Pack the Clubs and the Family

Loosen Up, Lakeside

Looking for a few extra amenities during your next golf getaway? Several Minnesota resorts now offer luxuries beyond the well-groomed course: high-end lakeside spas that are perfect for golfers and non-golfers alike.

True to its name, the Panache Spa at Madden’s Resort in Brainerd exudes the utmost in style and elegance. Located on the resort’s grounds just a few feet from Gull Lake, Panache’s tall windows provide an excellent view of Wilson Bay. Patrons can indulge in several spa services, including hot stone and other massages, pedicures, manicures, and facials. Panache was recently selected by Salon Today magazine as one of the top 200 fastest growing salon spas in the United States.

Similarly, Grand View Lodge in Nisswa has embraced the spa trend. Its Glacial Waters Spa features ten treatment rooms, a hair care salon, a relaxation room with a fieldstone fireplace, and a hand- and foot-care room. Also, the men’s and women’s dressing rooms are equipped with a steam shower, ideal for relaxing post-spa.

Bluefin Bay, located on Lake Superior south of Grand Marais, features the Superior Waters Wellness Center and Spa, located in the resort’s recreation center. “We have really wonderful, fabulous massage therapists, all of whom have been trained by Carol Einwalter, a massage expert who has over thirty years of experience in massage therapy,” says Rob Buntz, co-owner of Bluefin Bay.

The spa offers several services and specializes in a wide range of massages, including heated stone massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, and Swedish massage.

If your next vacation to northern Minnesota is centered around golf or is an attempt to relax, these resort spas may be a vacation destination all their own.
—Claire Joseph

Golf Getaway Resources

* Old Rittenhouse Inn: 715-779-5111

* McCormick House: 715-934-3339

* MacArthur House B&B: 218-387-1840

* Cedar Rose Inn: 320-762-8430

* Izatys Resort: 800-533-1728

* Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge: 800-450-4545

* Superior Shores Resort: 218-834-5671

* Lakewoods Resort: 800-255-5937

* The Quarry and The Legend at Giants Ridge: 800-688-7669

* Brianerd Area Golf

* Big Fish Golf Club: 715-934-4770

* Panache Spa at Maddens Resort: 800-247-1040

* Grand View Lodge/Glacial Waters Spa: 218-963-2234

* Bluefin Bay/Superior Waters Wellness Center & Spa: 800-BLUEFIN

* Minnesota Golf Association

How About a Quick, Half-Day Golf Getaway?
Willingers Golf Club in Northfield is just far enough away

* For avid golfers, there’s nothing like getting away from it all for a golf trip to a favorite destination, but not everyone has the time to head far out of town.

If you only have a day or a half-day, it’s still fun to head out of the Twin Cities to play eighteen holes, perhaps following up with a nice dinner.

There are plenty of great courses within an hour of the Twin Cities to make a quick getaway. Some top-notch courses that require a bit of a drive but no overnight lodging include The Refuge, north of the Twin Cities in Oak Grove; Troy Burne Golf Club, across the border in Hudson, Wisconsin; the Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan; and others.

South of the Twin Cities, however, is a golf destination that has continued to gain in popularity since a plot of land was transformed into a golf course in 1991. Willingers Golf Club, just west of Interstate 35, sits in an undeveloped area a few miles outside of the bucolic college town of Northfield.

What makes Willingers so popular, according to Howie Samb, the head pro and general manager, is the changing topography, the variety of hole designs (everything from heavy woods to wetlands), and the cost, or lack thereof. In fact, in 2004 Golf Magazine ranked Willinger’s fifth on its list of top fifty courses in the country for under $50 (walking).

“We’ve really become a destination, mainly for golfers from the Twin Cities, but also for people who stay in some of the B&Bs in the area,” Samb says. “The course architect, Garret Gill, was ahead of his time in designing a course that is a challenge for good players from the back tees, but which is also fun for seniors and higher-handicapped players from the forward tees.”

One of the most memorable holes is the par-4 twelfth hole, which has an elevation drop of nearly a hundred feet from tee to fairway, framed by a heavy stand of woods. Another, the elevated tee on the par-5 sixth hole, affords a fabulous view of several holes, including the winding, water-laden fairway.

After the round, there are nice dining options in Northfield, including The Tavern of Northfield, located in the historic Archer House; the Froggy Bottoms Irish River Pub; and George’s Vineyard. For more information, call the Willingers golf shop at 952-440-7000, or visit willingersgc.com. —J.M.