Published August 12, 2025
Featured Stop: Breezy Point
The lake-surrounded, central Minnesota gem carries a trio of golf courses. Soon, one will transform into a wild short course where you start your round from the roof of the clubhouse.
Let’s talk about a golf trip on easy mode.
That’s Breezy Point in central Minnesota. Three golf courses on property. Options for all-inclusive (including golf). A handful of on-site dining options. And off-course entertainment in the form of live music, boat rentals, kayaking, and even a zipline.
The golf is headlined by Deacon’s Lodge, an Arnold Palmer design that has gotten a bit of rankings love in the past from Golf Digest—sitting as high as the No. 52 public track in the U.S. in the mid-aughts. Today, it’s included only on Golfweek‘s adjacent list, sitting at 92. It’s a scenic trip though the woods and around lakes, with undulating fairways and some surprising sand formations.
Add to that the Whitebirch course, similarly twisting through the woodlands and water. And the Traditional, which is set to go through a transformation to a 12-hole short course called Ace Valley in the coming years, according to this local news report. Afterward, there will be LEDs on platform tee boxes, and players will hit their first tee shot “off the roof of the clubhouse” and their last tee shot “off of a stage, with TVs around,” the resort’s GM says. Sick. The reno will take some time—scheduled to open around Memorial Day 2027.
You’ll get to the resort through Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, in all likelihood, either stopping through and hopping a short, half-hour plane ride to the small airport in Brainerd, or by driving the two and a half hours from the Twin Cities. On a weekend during peak season, all-inclusive packages run $969 per person for three nights, but there are a whole lot of options for golf-friendly stay-and-play.
Nobody would fault you for making Breezy Point the beginning, middle, and end of your travels. But if you do want to add-on, there are options. You’re a half hour from The Classic at Madden’s Resort (ranked 102nd on our composite top 100), in Brainerd, and two and a half hours from The Quarry at Giants Ridge (ranked 63rd). Put some Minnesota golf in your life.
This piece originally ran in the GTG newsletter. Subscribe here for free and get pricing details alongside the weekly featured stop—plus news on openings, redesigns, and more—in your inbox each Thursday afternoon.