Think big at this northern Minnesota resort's two golf courses

Think big at this northern Minnesota resort's two golf coursesStory byThink big at this northern Minnesota resort's two golf coursesJason Lusk, GolfweekMon, November 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM UTC·4 min read

Deep in the northern woods of Minnesota, tucked almost all the way to the Canadian border, Jeff Brauer offers up one of the most vexing short par 4s found anywhere. On the Quarry Course at Giants Ridge, the golf architect created a devilish little hole that tempts and threatens in equal measure, forcing players to make choices all the way from the tee to the green.

No. 13 of the Quarry Course at Giant Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota, is a short par 4 playing past a centerline bunker and over two earthen walls just short of the green.

Playing 323 yards off the back tee and an even more inviting 275 for most players, the 13th hole of the Quarry features a centerline bunker that’s just 180 yards to carry off the white tees. Players looking to lay up can go to either side, leaving an approach of less than 100 yards. But to best access the various pin locations on the largest green on the Quarry Course, players must choose sides.

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Or ... players can try to blast a drive over two nearly vertical earthen walls on a diagonal line that Brauer used to brace the elevated green. A heroic carry of some 245 yards from the forward tees might provide a look at eagle. Miss short with a tee ball finding those scrub-covered walls, and big numbers are lurking. You can make a 2, or you might make a 6. It's brilliant.

As is the rest of the Quarry Course, which Golfweek’s Best ranks as the No. 1 public-access course in Minnesota and as tied for the 35th best resort course in the United States. Opened in 2003, the Quarry’s site provided Brauer with a unique topography of naturally rolling terrain combined with a former sand mining operation that provided sharp features left over from past excavations. Brauer combined them into an unforgettable layout, part natural and part man-made but all the way fun.

No. 18 of the Quarry Course at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota, plays alongside a lake created by former mining operations.

Brauer left exposed sand on several holes, while on others the sand mounds are grassed. Either way, players have to figure out a way past. It starts at No. 1, a par 4 that offers plenty of width in the earlier reaches of the fairway before pinching between mounds exactly where a longer driver would want to land a tee shot. It continues at No. 2, a longer par 5 that forces players to choose how much native scrub to carry on a layup second shot. Over and over, there are options with risk and reward colliding alongside the sand and the scrapes.

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The dogleg-left, par-4 18th plays along the scenic Lake Mine, formerly a mining pit that now offers a beautiful stretch of shoreline that serves as a cool drink of water after several hours among the hills and sand. But there’s more golf to be played: Giants Ridge sports a second course, the Legend, just a few miles north and nearer the resort’s expansive lodge.

Ranked No. 6 among Minnesota’s public-access courses, the Legend provides Giants Ridge a potent 1-2 punch. Built closer to the resort’s main ski lifts and steep slopes, the Legend opened in 1997 with a design by Brauer and PGA Tour pro Lanny Wadkins. And like the Quarry, it features a standout hole that won’t soon be forgotten.

The back nine requires several longer cart rides between holes, moving players from the main resort area to the shores of Sabin Lake. After the par-4 16th stretches along the water for its entire length, the par-3 17th takes it to a whole new level. With tees set back into trees above the lake, this one-shotter plays 226 yards from the back tee and requires a forced carry to a peninsula green set above the water.

The par-3 17th of the Legend Course plays over a lake at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota.

In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, this whole scene dives right into a golfer’s memory. The morning I played, a bald eagle soared past the 17th green before settling into a tree just off the tee, as if on command by some tourist agency – it was all almost too perfect.

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It’s easy for golfers to fixate on such holes at the Quarry and Legend courses, but there is much more available at Giants Ridge. This is a year-round destination that offers access to 35 alpine ski runs, cross country skiing, a snowboard park, lift-assisted mountain biking, boating, hiking, a mountain sports school, on and on. There are multiple restaurants on-site. The Lodge offers 67 condominiums ranging from one to four bedrooms, some with fireplaces or jetted tubs. The privately owned rental villas include everything from studios to expansive, lakefront four-bedroom options, and there are other unique vacation properties available as well.

Even with all those options of where to stay, don’t plan to spend much time inside – there’s too much going on outside year round. Just pay particular attention to that standout short par 4 and that beautiful lakeside par 3.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Giants Ridge offers big golf opportunities in northern Minnesota

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