Giants Ridge

Rewards good shots and makes you move the ball both ways. Friendly staff and immaculate course conditions.

I would love to give this course five stars. The scenery, layout and quality of the course maintenance are clearly worth it. It also provides a very fair challenge. If you're hitting the ball well, you can easily score here. The toughest part for me was adjusting to the size of the greens - they are massive! A front pin versus a rear pin in some cases could be a two or maybe even three club difference. In the cases I allowed for one club, I paid the price with putts that went over some very tricky undulations.

Highlights for me included three par 4s - the 9th, 10th, and 13th. On the 9th, the landing area is very wide, but if you put your drive too far to the right as I did, you'll face a blind uphill carry over trees. I somehow managed to get a 6 iron over the top and to within four feet for my round's lone birdie.

On the 10th, you're given the option of a safe drive to the right, which will likely leave a longer approach shot over a large bunker, or carrying your driver over the water, keeping it left of a large tree and to the right of the woods. Again, if you're hitting it well and don't mind short pitch shots, the route to the left is a lot of fun!

The 13th is what I would consider their signature hole - a short par 4 full of elevation changes as well as options (and subsequent hazards) off the tee. I played it safe with a four iron, trying to keep it right of the fairway bunker. Depending on the pin placement and your accuracy the day of your round, you could also go for the fairway left of the bunker, but that provides much less room for error and in my opinion isn't worth the risk. Make sure to hit your approach shot on the same tier as the pin or you'll be faced with a very challenging putt.

A few other bonus items: There is no GPS, but you get a free yardage book. It's a wonderful keepsake, and I like that better than GPS, anyway, because it provides a more authentic challenge. The carts also come equipped with ball and club washers, something I don't see very often. And even their most expensive daily rate during peak tourist season is less than half the price of what other top public courses charge. I found an even better deal on a twilight rate on Golf Now.

So I loved the course, why not five stars? Above all else, the pace of play - a life-sucking five hours. I saw the marshal three times. He's a very nice guy, but evidently not very effective when it comes to enforcing a more enjoyable pace of play. The twosome ahead of me was never allowed to play through, nor was I as a single. I also heard there was a fivesome on the course. Thankfully, I still managed to play well, but the pace was extremely frustrating. There is no excuse in my book for a five-hour round.

On a lesser note, I'm glad I brought my own water as there were no water dispensers anywhere on the course. I guess if you wanted water you needed to purchase it. It surprised me that a course of this caliber wouldn't have drinking water freely and abundantly available to its guests.

Should you take either of the above criticisms as reasons not to play this course? Absolutely not. If you are in this area and love golf, you'd be hard pressed to find a better value. It's the number one public course in the state of Minnesota for a reason. I plan to play it again some day!

the Quarry is more challenging, even though the slope rating for the whites is higher at the Legends.
Both courses in excellent condition and some of the
most picturesque I have played

The Legends course we'll worth the drive. Beautiful course with great conditions with bent grass from tee to green.

Absolutely perfect day, staff was completely accommodating. Course was in amazing shape for being so late in the year and so far north (flurries in the AM before going out). Saved The Quarry as a carrot to make me make the drive back. But if the Legend were the only course I would still be back in a heartbeat.

What a great experience, I would play here everyday if I could. Don't miss out on this course.

My family enjoyed an ideal day at the quarry. Beautiful setting, perfectly maintained, great layout and freindly staff. This place is a gem. I have played all over the state and many states accross the country and couldn't think of a better place I have ever played!

Nice course, more challenging than the legends but I would definitely play this course again. We did have a late tee time at 4:20 and started on time but by the 3rd hole we had to wait at every tee box and did not know if we were going to finish or not. Pace of play could have been better.

I play a lot of very good public courses and The Legends was a wonderful experience. Evererything about the round was fantastic!!! Great course, beautiful property. Great greens, friendly staff. Anyone would love this course!!!

What a gem! The course was absolutely pristine. A very challenging layout that will have you forgetting about errant shots because of all of the natural beauty of the golf course. What a property!

We played the Quarry. It is fun to play because it challenges you. The landing area for your drive is usually open, but then you have to decide and think what will get you home.

The staff was accommodating when we wanted to get on earlier than our scheduled time because of pending weather. Hard to imagine a better course given all the rain that has fallen lately.

The Quarry is an excellent course that is very challenging. Its in great shape from tee box to fairway to greens and has a great staff that is constantly working the course but staying out of your way. The views are amazing, the facilities and yardage book is a great help our tremendously and are very accurate. The course is a top 5 play for me and I would play this course every day if it weren't 4 hours away.

I've played all of Minnesota's top 100 public golf courses and there's only one number one and it's by a significant margin: The Quarry. This is a player's paradise for golfers who want to play in a spectacular natural environment. Pure, fair, consistent and fast greens make putting challenging but enjoyable. The ball goes where you aim it. The fairways are pristine, fairly generous and roll as though cut for a professional event. Teeboxes are immaculate and elevation changes make club selection important. This golf course could be played 1000 times and the player would enjoy every one and boredom would never set in. It's golf in the purest form.

The Quarry and Legend never disappoint--they are as beautiful and scenic as it gets. If you're looking for an extreme challenge, book the Quarry as fescue abounds and fairways are narrow. If you're looking for a lower slope and each hole more beautiful than the preceding, book the Legend. They both are must plays, #17 on both being signature par 3's.

Best conditions in the northern courses. Every hole is a different challenge and can be that "most memorable" in a particular round.
Make sure that you have your bug spray!!

I am a 23 handicap and my husband is a 9. This is the second time we played at The Legend, and both times were equally enjoyable. The staff is very helpful and friendly and the course is just beautiful. The only negative would be the food at The Lodge.

Wonderful course. Even though though the greens were quite slow due to air ration, still a very enjoyable day of golf...wished I lived closer

My wife and I play here several times/year. The Legend and the Quarry are always fabulous experiences. Weather matters here, so be sure of conditions before you book. Early and late season offer the best values. We wish Golf Now could secure more "hot deal" times.

We wish we had been informed BEFORE we paid that the greens and fairways had been aerated. Probably would have chosen to wait to play this course.