Drone view of Erin Hills Golf, the site of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open
Check out a drone view of Erin Hills Golf Course, the site of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open May 29-June 1
Three Tees Golf & Social in Sartell has opened for its first season while starting a major construction project.It is adding an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse and restaurant featuring a patio, bar and party room, with an anticipated opening in early 2026.Owner Brandon Testa aims to create a community-focused environment with year-round activities.
A new spot for family-friendly entertainment is coming to Sartell.
Three Tees Golf and Social has opened for its first season and is starting a major construction project to build a new clubhouse and restaurant at the 9-hole course.
Owner Brandon Testa purchased the golf course from the city of Sartell last year with the goal of bringing a new entertainment and dining option to the area alongside the golf course.
“This year, the nice thing about this phase of us being able to operate just the golf course without having a restaurant, is that we can really focus on what we have with the property (that’s) golf related,” he said.
Demolition on the old clubhouse will start in July via St. Joseph-based Strack Construction. Three Tees is using a temporary trailer for its clubhouse during this year’s season. This is where visitors can check in and purchase snacks and Three Tees gear like hats.
The golf course has already renovated its supply sheds and purchased all-new equipment. Testa said the property came with no equipment, and he had to start from scratch.
The city of Sartell previously purchased the former Pine Ridge Golf Course in 2008. Soon after, they turned the 18-hole course into the current 9-hole course, replacing the other holes with soccer and baseball fields and other parks.
The city then looked for a buyer for the property, and Testa decided to submit a bid after his former operation, the House of Pizza in Sartell, closed because it lost its lease.
The old building will be replaced with a new, 8,000-square-foot clubhouse and restaurant, triple the size of the old space. It will feature a patio overlooking the driving range, as well as a menu including local favorites, a bar with a full liquor license, TVs to watch sporting events and a party room that Testa anticipates will be popular with teams visiting the golf course and other nearby athletic fields.
“It was my intention to try to find a new business opportunity to build a restaurant,” he said. “I joke with a lot of people and say, ‘I bought property to put up a restaurant, and it came with a golf course.'”
Testa anticipates the new restaurant will open during the first quarter of 2026 to align with the golf season, though he is keeping the menu a secret for a few more months.
He also plans to apply his experience running House of Pizza to opening the new restaurant, as he ran his previous restaurant for over 20 years.
“The exciting part obviously is the unknown and learning about that as we go,” Testa said. “My sort of passion is obviously driven by the restaurant side of things, so when we break ground on that, we start focusing on putting that together. It’ll be exciting.”
Renovations will also include other infrastructure improvements on the property and a new parking lot.
At House of Pizza, Testa focused on hiring a large staff of high schoolers and others looking for first-time jobs, which he plans to do again at the Three Tees restaurant. He said he anticipates hiring around 45 to 55 people to support the community with many part-time jobs for students in the area.
Building a strong community relationship through Three Tees is essential to the business, Testa said. He previously faced pushback from some in Sartell about plans for the site, but he hopes the community will embrace the new business.
“It’s our focus to try to use it as more of a multiuse property and another community asset… it’s our intention to build that same community feel where we are the place where people are coming and they want to be,” he said.
Three Tees is also meant to be more laid-back than some of the other local golf courses, with a family-friendly focus, middle school golf meets and entertainment throughout the year. This winter, it offered snowshoe and fat bike trails, and it is exploring plans for a future light-up driving range for night time golf options.
“I think it’s a place that the city of Sartell needs and has needed,” Testa said. “(Three Tees) is obviously a continued asset and amenity from a golf standpoint … but really a social gathering place.”
Teagan King covers business and development for the St. Cloud Times. She can be reached at teking@gannett.com.
