Craguns Resort - Bobby's Legacy Course

This course used to offer two very good 18's. Now, I don't know what is going on. There are three 9's but only two were open. The front nine was very good, only got lost once due to poor signage. But the second 9 was a mess. Play some holes skip some holes. I'll play elsewhere until they get their mind set.

The Good: Cragun’s Resort is a multi-faceted summer vacation spot primarily for those coming up from the Twin Cities area. Part of the allure is the 45-holes of championship golf that is the flagship attraction, with 36 regulation “Legacy” holes designed by the great Robert Trent Jones II back in the late 90’s. The “Bobby’s Legacy” course is named after Robert Trent Jones Jr, father and is certainly the more “sporty” of the two designs with several fairly easy, drivable Par 4’s and picturesque closing 6 holes that surround the Legacy Lake. Very good course conditions and large greens with enough undulation to keep you awake, but not unfair. Nice, expansive clubhouse with huge pro shop and Legacy grill has good eats for the price. One of the better values of all the Brainerd area courses. Excellent GPS.

The Bad: The practice area and Par-3 course are across the street and not very conducive to a warm-up session prior to your round. Pace of play was an issue throughout the 54 holes that we played at Cragun’s. The Par-3’s, other than the 9th, are fairly forgettable. Service and staff, while very nice, was still lacking. There were multiple times that we weren’t picked up on-time or at all for our shuttles.

The Verdict: The Bobby Legacy course is a solid addition to the Brainerd area and many consider it to be the best of the two courses at Cragun’s. I side with Dutch Legacy, but this certainly is an enjoyable track, especially for the longer hitter.

Best Hole: The Par-3 9th is the most photographed hole at the resort, but the best hole is the short Par-5 10th hole. You can take advantage of a cut drive to the far-right fairway and try to go for the green in two, or you can play conservatively to the left and attack a green that is engulfed by sand and pond short.

Course conditions were excellent. Greens were quite fast, but were puttable even with numerous ridges and swales. Only a few forced carries and mostly reasonable. Lots of doglegs, some with quite an angle. Good use of the elevations. Last 6 holes quite scenic. GPS in cart a plus.

Bobby's Legacy golf course at Cragun's Resort is an excellent example of a Minnesota resort course. The Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design features expansive undulating fairways, lots of water and woods, and large, fast greens with subtle (and some not-so-subtle) contours. The course is visually stunning, with lake views on many holes. With five par 5 holes and only four par 3's, the course plays to a par of 73. This was my first time to play the course, and it quickly became clear that some thought off the tee is required before deciding which club to take and where to try to place the tee shot. On several holes, it might be better to take a long iron or hybrid off the tee. With a good result, you'll have only a mid to short iron left to reach the green. On the other hand, the 200-plus yard par 3 15th may require a driver off the tee for most average golfers. Don't let false pride keep you from making par on this hole. By contrast, the par 3 9th hole is only 112 yards from the elevated back tees. The peninsula green, with water on three sides, demands a precise tee shot. On a windy day my foursome, which included two single-digit handicappers, managed to leave only one ball on the green. The finishing hole is a classic risk-reward par-5, where you can challenge as much of the marsh as you dare on your tee shot. You can then try for the green in two, or lay up for a better chance to avoid the bunkers and hazard surrounding the green with a good wedge shot. You can then head to the clubhouse, where you can have a cold Minnesota brew on the patio, and watch other poor souls try to keep their balls on that pesky 9th green.

Great course, especially with a deal from Golf now. Excellent conditions, great greens. Play it every year and have not been disapointed.

I have found this to be my favorite course to play in the Brainerd area on a regular basis. I have only had one complaint and that is when they allow a very slow 5-some of women to play in front of a 4-some that is 20 handicap average. What should have been a 3.5 hour round stretched into a almost 5 hour round. I am very surprised as up to that time this was the most enjoyable course to play in the area. This ruined what was to be a fantastic golf round. It is unacceptable for a course of this caliber to allow this, especially on a busy day where tee times were booked all day. Not only were we slowed down but the 2 foursomes behind us had the same issue. Also, the slowwwww women group would not allow us to play through, another serious offense that should have been addressed by the course.