Chaska Town Course Should not be Overlooked

It’s possible you may have heard of Chaska Town Course (CTC) but have not played it. The renowned Chaska municipal occasionally gets overlooked due to sitting in the shadow of another great course–Hazeltine National Golf Club—where the national spotlight shines every few years. But CTC has been called one of the best municipals in Minnesota and ranks with some of the best around the country. It should not be missed.

The proximity of the Town Course to Hazeltine (which is located about the length of three par 5s away) has also been a benefit. The CTC has assisted Hazeltine in some national events (the 2003 National Amputee Tournament and 2006 U.S. Amateur) and shared the spotlight (PGA pro Billy Horshel set a club record—12-under, 60–at the Amateur), but the Town Course is worthy of plenty of attention in its own right.

Since Arthur Hills designed Chaska Town Course in 1997, it has been collecting honors:

• Voted top 10 best Golf Courses in Minnesota–Golf Digest
• Once ranked 23rd (currently 36^th) in the Top Municipal Golf Courses in the U.S—GolfWeek
• Rated Four and a Half Stars Best Places to Play–Golf Digest
• Named Course of the Year (2009)–Minnesota Golf Association

Architect Hills is known for incorporating nature (rather than dominating it) into his designs and he has certainly done so with CTC. The 285 acres course features 52 acres of wetlands, 59 acres of woodlands and 70 acres of natural areas. When creating the course, Hills partnered with Prairie Restorations to restore the area and create a natural Minnesota prairie look and feel to the course. A round at CTC is truly a walk unspoiled.

Water comes into play on 12 holes at this challenging track. Perhaps the toughest water hazard to negotiate is on the iconic 18^th hole. At 547 yards, this difficult finishing hole is c-shaped as it wraps around water from tee to green, requiring extreme focus on every shot of the hole.

If the members of your group are looking for something a little less challenging than the CTC, you may want to check out the Chaska Par 30 Course. Designed in 1971 by Robert Trent Jones, the Par 30 course shares a border of Lake Hazeltine with Hazeltine National. The Chaska Par 30 is a great course for beginning golfers or a place where experienced players can challenge their short game.

Whatever your pleasure, you will find excellent conditioning, formidable challenge and a great afternoon of Twin Cities golf at the Chaska Town Course, one of the best muni’s in the state.