Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minnesota

[Steve_ Shaffer]

 Tom Lehman's touch elevates Cragun’s Resort's status 
Former British Open champion renovated Minnesota destination's two courses — one of which will host a PGA Tour Canada event — in hopes of expanding resort's brand beyond state lines


The $15 million project elevates what started as, in 1940, a collection of rustic cabins on a lakefront beach and turned into what arguably is the best golf destination in central Minnesota. Long a haven for residents of the Twin Cities, resort officials are banking on the course renovations and continuing lodging upgrades to pull in guests from drive markets beyond Minnesota.Drive markets that resort officials plan to go after include Des Moines, Iowa; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Thunder Bay, Ontario — all a little under six hours away by car. More distance markets will include Milwaukee, Chicago and Kansas City — all eight to nine hours away.
The resort comprises 450 acres on the south shore of Gull Lake. It has 206 lodging rooms and there are plans for new guest-home construction. Cragun’s is two hours west of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, 15 miles from the resort, has limited service via Delta Airlines.


Read more:



https://www.firstcallgolf.com/features/feature/2023-08-02/tom-lehmans-touch-elevates-craguns-resorts-status

[Charlie Goerges]

I'm hoping to get there sometime this year, I'm from that area and have played the original courses a few times.


They wanted to use the resort to host a Canadian tour event and the courses were too short for that. But also, the two courses were so similar in style and length, there wasn't much differentiation between them, so this will probably be a welcome change. It's a bit of a shame the original architect didn't do more to differentiate them.


Also I believe they acquired additional land as well.

[Jason Topp]

I have been to the area something like 40-50 times and have never had an interest in playing the prior courses despite actually staying onsite once.  I may have played one of the 18's but it made so little impression I cannot remember whether I did or did not play it.


It is a beautiful spot so I hope the work turns out well.

[Charlie Goerges]

The courses were average for the area (if better conditioned than average), but you were certainly better off spending the day on Gull Lake or some such activity.

[Gary Kurth]

Another midwest rebuild that I'm looking forward to is Quarry Oaks in Ashland, NE.  The course has been closed for the season to rebuild greens, tees, bunkers, new irrigation and change some fairways.  Thankfully, they are blowing-up the split fairway on hole 14. 


One of the crazier cheating scandals occurred there last year at a pre-qualifier for the Korn Ferry Tour Q-school. 


https://firepitcollective.com/q-school-dq/