Tipsinah Mounds Golf Course

Tipsinah Mounds Golf Course sits in Elbow Lake, a small community in west-central Minnesota's Grant County. Designed by Joel Goldstrand, a Minnesota-based architect known for his work on public and daily-fee courses throughout the Upper Midwest, the layout takes its name from the distinctive glacial landforms that characterize this region of the state. The course occupies rolling prairie terrain shaped by ancient ice movement, with natural mounds and ridges providing elevation changes uncommon in much of Minnesota's flatter agricultural landscape. The routing works across this undulating ground, incorporating the existing topography into hole strategy rather than imposing extensive earthmoving. Fairways move through native grasses and scattered tree lines typical of the transition zone between Minnesota's eastern forests and western prairies. The design reflects Goldstrand's practical approach to public golf, balancing playability for local members with enough variety in hole lengths and angles to maintain interest across multiple rounds. Elbow Lake serves as the Grant County seat, and the course functions as a community amenity in a region where golf facilities are spread across considerable distances. The setting offers views across open farmland and the glacial lake country that defines this part of Minnesota, providing a straightforward golf experience shaped by the land's natural features rather than elaborate construction.