5 Essential Items for a Fantastic Minnesota Golf Trip

Pack for a Perfect Minnesota Golf Trip

When it comes to planning golf trips, there are few destinations like northern Minnesota. As one of the most northern states in the nation, we have sights and sounds that many other states don’t have. The sound of a loon far off on one of our 10,000 lakes lining our fairways or the view from tee box situated on a vista in the Iron Range – these are natural elements that many other states simply do not have. They’re also aspects of a Minnesota golf trip that make a golf vacation in our state special. Yet, we’re not perfect and we want to be sure all of our visitors are well equipped when they come to Minnesota to tee it up! So, here are 5 essential items for a fantastic Minnesota golf trip.

Rain Gear

One of the wonderful climatic features of Minnesota is that geographically we’re right up against the plains of the Dakotas and weather systems usually pass right through rather than linger over our state. Nevertheless, it does rain here every once in a while and if you’re an experienced golf traveler you know that rain gear is an essential. Spend the extra dough and get a high performing rain suit – you won’t need to buy a new one every year since you use it infrequently, so it’s a valuable one time investment. Furthermore, get some good rain shoes. You may be dry as a bone, but if your feet are wet, you’re going to feel soggy. Here’s a good resource for top golf shoes for rain.

Warm clothes

Okay, we get knocked for our winters and cold weather, but let’s get something straight, it’s not cold here 12-months of the year, it’s not even cold here 6-months of the year! That said, if you’re traveling to northern Minnesota to visit Giants Ridge, you may be cool in the shoulder seasons (you’ll also appreciate the great rates!). Even the Brainerd area or Alexandria, where Geneva Golf Club is located can get cool in April, May, September and October. So be smart and pack a few warm items. things you’ll want to include:

• Good base layer shirt
• Moisture wicking shirt
• Wind shirt/jacket
• Rain pants
• Light weight long pants

Remember, dress in layers because quite often it will be cool in the morning, but by mid-day you’re pulling off layers of clothes because the temperatures rise! Here’s a useful blog for cold weather golf gear.

Fishing Pole

It doesn’t even really matter if you’re a fisherman or if you have a boat, because if you really want to experience a Minnesota golf trip, whetting a line is part of the full experience! We talked to Walleye Dan in another blog and he shared some of his secrets and tips for golfing and fishing, but trust me, they go hand in hand. At the end of a day on the course, come home, crack open a cold beverage and even if you’re casting from the shore, throw in a line. You’ll be amazed at how relaxing this can be and yes, there are a lot of lakes and you’re never far away from an open shore, sunset and some biting walleye!

Ball retriever

This used to be a much more common item in golf bags, but if you’re thrifty like me, you’ll probably want to keep this handy. Remember, we’re the land of 10,000 lakes, right? Well, lakes are on the courses, golf balls are on the courses, golf balls go in water sometimes, right? Keep one handy and save yourself some money in the golf shop.

Bug Spray

We wouldn’t be honest if we didn’t tell you that we have mosquitoes and yes, the joke here in Minnesota is that it’s our state bird. To be clear, our state bird is actually the Loon, which as I mentioned earlier is indigenous and a lovely creature. However, we do have mosquitoes and if you’d like a playing tip, they’re worse at dusk than they are during the day. In fact, if you tee off any time up to about 2p.m. you may not see a mosquito all day. Still, pack some good bug spray and make sure you get it on the exposed skin – you’ll be thankful you packed it.

Explore Minnesota Golf Alliance is a non-profit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of Minnesota golf courses and resorts as international travel destinations. Our member facilities feature award-winning, championship golf courses and are geographically disbursed across the great state of Minnesota. The combination of exceptional quality and outstanding value make Minnesota one of the best golf destinations in the United States.