Golf Some of The Best Family Resorts in Minnesota

Updated June 2023

For some avid golfers, the term “family golf vacation” might strike fear into their hearts because of everything involved in keeping an entire family happy on a golf trip. But if you find the right spot, even the most casual golfers in your group can find fun on the journey. That’s why we have assembled a shortlist of our favorite Minnesota golf courses for family golf vacations.

It will depend upon your family as to where you might want to book your Minnesota vacation. If you are all golf crazed, then find the best course with the most interesting challenges and get on the road. But most families have members with varied ages, interests, and abilities – so it is important to choose wisely.

Minnesota has plenty of outstanding golf resorts to help you out. Great golf and plenty of amenities to help you figure out how to include the whole family in your vacation. All around the state, you can find top-tier golf challenges in beautiful locales, with enough great dining and fun diversions that your family won’t even know they are on a golf vacation.

Brainerd Lakes Area

At Madden’s on Gull Lake you’ll find a place where great golf meets excellent amenities. Madden’s features The Classic and the Pine Beach East and West courses for championship golf, plus The Social 9, which offers fun golf for all and challenge enough for dad and mom. Set on Gull Lake, Madden’s features plenty of water activities for the entire family – fishing, boating, tubing, swimming.

For the younger set (children ages 4-12), Madden’s features Adventure Cove kids’ program – which promises a unique and fun experience for your kids. Adventure Cove’s flexible hours, allow them to fit in many of the activities. That includes swimming, beach trips, pontoon rides, marina activities, fishing, field trips, movies, face painting, balloon animals, banana taxi, air hockey, foosball, table tennis, Wii games, board games, card games, prizes and more.

Cragun’s Hotel and Resort on Gull Lake is another great option for family golf vacation fun. After you’ve checked out the great golf courses (Bobby’s Legacy and The Dutch Legacy courses, plus the Reversible 9), there is plenty more to do. Check out the swimming, boating, water skiing, tennis, hiking and biking, beach volleyball and fitness center. Everyone in the family will find something to their liking at Cragun’s.

Up the road in Pequot Lakes, Breezy Point Resort has three great golf courses in their Traditional, Whitebirch and Deacon’s Lodge tracks. The lodging is top-notch and the golf unsurpassed, but golf is just the beginning at Breezy. Set in the middle of the beautiful lakes and woods area of central Minnesota, Breezy Point is a gateway to fun. The resort’s boat marina provides every kind of watercraft imaginable, such as canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, fishing boats and motors, hydro bikes, plus a fleet of pontoons. And be sure to bring your fishing poles, as within the Brainerd Lakes Area are located some of the best professional fishing guides in the world, so you and the kids can try your luck on beautiful Pelican Lake.

Gravel Pit Golf Course is the newest addition to the collection of courses in the Brainerd Lakes Area. With a unique 13-hole design, Gravel Pit, is a par 3 course unlike anything you’ve experienced before. The course is blanketed with fescue offering a traditional links feel for golfers. After your round settle your bets on the Extreme Putting Course, it’s sure to add the perfect ending to a truly memorable Minnesota golf experience.

Western Minnesota Resorts

If you head northwest from the Twin Cities,  Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center in Alexandria features Atikwa Golf Club near the shores of lovely Lake Darling. The championship golf course was designed with wetland preservation in mind and focuses on scenic lake views and unique challenges. Your family will also enjoy the 18-Hole Putting Course and driving range, not to mention the Big Splash Indoor Waterpark, featuring 38,000 square feet and three 4-story-tall waterslides.

Northern Trilogy

A trip up north to Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort in Biwabik and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay in Tower should be on the bucket list for the most competitive golf families. The three golf courses there – The Legend and Quarry at Giants Ridge and The Wilderness course – were designed by renowned architect Jeffrey Brauer and make up the Northern Trilogy. The courses are among the most beautiful in the state, and no one in your family should miss the opportunity to golf in the quiet and rugged beauty of Minnesota’s iron range.

The choices in Minnesota are plentiful for family golf vacations, and once you get there, the choices for how to spend your days are even greater. A golf vacation for the whole family that you will long remember awaits.