Minnesota Golf Courses: Pezhekee National Golf Course

In my continuing journey to bring you the hidden gems of Minnesota golf courses I traveled to the picturesque west central Minnesota town of Glenwood. On the banks of beautiful Lake Minnewaska, home to Peters Sunset Beach Resort, is a golf course named Pezhekee National. The golf course has evolved over the past four decades to what you see and play today. The first nine holes where built slowly over several summers in the 1960's. The expansion to become an 18-hole facility took place in the 1980's. Four newly designed holes where integrated into the course late in the 2006 season as several holes from the original nine where decommissioned to meet additional lodging needs at the resort. The Peters family has nicely mixed and matched the holes and used the natural contours of the property to provide a very challenging golf experience. This is the longest public golf course in Minnesota.

If you are a long ball hitter and are looking for a challenging Minnesota golf course, this is the place to play. Pezhekee National measures 7,263 yards from the championship tees with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope index rating of 138. I played from the middle tees, which was a challenging enough experience for my game. The middle tees play at 6,592 yards having a course rating of 72.2 and a slope index of 132. You have to be prepared to face four par-4 holes over 400 yards when playing from the middle tee boxes. The shortest par-3 hole measures 151 yards. The remaining par-3's measure from 185 to 199 yards. Another interesting bit of local history on this Minnesota golf course is that each hole is named with a Native American Indian name, most revolving around the folklore of Princess Minnewaska and friends and enemies of her tribe that made this region of the state their home.

Pezhekee National is a Minnesota golf course that makes you consider risk-reward options. Aggressive play can come back to bite you if you hit an errant shot. You cannot blindly go into all the par-4 holes and hit a driver. There are many holes where calculated distance control, especially off the tee, is vital. If you simply want to play mindless golf and "grip it and rip it", this may not be the Minnesota golf course for you to play if you want to score well. On the other hand, if you are patient and play with a strategy you will have birdie opportunities. A perfect example of this is on one of the new holes, number 11, also known as Yo-he-wa, which is a 381-yard par-4 from the middle tee box. This hole plays to an island green. If you play your tee shot properly and the wind is not swirling you can have a birdie opportunity. On the other hand, if you don't place your drive properly or you get too aggressive on your approach shot double bogey or much worse is a definite possibility.

An interesting feature at Pezhekee National is the "19th hole". This may not be what you are thinking. Though there is a small clubhouse with a patio where you can enjoy a cold beverage after your round, the "19th hole" at this Minnesota golf course is exactly that, an additional hole to play after your 18-hole round is complete. This is a nice little 140-yard par-3 hole that was part of the decommissioned holes from the original nine. This comes in very handy to break a tied score or to see who buys the frosty cold beverages as you make your way down to the clubhouse.

Pezhekee National at Peters Sunset Beach Resort is an easy 2-hour drive from the Twin Cites area northwest mostly on Interstate 94 then concluding on one of several state highways leading into Glenwood. An excellent value in a family or group golf vacation would be to use Peters Sunset Beach Resort as a home your base and play unlimited golf at Pezhekee National; then make day trips to any of the other area golf courses within a 45 minute drive from Glenwood. Visit their website at www.petersresort.com for additional information on their Sports Special Package. If you are interested in being a daily fee player and not stay at the resort, the fees are quite reasonable. You can play 18-holes Monday through Thursday for $30.00 and just $35.00 Friday through Sunday as well as holidays. Golf carts are available for rental at $28.00 for 18-holes or $64.00 for all day. The all day fee comes in nicely when taking advantage of the Sports Special Package.

The pace of play at this Minnesota golf course, as is true for many of the rural golf courses, is excellent. We played our 18-hole round in just over 4 hours. I encourage you to take the opportunity this summer and visit any of the over 300 Minnesota rural golf courses for their excellent value, beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, brisk pace of play and friendly staff members.

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