We were in Minneapolis for a couple days and excited to check out TPC Twin Cities. In case you didn’t know, the PGA Tour’s 3M Open was played here about a month ago. The course is private but my friend was able to get us out through his Mastercard.
It was a cool, cloudy morning – quite the change from the 80 degree lows in North Texas that I’m used to this time of year. My pictures didn’t turn out great with the dreary sky, but the sun started to come out just as we got to the exciting closing holes. So, you’ll still a good idea of the many risk/reward holes here at TPC Twin Cities.
The course is about a half hour north of downtown Minneapolis and was designed by Arnold Palmer. From a design perspective I thought the most interesting thing about TPC Twin Cities were all the lakes/wetlands throughout the course. By my count water comes into play on twelve of the eighteen holes. Some holes angle around a lake so it isn’t difficult to lose a ball on both the tee shot and the approach. Not good for my game! All the water results in a high slope from many tees. For example, from the white tees – which are only 6,011 yards – the slope is 136.
Like many other TPC courses I’ve played, the string of closing holes at TPC Twin Cities are its best holes. The 14th through the 18th were fun to play and make for an unpredictable finish to the tournament. There is a dramatic par-3, par-4 and par-5 all packed into that stretch. Scores from birdies and eagles to double bogies are all possible depending on your talent and what game you bring that day. After a terrible front nine I found a couple straight shots and somehow managed two birdies on the closing holes. Completely unexpected.
We played the gold tees (74.1/144/6971) and from there the 14th is a 423 yard par-4, the 17th is a 184 yard par-3 and the 18th is a 561 yard par-5. All three holes have water guarding the green and the 14th has one of the course’s toughest tee shots. The 14th doglegs left around one of the lakes and it is the #2 handicap. The driving area narrows the farther someone hits their tee shot so all sorts of lines are available from the tee. From there the green angles along the water, making it difficult to go at the left half of the green.
The 17th plays along the opposite side of the water that affects the 14th. Even though it is a par-3 the hole has a similar look to the 14th’s approach, with a sharp drop off down to the water left of the green. The 18th is a long par-5 with water to the right. I chopped it up the left side – wanting nothing to do with the water – but the better players can challenge the hazard and maybe get it around the green in two shots.
We paid $160 each through the Mastercard program and that felt steep, especially compared to the bargain we got at TPC Deere Run a few ago. As you’d expect the conditions were excellent. The only areas that looked a little funny (dry/dead grass) were the spots where the grandstands were located for last month’s tournament.
I’m happy we played here since it is a PGA Tour stop, but TPC Twin Cities wasn’t the destination course I thought it would be. As I’ve mentioned in the post the closing holes are top-notch. However, the residential setting, especially on the front nine, left a lot to be desired. Considering the hefty price tag there are other courses I’d rather try if I get back to Minneapolis to golf.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):