The Refuge GC: #7
View from the 7th white tee at The Refuge Golf Club
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Rating Index Rating
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4.1
361 Reviews (361)
5 Stars
193
4 Stars
115
3 Stars
27
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
14
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.1
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
3.6
Amenities
4.0
85.0%
Recommend this course
325 out of 361 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.1
34 Reviews (34)
5 Stars
19
4 Stars
9
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.2
Value
4.1
Layout
4.3
Pace
3.7
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.6
91.2%
Recommend this course
31 out of 34 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
40 Reviews (40)
5 Stars
25
4 Stars
9
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.2
Value
4.3
Layout
4.4
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.6
92.5%
Recommend this course
37 out of 40 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6534 yards
Slope 143
Rating 72.3
Book a Tee Time at
Refuge Golf Club & Wedding Venue
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Course Details

Year Built 2001
Fairways Blue Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season March - October
Architect Kevin Norby (2001) Don Herfort (2001)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - $18
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes
Practice Hole Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code A collared shirt and golf pants/shorts are preferred, but not required.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Minnesota (2019 #24)
The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+
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10 rounds of waived fees
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$120 in tee time credits
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Reviews

4.1
361 Reviews (361)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The Refuge

We had a good time with the Refuge. Fairways were excellent but the Par 3 tee boxes were rough and the greens were full of ball marks. People, if you stick a tee in the ground you can repair ball marks!

There is a lot of slope on the greens so stay below the pin.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
4.0
Previously Played

Must get better

The refuge is a nice course and the staff are cool people's. The problem here is the problem in many places and I'm challenging The Refuge to find a solution. The problem is the golfers who do not repair their pitch marks and the greens become damaged as a result. I had the second tee time of the day and on every green there was fresh pitch marks, and the guys were decent golfers so they know the etiquette. I expect this type of behavior from a cheap municipal course, not a $70 round at the refuge. I would recommend hiring a ranger to do constant rounds and kick people off who cannot adhere to this simple etiquette.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Fun-filled round

The amenities are top tier and the course was a good challenge. The layout was challenging and left me with plenty of shots to take. The quick food and food after the round was delicious.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course solid, don’t expect much in terms of post round food

Course was in really good shape. My only course criticism is green maintenance. The number of divots I repaired on the greens was insane. So - not the course’s fault but players…c’mon!

Was hoping to eat after - choice was hot dog, brat or pulled pork. Unimpressive.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Very well maintenance course

Course was in excellent shape. Greens played nice. Interesting layout.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Should’ve listened to previous reviews

Extremely disappointed with Refuge. Was excited to give it a shot, but after 5.5+ hours to play 18 among other things, I won’t be making the hour trip back.

We were backed up right from the beginning and didn’t tee off until 20 minutes past our tee time. Meanwhile the starter didn’t seem to concerned with trying to help move things along. We saw the ranger out a few times, I let him know that we were currently on pace for a 6 hour round, which he responded by telling me I was wrong and everyone is on pace.

At the turn, we stopped inside quick, nice break from waiting in line at the teebox. The manager came up to us and said it actually only took us 2.5 on the front because we teed off late. Still unsure what point he was trying to make as that’s still a 5 hour pace, and I expect to start at the time we paid for.

Overall, the refuge could be a great course. The layout and design is really unique compared to other courses in MN, and should be a fun experience to play. However, given the extremely slow pace of play and employees arguing and trying to justify the pace, it was one of the worst experiences I’ve had playing in MN.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 76
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
4.0
First Time Playing

5hr+ round of golf

Waited on every tee box, oversold the course. If playing on the weekend, expect to clear your entire day.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Enjoyable As Always

It's always a fun and challenging round at the Refuge!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 55
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Slow

Pace of play was unacceptable! If you book your Tee Sheet all it’s going to do is disappoint and make for a bad experience and frankly from a business standpoint that’s NOT the way to start 2024 Golf season!

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Early spring at The Reffuge

Considering the early time of the year, The Refuge was a joy to play. Surprisingly, the course was already in pretty good condition. Most of the lies in the fairway were true. The greens were a little slow (to be expected in Minnesota in April) and the greens were also somewhat bumpy. We all enjoyed the round and look forward to the next time we play there.

I rated "pace of play" low because my group got stuck behind a 5-some of old guys. We ended up waiting on most shots, especially on the back 9. I felt really bad for the single who was behind us (we offered to let him go through, but he declined).

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/27/2023

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating! We're delighted you enjoyed your round. Please book another round with us soon, and thanks for choosing The Refuge Golf Club!

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/27/2023

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating! We're delighted you enjoyed your round. Please book another round with us soon, and thanks for choosing The Refuge Golf Club!

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Favorite course in North metro

My "go to" course during the week. Course is always in great shape. Good mix of long and short par 3's and gettable par 5's. Been playing here for years and never dissapointed.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/01/2023

Thanks so much for the great review, u572642873. We look forward to welcoming you back to our course soon. Thanks for choosing The Refuge Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Raincheck

I was scheduled to play Sunday 05/14/2023 early morning (7:18) unfortunately due to inclement weather tee times we’re delayed significantly (2 hour) so I was unavailable to play due to another commitment! I requested a refund and was informed by an associate from The Refuge to contact GolfPass which I did to learn that my request was denied because when they (GolfPass) contacted The Refuge to verify weather conditions they were told there was no delay! False we received 2+ inches of rain from 7-9:00 am

Thank You for taking time to hear of my frustration!

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
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