MINIKAHDA CLUB

Architects: Willie Watson/Robert Foulis (1898), Robert Taylor, Robert Foulis/C.T. Jaffray (1907), Thomas Bendelow (1908), Donald Ross (1916-20), Ralph Plummer (1961), Geoffrey Cornish/Craig Schriner (1988-1990s), Ron Prichard (2001-03)
Year Opened: 1898
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Slope: 142. Rating: 73.4
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,775
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 311 Yds    10 - Par 4 434 Yds
                       2 - Par 4 436 Yds    11 - Par 3 180 Yds
                       3 - Par 3 171 Yds    12 - Par 4 390 Yds
                       4 - Par 5 514 Yds    13 - Par 5 574 Yds
                       5 - Par 4 308 Yds    14 - Par 4 476 Yds
                       6 - Par 3 191 Yds    15 - Par 4 391 Yds
                       7 - Par 5 506 Yds    16 - Par 4 414 Yds
                      8 - Par 3 215 Yds    17 - Par 4 339 Yds
                      9 - Par 5 542 Yds    18 - Par 4 383 Yds
                       Par 36  3,194 Yds      Par 36  3,581 Yds

Events Held: Trans-Mississippi Amateur (1904, 1912, 1923, 1981, 1994, 2007),
             U.S. Open (1916),
             U.S. Amateur (1927),
             Walker Cup (1957),
             U.S. Women's Amateur (1988),
             Curtis Cup (1998),
             Minnesota State Amateur Championship (1902, 1906, 1908, 1911, 1915, 1919, 1931, 1946, 1969, 1990, 2005),
             U.S. Senior Amateur (2017).

Awards Won: Ranked #84 by Golfweek Magazine (2006) - America's Best Top-100
            Classic Courses (pre-1960),
            Ranked 6th by Golf Digest (2001) - Best in State Rankings (MN).

Website: www.minikahdaclub.org

HISTORY:  The  Minikahda Club has  a long and  colorful history dating back to 1898,  when  the key founding fathers,  C.T. Jaffray, a powerful and respected financial  figure  in Minneapolis, Martin  Koon, William Edgar, Walter Tiffany and  Harry Thayer started the club. The name Minikahda comes from the Sioux, a combination  of two Indian  words meaning "by the side of the water." The club logo  in fact,  depicts an  Indian shield,  similar to  the original  artifact framed in the clubhouse.

The  club's  first  golf  professional, Willie  Watson,  who  designed  nearby Interlachen Country Club, along with Robert Foulis laid out the original nine-hole  course,  with the first  shot being struck in  the summer of 1899. Seven years  later, the  board approved plans to purchase additional property for an 18-hole layout. Foulis, Robert Taylor and Jaffray, who served on the Executive
Committee of the United States Golf Association, created the new course, which opened  in  1907. Renowned course  architect Thomas  Bendelow was brought in a year later to propose some minor adjustments to the course.

It  should be  noted that replacing divots is not something that was tolerated back  in the  day, as the Board  of Governors in 1916 instituted a policy that players would be suspended for two weeks for failure to replace divots.

The  USGA  made its first  stop to Minikahda back  in 1916, as amateur Charles "Chick"  Evans  captured the  U.S. Open.  What was even  more amazing, is that Evans  carded a  two-over-par 286 to defeat Jock Hutchison by two shots, using only  seven clubs.  That's right, seven wooden-shafted sticks enabled Evans to post  a  score that  would last  for 20  years. During  the final round, Evans
gambled  at the par-five 12th, going for the green in two. It turned out to be quite successful, as he two-putted for birdie and eventually the win.

With  that  record score  in mind,  the membership of  Minikahda felt that the course  needed  a facelift to  keep up with the  changing times of golf, never realizing  that Evans'  total would remain intact for two decades. Despite the thoughts  of the Club, the U.S. Open players struggled for the week, averaging 76.28 for the championship with only five rounds under par, the best, a three-under 68 on the final day by Hutchison.

So  the powers  that be enlisted the  one and only Donald Ross to redesign the course.  Ross was just  coming into his own as an architect, as he was working on  Oakland Hills, Inverness  and Scioto at the same time of this project. The improvements  were accepted by the Board, with the only item remaining intact, the  stately  clubhouse which  still  stands  today. The  beautiful  structure
overlooks Lake Calhoun and awards a sensational view of Minneapolis proper.

