Overlooking beautiful Lake Bemidji--- Writeoff Minnesota!
Written: Jan 29 '04 (Updated Jan 29 '04)
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Pros: An excellent Northern Minnesota golf experience
Cons: Short season!
The Bottom Line: If you're in the area check it out. You won't be disappointed!
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| gaviidae's Full Review: Bemidji Town and Country Club |
In recognition of the birthday of Minnesota author Sinclair Lewis on February 7,
Stephen Murray is sponsoring a Minnesota Writeoff. Check it out!
The city of Bemidji is in north central Minnesota, about 100 miles from the Canadian border, with a population of about 12,000. The city lies along the west shore of Lake Bemidji, a typical Minnesota lake with sky blue water and wooded shoreline except for a few places that have been cleared to form a swimming beach. The downtown area begins near the south end of the lake, where State highways 71 and 2 approach from the south and wind around the south shore of the lake before entering the downtown area.
Approaching downtown the first thing you will notice is the twenty foot tall statue of Paul Bunyan, and next to him the ten foot high statue of Babe, his blue ox. Bemidji was founded a hundred years ago by lumberjacks, and Paul Bunyan is the legendary lumberjack about whom there are many stories of incredible lumbering exploits. His statue stands by the lakeshore surrounded by a small amusement park with children's carnival rides, speedboat rides, and in the summer, float plane rides over Lake Bemidji.
A block beyond Paul Bunyan there is a lifesize, carved wooden figure of Chief Bemidji, his hand raised to shield his eyes from the sun, looking out over the lake. Paul, Babe, and Chief Bemidji have been there since about 1935.
The lake is about fifteen miles long, and near the middle of the west shore is the campus of Bemidji State College, with an enrollment of about 4000 students. The campus overlooks the lake, a beautiful setting in the summer, but winters are harsh with temperatures of 20-30 below zero fairly commonplace.
At the north end of the lake is the Bemidji Town and Country Club. The clubhouse and proshop are just across the road from the lake, with a paved parking lot for maybe a hundred cars. The building was expanded and modernized about ten years ago and includes a nice lounge and dining room with large windows offering a great view of the lake, as well as the usual locker room and shower facilities. The proshop is minimal, with a small assortment of golf merchandise and equipment.
The course has been in operation since 1916, with significant modifications in 1990. Three of my older brothers earned their first income as teenagers in the mid-1930's caddying at this course. As a child I heard many stories about the initiation process for caddies, which included at least one fist fight, to help establish a new caddy's place in the rigid pecking order. By the time I was a teenager the job of caddy was becoming obsolescent for most players, in favor of pull carts and later riding carts.
The course is a par 72 championship layout that is beautifully maintained in excellent condition. The terrain is long rolling hills with a lot of stately pine trees and other woods, that severely penalize an errant shot. There is water in play on four of the holes. There are five sets of tees, so the course yardage is 5000 to 6600 yards. The course rating is 71.8 from the longest tees, with a slope rating of 132, which qualifies as a difficult test.
The course is semi-private, with single memberships available for around $1000, families for $1500, an incredible golf value for those who are in the area for the relatively short golf season. Daily green fees in 2003 were $45 in the peak season. $30 in spring and fall, very reasonable for a course of this quality.
The course is the home of one of three popular Northern Minnesota resort tournaments, the Birchmont International, the Resorter in Alexandria, and the Pine-to-Palm in Detroit Lakes. The Birchmont has been held the last week of July for eighty consecutive years, and in 2003 there were 260 participants from all over the U.S. and Canada.
The Birchmont is a week long event, with qualifying rounds on Monday and Tuesday to place the players in flights of 8-16 players each. On Tuesday through Saturday the players compete in individual matches in a double elimination format. Each night there are social events---a wine and cheese party, a walleye fish fry, a driving contest, a putting contest. Rumor has it that for those interested in wagering on their favorites there is a Calcutta player auction!
Bemidji Town and Country is one of the two or three best courses in the northern half of Minnesota. Golfers vacationing in that part of the state should definitely include a stop there for a round. A very excellent golf experience!
And interested readers are encouraged to take a look at "Red's Revenge," a short work of fiction set in a fictional version of Bemidji and the Town and Country!
Recommended:
Yes
Green Fees Paid (US$): 45.00
Speed of Play (typical weekend): 3 to 4 Hours
Look Out For: Trees
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Epinions.com ID:
gaviidae
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Member: Gavia Immer
Location: Minneazona, Arisota, USA
Reviews written: 178
Trusted by: 67 members
About Me:
"---temporarily retired.
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