North Oaks Golf Club

The Good: North Oaks Golf Club in greater Minneapolis is the nice surprise of the 2021 Tweed golf season so far. While some malign the 2007 redesign by Tom Lehman of one of the few original Stanley Thompson designs in Minnesota, I absolutely loved the look and feel of the course, especially the unique bunkering. Much more elevation and subtle mounding around the greens than I was expected, the round starts off with a blockbuster downhill Par-5 with a huge fairway bunker right and pond left, and finishes with the best closing hole I’ve played all year to date with an uphill, topsy-turvy Par-5. Solid variety in the Par-3’s! Course conditions were very good overall, particularly the deep rough that was truly a penalty for going astray off the tee and the large, undulating greens that were challenging but very fair. Modest clubhouse for a private club but the outdoor dining area looked amazing (did not partake).

The Bad: I wished there was a little bit more sand in the bunkers, especially on the Par-5 16th. The clubhouse staff was very nice, but there was no on-course service except the halfway house. The design, while its still very good and flows beautifully, seems like a missed opportunity with the beautiful Pleasant Lake adjacent to the whole property.

The Verdict: North Oaks deserves much more love in already star-studded Twin Cities area for private golf. Don’t listen to the naysayers, it is a beautiful, fun golf course with more character and interesting holes than it gets credit for. I am proud that it was my first Stanley Thompson design!

Best Hole: I really liked the opening hole and the short, downhill Par-4 10th with Pleasant Lake as a backdrop, but how can you not love the tough, uphill Par-5 18th. I hit two of the best shots I could hit and still was 10 yards short! A great way to finish a fun round!

This course is the epitome of a private club. Great clubhouse (that feel like you're in a place of quality immediately) really kind staff, great white sand bunkers. You can play really fast during the week- and while i'm sure it's busier on weekends, where else would you want to be? I really liked the par 5's.

The very long par 3's were a surprise, but the short 13th is one of the most beautiful par 3's I've ever played. Just gorgeous.

North Oaks Golf Club is a beautiful, moderately challenging, parkland style suburban course. The fairways are generously wide, firm and undulating. Tree coverage along the fairways is moderate, not too dense, but sufficient to make you pay attention. We played the course following several days of rainfall, so the rough was fairly high and very punitive with the result that our foursome lost several balls that just seemed to be swallowed up in the high grass. The greens were quite fast, even though they had recently been aerated. Unfortunately, some greens hadn't fully recovered, so they were a little bumpy and some putts didn't quite hold their line. At least it provided some excuse for missed putts. The course is not excessively long, being 6,698 yards from the back tees and 5,967 from the middle tees. But included in that total are par 4's of 465 and 441 yards from the back tees. The first hole is a relatively easy 500 yard (from the middle tees) par 5 that should get you off to a happy start for your round. But you are then brought down to earth with a 440 yard par 4 that is the number 1 handicap hole. Two water hazards along the right edge of this fairway should be easy to avoid, but somehow one member of our foursome managed to find both. Count yourself lucky if you par this hole, and move on. The front nine concludes with a blind uphill shot to the fairway of a 473 yard par 5 that should be one of the easiest holes on the course. Favor the left side of the green on your approach, because a shot that misses the green on the right will leave you a wicked uphill shot to a fast green sloping away from you. Stopping at the halfway snack shack you might check the scorecard and notice that the back nine is 465 yards shorter than the front. That doesn't make it easier, although the 325 yard par 4 10th hole may give you that impression. You'll change your mind when you reach the 14th hole, a 382 yard par 4. Two good shots may leave you surprised to find that you're still on the false front, rather on the green. Chip close for a par or settle for a bogey. The closing hole is a fairly short par 5 at 460 yards from the middle tees. However, it is all uphill after your tee shot, so reaching in two may not be possible for all but the really long hitters. Finish with a par and look back on a really enjoyable round. As a private club, North Oaks is generally not accessible to all golfers. However, the club does host a number of charity events, so it is possible to play the course if you want to. One such event in 2017 is the Prostate Cancer Awareness golf scramble to be held on August 14. Support a worthwhile cause and play a beautiful course at the same time.