The hardest golf courses in Brainerd, Minnesota
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Brainerd, Minnesota, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 7 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Nisswa and Breezy Point.
The Classic
Madden's on Gull Lake
Brainerd, MN, USASlope rating 148, 75.5 course rating, Tour tees, 7,102 yds
PublicScott Hoffmann
- 4.3Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.8Value
- 4.4Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
Potentially one of the most overrated courses in Minnesota. How publications like Golf Digest rate this place over the likes of Northland, Midland Hills, Minneapolis much less its better neighbor Deacon’s is astounding.
Written by
@Dawgattheturn
- Challenging
- Pristine
- Driving range
The Pines - Woods / Marsh
Grand View Lodge
Nisswa, MN, USASlope rating 145, 74.3 course rating, Champions tees, 6,883 yds
PublicJoel Goldstrand
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.3Facilities
Bobby's Legacy
Craguns Resort
Brainerd, MN, USASlope rating 143, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,807 yds
PublicRobert Trent Jones, Jr.
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.0Value
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Beautiful course with a great layout, not walkable at all with a lot of driving the cart around the property but a lot of fun with great conditions. Challenging for most but has a couple short scoreable holes that will keep you interested.
Written by
@briandoziergoat
- Must play
- Driving range
- Pristine
Dutch Legacy
Craguns Resort
Brainerd, MN, USASlope rating 142, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,879 yds
PublicRobert Trent Jones, Jr.
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
Preserve
Grand View Lodge
Nisswa, MN, USASlope rating 136, 72.7 course rating, Green tees, 6,611 yds
Public
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
Could probably be higher, I went two summers in a row and the greens had tons of winter kill. Without that it’d be rated much higher.
Written by
@matt-carlson
(Pine Beach East) Madden's on Gull Lake
Brainerd, MN, USA
Slope rating 122, 69.9 course rating, White tees, 6,101 yds
(Pine Beach West) Madden's on Gull Lake
Brainerd, MN, USA
Slope rating 109, 64.3 course rating, White tees, 5,070 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Brainerd, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Classic at Madden's on Gull Lake is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Brainerd, Minnesota at Slope 148 (75.5 course rating · Tour tees · 7,102 yds). 7 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Brainerd, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Brainerd, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:10 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
