River Oaks Municipal Golf Course

Heading out to River Oaks Municipal Golf Course, I was expecting an over-played and under-maintenanced, tired, ordinary track. I’m glad to say I was mistaken. Entering the bright and spacious pro shop, I was surprised to see a very nice seating area with comfortable lounge chairs occupying about half of the space. The pub/restaurant is an equally inviting area, with complementary coffee for golfers on the day I played. Very nice!

The course itself was in outstanding condition from the tee boxes to the greens. The fairways were healthy and green. Unfortunately, it had rained for two days prior, so it was impossible to tell how they would run out in normal conditions. The greens were smooth, relatively fast and rolling true. I was pleased to see very few unrepaired pitch marks on the greens, an indication that the “regulars” take good care of their course. The rough is kept relatively low, so finding balls that strayed from the fairway was not much of a problem. Water is in play on only two or three holes- the River in the course name can only be seen in the distance. The main defense on most holes are the bunkers that protect most of the greens. The terrain varies from relatively flat to gently sloping, so there aren’t any major elevation changes from tees to fairways or from fairways to greens. Most of the par 4’s and 5’s have a slight bend or an actual dogleg, so if you don’t like a course with many straight holes, this track would be a good choice. This was my first time playing this course, and the most memorable holes for me were both par 3’s. The 7th plays to 152 yards from the White (men’s middle) tees. The hole has woods on the right, and bunkers right and left protecting a sloped and undulating green. Finding the green on the tee shot does not guarantee a par on this hole. The 12th is 169 yards from an elevated tee and all carry over water to a large green that slopes significantly from back to front. Again, finding the green is not an automatic par. Reasonable greens fees and a number of discount rates make this course a good choice for golfers on the east side of the Twin Cities metro area.

This is a great course. The value for the money is great. Ladies can play Friday nights after 5 for $17 with a cart. Twighlight begins at 3 and is only $26 with a cart (17 walking) The course is well maintained, greens are fast and challenging.