Wildflower Golf Course

Friends of mine play this course when they make the trip to Detroit Lakes and brag about how tough it is to walk and play a decent round. I joined them this time to take on "the challenge". It was a hot, windy summer evening and they were right!! A great Joel Goldstrand design carved into the rolling farmlands of northwestern Minnesota. To be honest, I was struggling. We all carried our bags and between the heat and conditions it definitely was a challenge. The golf course is as beautiful as the images depict. The rough and fescue lined fairways made me think of the Scottish/Irish courses seen on the pro golf tours on tv! Definitely coming back...

I played the course with my son last weekend. It was solid. They had a hard rain and wind the night before. That being excluded from my opinion there was still some course conditioning concerns. Plenty of dead patches in the green, they were slow that day but rolled ok. I assume due to heavy rain they couldn't mow. Layout is fun with some nice views in there. Yardage book or GPS or something would have been cool. My laser wasn't working so i was guessing at a lot of shots but that was my own fault. Carts are old and cart paths are rough. Tee areas could be in better shape and flatter. Everything else was good. We did play on a full tee sheet saturday and didn't see a cart girl until we were driving up 18 fairway which was odd. It was nearly 100 out that day so it would have been nice to see her more often. Staff issues seem to be happening everywhere so I won't hold that against them. Overall from what I am told it is the nicest course in that area and it was a solid track. Interesting, challenging and in pretty decent shape given all the challenges of weather this year. Would go back.......with a laser.

Minnesota golfers will know the Joel Goldstrand name. For those of us in the desert SouthWest, think of a Gary Panks working in the Great Midwest, primarily the Land of 10,000 Lakes. North of the Twin Cities is The Links at Northfork, one of his better tracks and much further north in Nisswa is The Pines at Grandview Lodge, again a good example of Goldstrand's talents. But the best course that he designed , for my money, lies in between Detroit Lakes, MN and Fargo, ND, called Wildflower at Fair Hills. It would be consdiered the hallmark of an upper midwest take on "prairie links" design.

SIgnificant elevation changes, seemingly endless prairie grasses and sweeping vistas combine with solid bent grass green complexes and excellent turf conditions to provide a terrific test of golf. The routing even brings you some beautiful holes that have trees lining the fairways, tees or surrounding the greens. It's a great change of pace and makes the experience just that much more unique.

So, from Minneapolis to Detroit Lakes you are in for 3 hours-plus of driving. I am fully of the opinion that it should be done, but, then again, I have been known to drive 24 hours straight to play a round of golf ;) You will find also Detroit Country Club's Pine to Palm course a worthy track, as well, if you decide to spend a couple of days in the area. There's a whole lotta history in the Pine to Palm tournament, hosted by the course and played since 1931: Past champions have included John Harris and Bill Israelson, along with medalists like Terry Moores, Terry Loughlin and Tom Lehman. Go on, make the trip!

I was really excited going into this course but walked away feeling a little beat up and let down. The pro shop is very small and out dated. The staff was okay, insisting that I not tee off a minute before 6:29 am. Okay whatever, so I waited just to have to have the entire course to myself with no greens keepers in my way.
The course is really off the beaten path on County Hwy 20. As you turn into the course, directly across the street is the Fair Hills Resort and Ironman Golf Course. The signs around the course are really lacking considering all the elevation changes and dog legs out there. The front 9 is tight with many blind shots, the back 9 is more open and is a better track.
The difficulty here is the amount of blind shots w/out any GPS in the carts. The greens are very sloped too. I don't think there is one shot out there to an even surface. The course was shaggy in many places.
They need some water coolers and restrooms too. There was a 90 deg cart rule in effect which I couldn't understand. It didn't seem justified at the time, and for $65 I was going to drive on on every fairway as much as I wanted to.

Great course in Minnesota lake country. Every hole on the course is enjoyable. Some holes are for shot makers and others are for the long bombers. Greens are not huge but have some good undulations and are usually in great condition and quick. The course is wide open in most areas but there are a few stands of oak trees. The course has significant elevation changes and the layout is fantastic. I've been playing Wildflower for many years and it never disappoints. No flashy clubhouse here but the staff are friendly and the course is the reason to come here.

This is a great course, not for the faint of heart. It can be deceiving, and tricky especially when the wind is blowing.Cut out of the hillside of DL, there are plenty of ups and downs to contend with. Majority of the fairways are are fairly wide, with room to spray it alittle, but in saying that, being a links stlye course, you better have some extra balls somewhere. Greens are firm for the most part, but moderate to fast, in my opinion.
Now unlike the CC down the road, where the "Palm to Pine" is played, I think this course is well maintained, The CC is over rated, and they always allow 5sims to play.. just a side note.. wildflower.. great course, great price, and always a good time