may be on the minds of many Northlanders, the unseasonably warm weather we’re getting as we head into the weekend is opening up an opportunity for another outdoor activity.
Temperatures on Friday and Saturday in the 50s around parts of Northern Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin have encouraged a handful of golf courses to temporarily reopen.
This gives golfers one more shot at a round or two of golf before another round of colder weather and what will likely be the official end to the golf season in the region.
I checked around at most of the popular courses in the area to see who will be open, and while places like Enger Golf Course in Duluth, Nemadji in Superior, and Lakeview National in Two Harbors have not announced any reopening plans, there are three Northland courses that have made temporary reopening announcements.
READ MORE: New Northland Donut Shop Offering Hot Dish Donut
The first of these courses is Big Fish Golf Club in Hayward. If you’ve never golfed at Big Fish, it is a beautiful course with drastically different scenery from the wide-open front nine to the wooded back nine.
Big Fish announced they are offering 18 holes with a cart for $40 and 9 holes with a cart for $20. With the shorter days, their hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm for the weekend. You can make tee times via their website.
The next course that announced a temporary reopening is Grand View Golf Links in Duluth. Grand View is a fun 9-hole course closer to the Twin Ports area that is offering $20 for 9 holes with a cart, with hours 9 am until dark through Saturday. Tee times can be booked via their website.
The final course in the area reopening for the warmer weather is Proctor Golf Course in Proctor. Proctor is another fun 9-hole course that’s challenging enough for more skilled players, but still approachable for less-experienced golfers. Open yet for today and Saturday, Proctor is offering 9 holes for $12 with the bonus of being able to snag $2 16-ounce beers and some other specials and deals on drinks and merch. Nice! You can make tee times via their website.
I checked around at other courses in the area, and places like Haward Golf Course, Lakewoods Forest Ridges in Cable, Big Lake in Cloquet, Poplar Golf Course in Poplar, and Superior National in Lutsen have not made any reopening announcements.
Get out and make the most of it! It’ll be back in the 30s on Sunday and to start next week.
Tour Minnesota’s Fanciest Mini Golf Course – The Centennial Lakes Putting Course
While they won’t call it a mini golf course, it kind of is. This 18-hole course boasts all real grass playing surfaces, natural obstacles like sand traps, boulders, and water, just like a real golf course.
The whole course looks and feels like a shrunken golf course, and it plays like one, too! The holes are long! The shortest hole is 57 feet, the longest is 125 feet, and the whole 18-hole course plays 1,662 feet.
This is no ordinary mini golf course!
Take a tour.
Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper
