Cuyuna at Cuyuna Country Club

Cuyuna Country Club sits in Deerwood, a small town in the Cuyuna Range region of north-central Minnesota, an area historically known for iron ore mining. The course was designed by Don Herfort, a Minnesota-based architect who worked primarily in the Upper Midwest during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Herfort's designs typically reflect practical, straightforward golf suited to smaller communities and modest budgets, emphasizing playability over dramatic features.

The routing occupies rolling terrain characteristic of Minnesota's glaciated landscape, with natural elevation changes and stands of mature hardwoods and pines framing many holes. The Cuyuna Range's mining legacy left behind a landscape of reclaimed land and water-filled pits, and while the course itself is built on traditional terrain, the broader setting reflects this distinctive regional history. The layout offers a mix of open and tree-lined holes, with small to mid-sized greens and bunkers placed to challenge approach shots.

Cuyuna serves as the recreational and social center for Deerwood and the surrounding lake country, drawing members and visitors from nearby resorts and cabins. The club maintains a relaxed, community-oriented atmosphere typical of rural Minnesota golf clubs, where the course provides a straightforward test without pretense. It represents the kind of unpretentious, accessible golf that defines much of the state's smaller-town club scene.