BRAINERD, Minn. – Minnesota legend Tom Lehman is better known as a top golfer than as a top architect, but that may change now that his namesake Lehman 18 is open at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake.
Lehman, the 1996 Open Champion whose career includes five PGA Tour wins and another 12 on the PGA TOUR Champions where he still completes, showed off his creative side at Cragun’s, one of three popular resorts in this golf-and-lake destination 2 1/2 hours north of the Twin Cities.
Tasked with redesigning 36 solid holes by Robert Trent Jones Jr. into 45 better ones to make room for 69 new real estate lots, Lehman (with partner Chris Brands) has created two new, unique courses. The Lehman 18 had a soft opening last fall and will celebrate its official grand opening in a couple of weeks, while the Dutch 27 has 18 holes in play with nine more holes to go by the end of 2024. GolfPass already considers Brainerd among the world’s Top 100 Golf Destinations, but the $14-million investment will elevate the status of the entire region as well as the resort.
An entirely different bunker strategy gives each course its own distinct personality. The Dutch’s bunkers are decorated with fescue around the edges, while the Lehman bunkers feature wavy faces of revetted sod walls. This new look, called a “Stacked Sod Reveal”, is something I haven’t seen anywhere else. Their subtle but noticeable revetted faces consist of artificial turf shipped in from overseas.
“What I really like is that the Lehman is different than the Dutch,” said Jack Wawro, Cragun’s director of golf. “With the fescue around the bunkers (on the Dutch), the holes play so much different. He ties it all in with the green surrounds. He kept the courses separate from one another based on how they play and feel. It is quite creative.”
Once the 7,491-yard Lehman 18 matures, it could ultimately make a bid to be Lehman’s best design. Currently, that honor goes to the Dunes course at the Prairie Club, a consensus Top 100 public/resort course in Nebraska. Unfortunately, an overly harsh snowy winter, coupled with a 60-day drought this spring, has hampered the grow-in on Cragun’s Lehman 18 thus far. Thin fairways are playing extra firm and fast, making it hard for amateurs to control their golf ball. “The course will get a lot better as it matures,” Wawro said.
What’s already dialed in is the variety in the routing. The front side is loaded with length thanks to three par 5s. For every interesting short par 4 (nos. 5 and 15), there’s a brutal long one (nos. 9 and 17) waiting to attack back. The most memorable and daunting tee shot of the original design – the 170- to 200-yard carry over Stephens Lake on no. 16 – remains a signature highlight. Green fees top out at $159.
“That piece of land is amazing,” Wawro said. “Every time I’m out there doing drone work (for photography), to me, it signifies what you expect from northern Minnesota. When you’re standing on the eighth green of the Lehman 18, you’ve got a 180-degree view of the lake. This is what we pictured for the Legacy (redesign). There’s golf everywhere you look.”
Last August, nine holes of each course hosted the PGA Tour Canada’s CRMC Championship presented by Gertens. The aspiring pros torched the course with the winner shooting 26-under-par. This year, the tournament, from August 28-Sept. 3 will be played entirely on the 7,001-yard, par-70 Dutch Course, which will be set up much tougher with four par 3s stretching longer than 200 yards. Hosting the Korn Ferry Tour is the ultimate goal. Green fees on the Dutch top out at $139.
GolfPass got a sneak peek of the Lehman 18 before the grand opening. Enjoy this photo tour of Minnesota’s newest signature golf playground:
