I played this new Jeff Brauer course over the weekend for the the first time.
www.thewildernessgolf.com/newpage.asp?id=130&page=1980 Because I was hosting a friend from Holland who had only played one 18 hole round in his life (apparently you need to get a license to play golf there - something he has not had time to do), I spent most of my time focusing on getting him around the golf course rather than the design.
Despite the limitations on my ability to focus on the course, I really enjoyed it.
The best features of the course are the greens, which contain very bold slopes between levels, but rather flat areas if one is on the correct level. In particular, I really enjoyed a biarritz green on the 5th, which features a 5 foot swale in the middle of the green with some back to front slope in the rear part of the back level to hold a running shot to the green. The pin was just beyond the swale on the back level and it was great fun to play a (not particularly good) low running shot that left me fifteen feet for birdie while another member of our group hit a high shot that landed just short of the pin and rolled back, leaving an almost impossible two putt.
Many of the fairways feature rock outcroppings diagonal to the line of play with real choices to be made be made between the two alternate fairways.
In addition there were some short par fives with big, imaginative greens where one makes the choice between going at the pin with the second, going for the wide side to leave green to work with or laying up for a wedge.
My friend was able to maneuver around the course just fine from the forward tees and had the time of his life. For him, the big adventures were the carries over water to the par threes which were generally under a hundred yards. He made it every time.
I highly recommend a trip that includes Northland in Duluth, Giants Ridge and the Wilderness for anyone looking for a weekend trip. Duluth and Ely are interesting places to stay. Ely is the launching point for many boundary waters canoe trips and features an interesting mix of traditional northwoods fisherman (and women) as well as a healthy mix of granola backpackers. We also found out yesterday, it has a wonderful (and wonderfully short) traditional fourth of july parade featuring all of the different perspectives from locals in the area.
Duluth is a beautiful port city at the tip of Lake Superior which feels like the Atlantic coastline without as many people.
The area is spactacular in September.