Hole 13 at The Quarry at Giants Ridge is a drivable part four measuring 336 yards with an elevated green and an elevated tee box. It is perennially listed as the best hole in Minnesota.
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It feels like nearly a two-mile drive along a winding cart path through the trees and over the hills, part gravel, part pavement, just to reach the most scenic par three in Minnesota.
Giants Ridge is more than just its iconic 17th hole at The Legend or the drivable par 4 13th hole at The Quarry. It’s an outdoorsman’s dream, offering boating, fishing, ATVing, mountain biking, hiking, dining, and lodging in both cabins and a full lodge that can accommodate groups of all sizes.
The golf, though, is the true highlight. Giants Ridge boasts two championship courses that were once ranked among the Top 100 public courses in the nation. Today, The Quarry holds strong at No. 58 on Golf Digest’s 2025 list.
The Quarry at Giants Ridge, designed by Jeff Brauer, is a masterpiece that winds through the deep northern Minnesota woods, over abandoned pits and rocky outcroppings, and crescendos at a 600-foot-deep quarry turned lake. Its sibling, The Legend at Giants Ridge, flows through the trees with wider landing areas and fewer forced carries. The Legend is also home to a bear-print bunker and Minnesota’s most scenic par three.
The 17th hole at Legend at GiantsRidge is a formidable 226 yard part three over Sabin Lake. The hole is ranked as Minnesota’s best par 3.
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That hole is the par-three 17th at The Legend, a 226-yard forced carry over Sabin Lake. From the tee, the water looks untouched, stretching out calm and serene, with a few homes dotting the far shore. Trees slightly overhang the back tee, and the green runs diagonally from right to left, calling for a right-to-left ball flight. Thankfully, the green itself is flat and receptive.
“The Quarry at Giants Ridge may eventually be judged as my finest and most unique course. This is a tribute to the site, a mixture of virgin land, iron ore open-pit mine, and sand quarry, which gives the course its distinct character,” said Brauer.
The Quarry is a true test of golf, demanding precision from the opening hole. The par-4 first stretches 433 yards, with a bunker, drop off, and fescue encroaching into play. The raised green is guarded by a pine on the left, and any shot short tumbles 25 feet into a catch area, while misses left find the trees.
Its par threes are equally varied and dramatic. The 4th is a downhill brute at 269 yards, often requiring a fairway wood or long iron. The 8th plays 189 yards downhill over a rocky gorge, one of the most dramatic visuals on the course. The 11th, just 158 yards, plays to a tiered, elevated green protected by rocky outcroppings and a pit of despair in front. Finally, the 16th is a 220-yard carry over a large pond to a massive, undulating green that can stretch to 250 yards, with brutal slopes guarding back pins.
Perhaps the most scenic hole at The Quarry is its par-4 13th. Measuring 323 yards from the tips, it tempts players to go for the green, but a dramatic drop divides the fairway. Only the left side provides a clean view of the putting surface, but it’s partially blind and tree-lined from the tee. The green itself has seven tiers, and missing long leaves a treacherous recovery from well below the surface.
Pond to the right is the remnants of an old quarry that measures over 600 feet deep and features the remains of old bulldozers and a helicopter
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The closing hole is no letdown. A sharp dogleg left, it demands a bold draw over towering trees from the back tees to shorten its 468 yards. The approach hugs the quarry lake before finishing at a subtly sloped green tucked beneath the clubhouse.
Unlike two of its Top-100 peers—No. 59 Wolf Creek in Nevada and No. 57 The Wilderness Club in Montana—The Quarry is affordable and accessible. Wolf Creek commands $390 in peak season, while The Wilderness costs $220 and sits just eight miles from the Canadian border. For that same $220, you can play both Giants Ridge courses, lunch included.
