No Pun Intended – The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City is a Minnesota Golf Hidden Gem

Calling The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City Minnesota’s hidden gem might seem like a bad pun, but once you play it, you will quickly find out that it is an apt description. Rolling beneath some of the grand bluffs of the Mississippi River in Lake City, the Jewel shimmers like an emerald (sorry) in the trees. The course’s rugged beauty is only surpassed by the golf challenge that awaits at The Jewel.

Two-time U.S. Open champions Hale Irwin designed The Jewel in 2005. He carved the course out of 800 acres of the river valley, and the elevation changes make for some great vistas.

Wind, water, marsh, sand and woods make up the obstacles on this beautiful track nestled beneath towering bluffs. If those hazards don’t make it difficult to score, the serene surroundings may often distract you from the task at hand. Many of the holes are set off by themselves and give the golfer a sense of a solitary walk in the woods.

The par-4 14th is a memorable hole that starts out from an elevated tee, offering a great view of the hole below. At 437 yards from the back tees, the 14th has no bunkers but it doesn’t need them.  Bluffs on both sides of the fairway (which just might be home to a curious eagle flying overhead) narrow the drive. But if you hit a good one, you will be rewarded with another beautiful vista—the stunning approach.

The large undulating green that slopes back to front is framed by the largest tree on the property and guides you home. Scoring is possible here, but you must stay focused.

Such a requirement is common throughout The Jewel property. Expertly designed and meticulously conditioned, The Jewel offers a golf challenge befitting one of the toughest pro golfers on tour while providing one of the most memorable golf experiences in the state.

Since it opened in 2006, The Jewel has been racking up awards and accolades. In 2013, it was rated No. 3 of the Best Courses You Can Play in Minnesota by GolfWeek magazine. Plus, The Jewel received the 2013 Tee Times Magazine Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Course Conditions” in the state of Minnesota.

Located approximately 90 minutes south of Minneapolis, The Jewel, a semi-private golf club in Minnesota, may not get the same notice or publicity as other courses in the metro area. Tucked away in the rolling beauty of the Lake City countryside and beneath the river bluffs, The Jewel may be easy to overlook. But this Minnesota hidden golf gem is not to be missed. Once played, it will be calling you back again and again.