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BRAINERD, Minn. - Newly renovated golf courses and new owners are set to take Cragun's Resort into a new era.
For more than 75 years, the Cragun family ran one of Minnesota's iconic resorts on Gull Lake three hours north of the Twin Cities. Investors with Leisure Hotels & Resorts, a company based in nearby Baxter, bought Cragun's this spring. Jamie Tatge, president and owner of Leisure Hotels & Resort, said in July that his company is prepared to invest millions of dollars into transforming Cragun's for the next generation.
"Over the next 3 to 5 years, our goal is to truly be the best resort in the Midwest," he said. "The foundation here, particularly on the course(s) itself, is phenomenal. Now we have to get all the other pieces to that level. We see a lot of great opportunity."
Considering all the great golf resorts in the Midwest - notably Sand Valley and The American Club/Destination Kohler in Wisconsin - that's a bold statement but a dream worth pursuing. A three-year project by Tom Lehman to completely redesign the resort's two original Legacy courses into 45 excellent holes gives the new owners a strong head start.
The golf experience at Cragun's
Golf at Cragun's has always been good, but the ball-gobbling nature of the two original Robert Trent Jones Jr. designs left golfers feeling frustrated. Lehman wiped the slate clean. Some original holes remain, but in other spots, he reversed the direction of holes or made new tee and green complexes. Sure, there's still plenty of wetland to fear, but many of the new holes are more forgiving, the bunkers more properly placed and the greens more strategic.
More photos of golf at Cragun's
"It was all about making the game easier for the clients who are coming to play here," Lehman said. "We created a lot more width. We took out a lot of the underbrush of the trees. We took down a lot of trees. We created way more room for people to play, but we added strategy to make it interesting. The idea was to create great beauty, great strategy and great conditions. That is what generates fun."
The new Dutch 27 features Red, Blue and White nines that can be played in various combinations. The Lehman 18 is the signature experience with a higher green fee. Stylish sod walls make the bunkering on the Lehman 18 stand out among Minnesota's other top resort courses. If I was forced to pick a favorite 18-hole routing on the Dutch 27, I'd go with the dramatic tee shots on the Blue and the scoring opportunities on the Red. The truth is there's no bad loop in the bunch. A nine-hole short course is for families and beginners.
Cragun's is set to host the CRMC Championship, a premier event on the PGA TOUR Americas, Aug. 25-31. Rising PGA Tour star Jake Knapp was the original winner in 2022. Hosting the Korn Ferry Tour is the end goal. Landing a Korn Ferry event would certainly help Cragun's get the television exposure and notoriety it craves. The golf is good enough now to attract groups from outside of its traditional customer bases in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas. Getting the word out to a larger audience remains the next hurdle, along with upgrading the food and beverage operation and modernizing the resort accommodations.
Future growth at the resort
Cragun's ace in the hole will always be its mile of shoreline on Gull Lake, one of Minnesota's most beautiful lakes. The new owners are already moving ahead with plans to renovate existing lakeside cabins and build new, more modern ones.
A wide array of other lodging options — villas, private homes and traditional hotel rooms - cater to all sorts of guests, such as golfers, families and couples. More than 62,000 square feet of multi-function conference and exhibition space attracts meeting planners and corporate retreats. Our media group shared one of the new rental homes built during the redesign of the Lehman 18. Our Private Collection house along the 10th hole was three levels, home to eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen and rec room. Other similar units are available to turn into your summer vacation getaway if you're looking for a second home investment.
Of the multiple restaurant options, Irma’s Kitchen Restaurant & Bar delivers the best fine dining in a historic building dating to 1926.
When you're not on the course, the lake calls with endless activities - boating, cruises, waterskiing, tubing, banana boat rides, canoes, kayaks, hydro bikes, jet skis, pontoon boats, paddle boats and paddleboards that are available for rent.
Other popular recreational pursuits include beach volleyball, biking, hiking (the Paul Bunyan Trail stretches 75 miles), FootGolf, tennis and pickleball. If the weather turns sour, there are both indoor and outdoor swimming complexes, plus the 22,000-square-foot Sports Centre's indoor track and basketball, tennis, pickleball and volleyball courts.
Summer will come to an end at Cragun's before guests run out of activities to do.
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