Work  started in  the fall of 1916 at  a cost of just $7,380, but due to World War I, the changes were not implemented until the fall of 1920.

Just 11 years after the Open, the USGA made a return trip to Minikahda for the U.S.  Amateur Championship,  where Robert  (Bobby) Tyre  Jones registered  the third  of  his record, five titles.  Jones, the medalist at 142, crushed Chick Evans  in  the final,  8 &  7. Jones opened  with a  hard-fought 2-up win over Maurice  McCarthy, designer of the original course at Hershey Country Club. In the  semifinals,  Jones wiped out  two-time Amateur  winner and 1913 U.S. Open champion Francis Ouimet, 11 & 10, prior to his easy victory over Evans.

Next  up  was the Walker Cup  in 1957. Led  by captain Charlie Coe, the United States  squad cruised  to an 8-3 win  over Great Britain and Ireland. The U.S. squad  featured eight-time  Walker Cupper William C. Campbell, six-time player William  Hyndman III and  Mason Rudolph, who would later win five times on the PGA Tour.

The U.S. Women's Amateur made a stop at The Minikahda Club in 1988, as current LPGA  player Pearl  Sinn knocked off Karen  Noble in the finals, 6 & 5. Sinn's most  notable win  en route to the  title was a 2-up quarterfinal victory over future nine-time LPGA Tour winner Kelly Robbins.

Over  the years,  several architects  have made  recommendations to  the club, including Geoffrey Cornish and Craig Schriner, who worked on the course in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The  final USGA  stop at Minikahda came  in 1998, for the women's team amateur event,  the 30th  Curtis Cup  matches. In  an epic  battle, the  United States regained  the Cup  with a 10-8 victory  over Great Britain & Ireland. Team USA included the Grande Dame of USGA events, Carol Semple Thompson, Virginia Derby Grimes,  Jenny Chuasiriporn, who  lost in the finals to Grace Park at the U.S. Women's  Amateur  that same  year and  was defeated  in a  playoff at the 1998 U.S.  Women's Open,  and current  LPGA player  Beth Bauer.  But it  was Brenda Corrie  Kuehn and  Kellee Booth  who posted  brilliant 4-0  marks to  help the United States capture the Cup for the first time since 1990.

It  was time for a change and who better to bring The Minikahda Club back into prominence  than Ron  Prichard. Rees Jones is known as the "Open Doctor" while Ron  Prichard  should be  tallied as  the "Ross  Restorer." In 2001, Minikahda brought  in Prichard to revitalize the course. Prichard, who has restored over 30  Donald Ross  layouts, removed  hundreds of  trees, lengthened  the course,
reshaped  the putting  surfaces  back  to their  original  sizes, rebuilt  and relocated  the bunkers and squared all the tee boxes. The multi-million dollar renovation was a huge success, as the course now moves into the 21st century.

REVIEW: When you step on the opening tee box at Minikahda you'll glance at the scorecard and figure, this should be a walk in the park. 'Ocontraire mon'ami.' What  you'll  realize as you  progress through  your round and hopefully right away, is that Minikahda Club is a thinking-man's golf course.

The first is just 311 yards from the tips, but it requires precision right off the  bat.  Although straightaway,  the fairway  is narrow,  with a deep bunker right  and a  pair left, not to  mention tall, overhanging trees down the left side.  A  hybrid or  fairway metal  should do  the trick  from the start, thus leaving only a wedge of some sort to a well-guarded green. The putting surface is  quite slick from back to front, with five diabolical bunkers defending the pin.  The key  on this fairly large  green is to place your approach below the hole, otherwise, three-putting comes into play.

Just  add 125  yards, tighten the fairway  and shrink the green and you've got the  second hole.  The  second longest  par  four on  the  course, number  two features  tall, encroaching trees on both sides of the fairway and well-placed fairway  bunkers.  Your drive needs  to be precise and  long, setting up a mid iron  to  one of the  smallest greens on the  course. A fairly benign surface, your  approach  must connect with  the green, as any  shot long and right will fall off sharply, making for a difficult recovery.

The  shortest  of the four par  threes, the third is  a gem, just 171 yards in length.  Club  selection is crucial  on this all-carry one-shotter. Sand short and  right will snare  any off-line play to this 27-paced deep green. With the raised putting surface, shots short, left and deep will fall off dramatically,
making for yet another difficult up-and-down.

