The Refuge Golf Club

My father came in from out of state just to catch up and we decided to hit the links (when it's nice weather in April, you kind of have to). Took to google/golf advisor to find a course near by. I have recently moved to the area so my knowledge of local golf is lacking. Came across The Refuge. Read some mixed reviews but figured for the price it was worth it. Sad to say those mixed reviews are spot on.

I have read several comments on "Staff Friendliness" -- my experience was not that way. Seemed like I was almost bothering the employees by wanting to golf and was shuffled quickly to the tee box rudely.

I am no means an expert golfer reflected in playing from the green tees and did really enjoy the layout from there. I imagine peak months, if maintained correctly, this could be a very nice course. Sadly, even though the year is early, this course is not in good shape. From slow greens to grass growing in the sand traps, there is a lot left to be desired.

This is very much a get what you pay for golf course (got a discount rate through golfnow -- taxes and fee's for two with cart came to 100 total) that unfortunately has left it's heyday in the past. The bones of a great course is there, sadly there is no meat on it.

The Refuge is always fun to play. The course is always well maintained and the greens run true & quick.

1st round of the year.

Got an amazing deal on golf now.com for 50% off with cart!

Course was in great condition for early - mid April.

Can't wait to come back!

lots of carries, was a very windy day added to the toughness of the course. Not a course for a beginner. Got a good deal on Golfnow. Don't think I would pay full price to play this course.

For early season golfing, you couldn't beat our round at The Refuge yesterday. The fairways were decent, the greens kind of fuzzy with some bits of leaves and twigs in places, but good for this time of year. Temp was low 60s, clubhouse was only partly open, but they had beer and brats. It was a good round at a great price

The course was in great shape for so early an opening. Carts were allowed. The greens were not cut yet, so they were very slow. A fun outing in the sun.

Always enjoy playing The Refuge. A little tough to get to unless you live in area. A refuge, if you will. Play from the correct tees or course could be too hard, or too easy, for you. There is room for error but you will have a tough time if hitting it too far left or right. Some redundancy in layout but the beautiful surroundings of similar holes makes up for that. Conditions have always been good to very good over the years I've played here. Staff has been great, as well. Worth playing regardless of receiving discounted green fee.

Decided to sneak away to a course I hadn't played before and had heard/seen a lot about. The staff was great and the course was in good condition. Pace of play was extremely good for the first 9...then ran into some regulars who liked to look for lost golfballs (not their own) and held me up. Then when I skipped 1/2 a hole and went to next tee I was approached and got a stern talking to about 'pushing' play into them. Oh well, some people think the course is there just for them.

Course wasn't that busy on a very windy day.Not very long but you do have to be accurate, very well bunkered,well worth it to play.

In great shape, the greens can be very challenging but if you can putt well on these greens you can anywhere

There are many positive aspects about The Refuge golf course, along with a few negative ones. The course has an excellent practice area, including a large driving range, an enormous putting green, and practice bunkers and chipping green. A good warmup will prepare you for the first hole, a short (314 yards from the middle tees) par 4 with water all along the left side of the fairway and woods on the right. The fast green slopes severely from back to front, so if you haven't tested the speed on the practice green you might find yourself putting a long way past the hole. Remember the speed, because most of the greens will be similarly fast. The second hole is an S-shaped par 5, not too long at 531 yards from the back tee and 468 from the middle tee. As you move on to the following holes, you will never be bored, as you will find right and left doglegs, forced carries over marshland, water on many of the holes, and strategically placed bunkers. The 9th hole, a short dogleg right par 5 (510 yards from the back tee and 403 yards from the middle tee) is a real gem. The first four tee boxes are actually set on islands that have been built in the middle of the marsh. (You'll find similar island tees on several other holes.) The tee shot must carry the marsh and not run through the fairway. Reaching the 200 yard marker in the middle of the fairway is really not terribly difficult if a golfer has chosen the correct tee box, requiring only a 203 yard shot from the middle tee. Nevertheless, the psychology of the shot, looking at that expanse of marsh grass, makes it more difficult. Most foursomes will find at least one member losing a ball. Assuming a golfer is successful in carrying the marsh, what's left should be an easy 4 shots for a par. But the long, undulating green is protected by a complex of bunkers on the left and lots of trouble right and long. Maybe that's why it's the number one handicap hole. The few negatives that I mentioned earlier start with a very slow pace of play. Five hours on a Monday afternoon is really not acceptable. Foursomes ahead of us spent way too much time looking for balls lost in the woods and we never saw a ranger on the course to keep groups moving on. There is also no drinking water on the course, and there were no ball washers on any of the tee boxes. Courses in Minnesota remove the ball washers in the winter, but September seems a bit early to have done this. No ball washers on the carts, either. Finally, even though the carts are equipped with GPS, I was never able to get the one on my cart to work, and the GPS on my playing partners' cart went in and out throughout the round. Very annoying. The bottom line is that I really like this course and plan to continue coming out occasionally, but I really can't give it a five star rating.

The course has a nice design but is not in as good a shape as it used to be, the greens are very bumpy.

The staff is friendly but the worst part is the pace NB of play. Plan on over five hours, even on weekdays. No water to drink on the course is also frustrating. Overall, not a good value.

This was my favorite course in the Twin City areas! The fairways and the greens were fantastic. Have absolutely nothing bad to say about this course. The holes were very challenging but fair. Excellent track and I would highly recommend it. I look forward to the next opportunity to tee it up at The Refuge!

This is a fun course, also challenging. The clubhouse appears new and updated. Beautifully done. The food was excellent.

I enjoyed the course easy to follow from hole to hole play was pretty slow, I golf a single so I waited every shot. had a good time.

Love playing this course. Started round at 3. So, the greens were getting rough by that time of day. Other than that, it was very enjoyable.

Very friendly staff. Food was nice.

Practice green was fast and in great shape, but actual greens were not in a good state. Riddled with pitch marks and spike marks. Not the courses fault, just poor etiquette. The tee boxes and fairways were in good condition.

The various tee boxes gives all levels of golfer a really good challenge. A number of lengthy carries off the tee makes for some scary tee shots.

It took 5 hours to complete a three-ball. No ranger on duty.

Overall I enjoyed the course and facilities.

Great course! Excellent service, play was fast. Great layout, every hole was isolated. Definitely playing Refuge again.

This is a quality course at a great value! Challenging, scenic and affordable.