Hawk Creek Country Club

$16 (cart not included), played on Saturday, May 2011 at 2pm

An excellent 9-hole course that offers wide, well-manicured fairways and manageable rough allows golfers at any skill level to have an affordable, enjoyable experience. Decent overall length, great use of natural water hazards and some tricky greens make this a course that will provide enough of a challenge to keep better golfers from losing interest. While the last three holes are beautiful, largely cut out of century old forest, the first six have grown up beautifully over the last few years. Most of the trees that once left dog-legs open to big swingers looking to cut the corner have begun reaching maturity and have really tightened up some of the (previously) easier par-4's. Additionally, the added tree cover serves to cut down on the amount of wind that often whips through the flatlands of western Minnesota, leaving a much more enjoyable experience for walkers or just those looking to enjoy some friendly conversation out on the links. The only downside to this Joel Goldstrand designed course is that the greens are generally left a bit long, creating a slow putting surface that makes getting in some practice on the putting green a must before you head out to the first tee. Scenery: Elevated tees on holes 4 and 6 allow you to look out over most of the course. As the trees and shrubbery have matured it has added a lot to the first six holes. The final three holes are absolutely fantastic, offering fully developed woodland backdrops and running along the length of a winding and weaving Hawk Creek. Layout: he lay-out is simple without being boring. The course offers moderate length, and a good variety of different types of hole designs. Hole number six is a long par-5 unlike any hole I've seen before, requiring a double cross of the river from an elevated tee back down to a green guarded left and behind by water. The women's tees are given a generous jump, making this an excellent scoring course for those inclined to play from the front markers. The course website provides a fairly accurate hole by hole description: http://www.hawkcreekcc.com/layout.htm