The last course I played on my Twin Cities visit was the Meadows at Mystic Lake. The Meadows is associated with the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. While I didn’t stay at the hotel I did spend a little, albeit unsuccessful, time in the casino after my round.

The Meadows got my attention since it ranks as one of the best public courses in Minneapolis and even gets mentioned as one of the best publics in the state. I haven’t played any golf in Northern Minnesota yet, but from what I saw during my round I wouldn’t be surprised if the Meadows is indeed a top-10 public course in Minnesota. It is very good.

It was a busy afternoon and there was even a short lightning delay. A severe storm, with a tornado warning, blew through to the north and south of the course. While it didn’t rain at the course, it did look like the world was ending nearby. Thankfully though, I got in the entire round and got many great pictures!

I believe the Meadows was previously known as Lone Pine Country Club and in the mid 2000’s the course was re-done. I’m not sure how much of the original course is left, but Garrett Gill and Paul Miller get credit for the re-design. While I haven’t played any other designs by either of them, their portfolios of mostly Midwest courses look solid.

I’ll call the Meadows a wetlands layout, although there are some inland links and parkland style holes. I played the blue tees which are 72.2/137/6688. The course sits on a fairly flat piece of land with water and tall grass being the main challenges. Depending on how you count, there is water (ponds and creeks) on ten to twelve holes. The fairways are narrower than they appear and angle, so it is tougher than it looks to have a drive end up in the short grass. As long as the rough isn’t too tall there is a lot of space there to find the ball. Overall, I thought the Meadows was a bit tougher than the average casino course.

The hazards – which include multiple waterfalls – result in many good golf holes. Visually pleasing ones that require strategy to play. On the front nine the 3rd, 6th and 7th are the best holes. The 3rd and 6th can be reachable par-5’s but the drive, layup and shot into the green all need to avoid water. The 3rd has an island green that makes things interesting. The 7th is a pretty par-3 (191 yards) that plays about a club downhill.

The back nine continues the theme of par-5’s with water and has three good closing holes. The 16th is a tricky par-4 with what I thought was the course’s most difficult approach shot. The 17th, a par-3 with a marsh to the left, and the 18th, a 570 yard par-5, felt more like holes that would be found in the Carolinas rather than the Midwest.

The green fee was $100 on a Friday afternoon which isn’t a bargain, but not too bad for a top course. The conditions were nice. The tees and fairways were full. The rough was cut down. The bunkers had quality sand. The greens were smooth and a medium pace.

Out of the half dozen courses I’ve played around Minneapolis-Saint Paul I’d put the Meadows at the top. It is visually appealing, playable and has a driveable par-4. Holes are framed well by mounding, trees and water. I think the only thing missing is a short par-3. I’d highly recommend a round here if you are wanting to golf in the Twin Cities.

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