I had some time off during my Sioux Falls visit and decided to check out a couple courses around Minneapolis-Saint Paul. This area was the final stop on a golf trip last year, so I thought I’d make a return trip. I played three courses and ended up pretty happy with my picks.

The first course I played was StoneRidge Golf Club. The course is on the east side of Saint Paul, not far from the Wisconsin border. Singles can make tee times and from what I could find, StoneRidge seemed to be ranked as one of the top public courses in the Twin Cities. That was all I needed to book my late-morning time.

StoneRidge – a Bobby Weed design – is an inland links style course that occupies an old sand quarry. There isn’t as much elevation change as I would have expected for an old quarry site, so it seems like a decent course to walk. The only difficult parts of the walk would be the hike up to the 8th and 15th greens. The layout is open with just a few trees that could come into play. I thought the course had a great look with tall grass and interesting bunkering that separates most holes.

In fact, that interesting bunkering is probably the course’s defining characteristic. The bunkers certainly caught my eye. The sun was shining for most of the round so you’ll be able to see what I mean from the pictures. The bunkers come in all shapes and sizes, from small pot bunkers to large waste areas. Many have tall grass around the tongues and edges. I hit it in a couple and they weren’t as steep or terrifying to play from as they looked. Besides the bunkers, another cool thing about the course is an old barn on the 11th hole that a left-to-right player will need to drive over.

I played the blue tees which are 72.4/142/6674 yards. I played poorly – which isn’t a surprise these days – but it didn’t seem that the course was as punishing as the slope would indicate. Yes, there are a number of long holes, tricky approach shots and large, undulating greens. But overall, I found StoneRidge to be quite playable. The fairways are plenty wide and there isn’t much trouble off the tee. The biggest challenge for me was trying to figure out a way to two putt from long distance. That didn’t go so well.

I don’t think there is a signature hole, however there are many good ones. The par-4’s are strong and two are potentially driveable – the 311-yard 1st and the 310-yard 13th. There are also four 430+ yard par-4’s too, so the yardage is mixed well. The par-3 7th was my favorite hole. It is only 159 yards from the tips with a green that is long and elevated. There is a steep false front, so you need to carry the tee shot well onto the surface.

I’ll call the conditions good for the price ($100). Although, the course wasn’t in as pristine condition as the proshop described to me prior to my round. The greens were pure and fast, the highlight of the maintenance. The tees and fairways were cut down and the ball sat up. The turf did look diseased in spots, which was disappointing considering the green fee pushes $130 on the weekend. The sand was thin and rocky.

If you are in Saint Paul, then StoneRidge is worth checking out. It is a mostly playable design with an awesome links look. However, there are other courses I’d recommend first which offer a far better value – Logger’s Trail or Keller, for example.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):