A  real opportunity  to get one back, the relatively short par-five fourth can be  had.  Your tee shot  plays downhill towards the  landing area and only the longest  of hitters can  reach the plateau, some 300 yards from the box. Trees guard  the entire left side, not to mention a long fairway trap. The next shot will  play uphill  towards the  green, but  we are  aware of  the two  bunkers guarding the landing area on either side of the fairway. Any shot left will be gobbled  up by  the greenside trap, so  err right to leave your best pitch for birdie or par.

The  fifth, a  par four of just 308  yards, is uphill all the way to the green and requires an opening shot of 206 yards to reach the top of the fairway. The tight  landing  area slopes slightly to  the left, where tall trees occupy the land. The putting surface slopes severely from back to front and is guarded on the  left by a  deep bunker. Any player putting for birdie above the hole will be hard-pressed to two-putt.

With seven different tee boxes, the par-three sixth can play from as little as 146 yards to as much as 200 from the tips. The tee shot plays over a pond down the left, but the real danger is long and right. A tall, thick tree and bunker stand  guard on the  right, while a chipping area beyond the green makes for a difficult  recovery.  The miniscule  putting surface, just  28 yards in depth, cants from the rear, making the routine, arduous.

Decisions  will  need to be  made as  soon as you  reach the seventh tee. This sharp,  dogleg right par  five can be reached in two, as it only stretches 506 yards  from  the back  tee. It will  take a  wallop of 250  yards to carry the corner  of the dogleg,  however you will flirt with disaster in the process. A
44-yard  long trap at the turn and deep, tall trees guard the right. Even with a successful blast, you'll be left with the straight and narrow - meaning, 230 yards  to the  hole and bunkers encroaching  on the fairway and the green. The putting surface runs hard from the rear, so at all costs, stay below the hole. You can make birdie.

The  longest of the par threes, the eighth is a gem at 215 yards. It will take a hybrid or long iron to conquer the tiered green, with sand left and right. A babbling  brook does  run down the left  side into a pond, but should not come into  play, unless the pin is positioned back-left and a breeze comes from the south. Making par here could be tall order.

The closing hole on the front nine is another dogleg right par five. This time however,  it's  542 yards and uphill  from the fairway. The longest of hitters will  be  hard-pressed to  cut the corner  of this dogleg,  as it's almost 300 yards  to reach the  fairway trap down the left, not to mention the tall trees that  guard the entire right side to the green are quite imposing. Your second shot  climbs uphill and must be placed in the fairway, avoiding two bunkers on either  side  of the  landing zone.  Take an extra  club or  two, to reach the putting  surface  and be precise,  as the large  green has many pin positions. With  a  front flag, be  aware of the sloped  putting surface which will repel balls back down the fairway. For the bold player, the green is as slick as any on  the course,  so attempt to play short  of the flag. By the way, the bunker left of the green is jail.

Number  10 is  ranked as the hardest  hole on the course and with good reason. From  an elevated tee, the player is forced to smoke his drive down the center of the fairway, as trees infringe on both sides and two deep traps wreak havoc on  the right. The rolling fairway now plays uphill towards one of the largest greens  on  the course  at 34  yards deep. Sand  guards the  right side of the putting  surface,  while a deep slope  and another bunker well below the green protects  the left.  Although quite  large, the  green is  fairly flat,  so if you're on in regulation, chances are, you'll make par.

One of the prettiest par threes, the 11th, is the last of the quartet and it's a  beaute. A  mid to long iron will  be required to reach the green. A pair of deep  traps,  right and  left guard  the entrance to  the putting surface. The green,  with  plenty of  right-to-left slope,  is just 24  paces deep, so club
selection is key.

The  12th is a roller-coaster of a par four, with its up and down and sloping, right-to-left  fairway. Although short, a 220-yard carry is needed to fly past the  fairway bunkers  and reach  the easiest  part of  the landing  area. Once again,  trees guard both sides along with thick rough. Your approach will play uphill  to  a well-guarded, tiny  green. The traps  sit well below the putting surface, especially the left bunker which wraps around the green. With a back-right  pin, you won't be able to see the top of the flag if you miss left. The green is fast and furious, so don't be too aggressive.

The  longest hole on  the course, the 574-yard, par-five 13th is nothing to be scared  about. That is,  unless you miss the fairway, catch a bunker, knock it in  the water  or miss  the green  left.  To start  off with,  the hole  plays downhill for most of the way and requires a fairly big drive to pass the slope
in  the fairway.  Two massive  bunkers down  the right  side serve  as perfect targets to shoot at, as they stand over 300 yards away. It's decision time for your  next play.  Once again, the fairway slopes downward, this time towards a creek that crosses the landing area, 70 yards shy of the green. The ideal play is to layup before the water, thus leaving a nice full wedge to the long, two-tiered  green. The  putting surface is fronted  on the left and right by sand. Large  mounding on the  left, along with some gnarly rough will present a real problem with any offline play.

From  one  monster to another,  the 14th  hole is the  longest par four on the course  and  begins a stretch  of five consecutive  par fours. This is another stern  test  of your driver on  this tight, tree-lined hole. Avoid the fairway bunker  on the left  and you'll have a long iron or hybrid to an uphill green. The  putting  surface is  the smallest  on the  course at  just 21 paces. Sand guards  the right and must be steered clear of to have any shot at par. That's right par, because birdie is a real longshot.

The  final  four holes are  solid par  fours, but certainly not back-breakers. First  up is the 15th at 391 yards. A dogleg left, the key here is to strike a fairway  metal  for accuracy, as  you must miss the  bunker right and the tall trees  left. Just a short iron should remain to a fairly large green with sand
left and right, so take dead aim and you might be rewarded.

Sixteen  will be a  real test off the tee and on the green. Not overly long at 414  yards from  the tips, the object  will be to slice the quartet of bunkers on both sides of the landing area. Easier said than done on this narrow strip. A  mid  iron should get  the job  done, unless the  pin is back-left. See, the
green  is a whopping 37 yards long with a severe two-tier near the front. Sand on all four sides is very deep and will require your best to save a shot.

Although very short, the 17th can be quite difficult, especially if you happen to  miss the fairway.  Here, the course of action is to go with the big stick, as  this will take  the fairway bunkers out of play. The two traps on the left run  over 40 yards in length. After a successful tee shot, just a little sand-wedge  should remain to a tight target. The raised green is surrounded by sand and  runs from back to front. This hole can be real difficult with a back pin, as the green narrows and there is very little room behind the surface.

The closer is another where you must pay attention off the tee, as trees guard both  sides  of the bunkerless landing  area. The lone fairway trap should not come  into  play, as it's  only 185  yards from the  tee to clear. It's uphill towards  the green, so  take an extra club to reach the relatively flat green. The  putting surface will  appear to be closer, but don't be misled, as the 38 yards  of fairway sits between a crossing bunker and the green. One final word of  caution,  all shots over  the green  will chase downhill towards oblivion. Just  ask a  former Minnesota  Vikings  punter Greg  Coleman and  my host  Joe Tennyson, who both failed miserably on the last.

FINAL WORD: Prior to 2000, Minikahda Club was ranked as one of the top courses in  the  state of Minnesota,  right behind Interlachen and Hazeltine National. With  the influx of the high-end public courses in recent years, Minikahda has fallen from the rankings. What a mistake.

After  an extensive  redesign by Prichard, The Minikahda Club should begin its return to the rankings.

By  today's standards, Minikahda is quite short at just under 6,800 yards, but don't be fooled into thinking you can overpower this course. You can't.

Reminiscent  of the lovely layout of Apawamis Club in New York, Minikahda is a tight, tree-lined course featuring tight, rolling fairways and miniscule slick greens.  It is  beautifully  maintained  and groomed,  difficult  and fair,  a thinking  man's course and a track you could play day in and day out and never tire from it.

This  is  Donald Ross at  his best. I  would certainly include Minikahda among Ross' finest designs, Pinehurst and Aronimink not withstanding.

What  makes  this course so compelling?  A long-lasting history of golf in the United   States,   an  extremely   challenging  layout,  beautiful  bunkering, sensational  conditioning,  an outstanding  membership, a grande old clubhouse and best of all, Vodka Bootlegs on the roof overlooking Lake Calhoun.

The  Minikahda  Club is another  example that courses do  not need to be 7,500 yards  long  to be difficult. Look  at Merion, Cypress Point, Newport, Prairie Dunes  and  the greatest course  on the planet,  Pine Valley, all tracks under 7,000 yards.

Minikahda  Club is a  course that has withstood the test of time, a brilliant, shiny  pearl  in the "Land  of 10,000 Lakes."  The oldest and most prestigious club in the region.