Minnesota
Brainerd Lakes Golf Courses & Tee Times
Brainerd Lakes golf is resort golf. Madden's counts more than 450 holes within 30 miles, and the best-known of them belong to lake resorts. The history runs deep: James Dalgleish laid out Madden's Pine Beach East on Gull Lake in 1926, and Breezy Point's old Traditional course was played by Patty Berg and Walter Hagen. The newer headliners are Arnold Palmer's Deacon's Lodge, The Classic at Madden's, and Tom Lehman's rebuild at Cragun's. This market also takes in the Mille Lacs courses and Duluth.
Good weekend tee times in Brainerd Lakes go fast, and the ones that come back later (cancellations, groups that shrink) aren't announced. Yoink watches the tee sheets at 27 public courses here, from Duluth, Brainerd, Deerwood, Breezy Point and Onamia, and tells you the moment a time you want opens up.
The longest layout here is Izatys Golf Resort at 6,634 yards.
Who runs public golf in Brainerd Lakes
The big names around Brainerd are resort-owned: Breezy Point (Deacon's Lodge and Whitebirch), Madden's (The Classic, Pine Beach East and West, the Social 9), Cragun's Legacy Courses (Dutch 27 and the Lehman 18) and Ruttger's (Jack's 18 and Alec's 9). Madden's and Cragun's both sell stay-and-play packages. City golf is in Duluth, where Enger Park has been the home of Duluth Public Golf since 2023. In June 2023 the City Council voted to keep city golf at Enger for 2024, and Lester Park will not reopen. Enger dates to 1927, sits on a bluff above Duluth Harbor and has 27 holes.
Public courses worth knowing in Brainerd Lakes
- Deacons Lodge Golf Course: Arnold Palmer design at Breezy Point, named for his father and cut from 500 acres of northern woods. Golf Digest named it a Top 10 New Public Course in 2000, and the resort says Golfweek had it among Minnesota's top 5 public courses from 2005 to 2024.
- The Classic at Madden's: No. 80 on Golf Digest's 2025 America's 100 Greatest Public Courses and No. 2 on Golfweek's 2024 Best Public-Access Courses in Minnesota. It hosted the 2025 Minnesota State Amateur.
- Pine Beach East at Madden's: A 1926 James Dalgleish design on Gull Lake, 6,101 yards from the back, with a 618-yard par 6 that Madden's calls the only one in Minnesota.
- Cragun's Legacy Courses: 45 holes after an $18 million Tom Lehman redesign. The Lehman 18 runs 7,400 yards with stacked sod bunkers, and Dutch 27 hosts a PGA Tour Americas event named Tournament of the Year in 2023.
- Whitebirch Golf Course: Breezy Point's second 18, over 6,700 yards. The resort says it was the first course of its kind in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
- Enger Park Golf Course: Duluth's city course since 1927: 27 holes in parkland, links and traditional nines on a bluff above the harbor.
27 courses in Brainerd Lakes
Brainerd
Breezy Point
Deacons Lodge Golf Course
Arnold Palmer built it and named it for his father, Deke: wide bentgrass fairways through 500 acres of lakes, woods and wetlands.
Whitebirch Golf Course
Breezy Point's championship 18 since 1986: big undulating greens, woods and wetlands, drivable par 4s and par 5s that make you commit.
Fifty Lakes
McGregor
Pequot Lakes
Proctor
Sauk Centre
Staples
Other
Enger Park Golf Course
The city course on a high bluff over Duluth Harbor since 1927, near Enger Tower. Three nines mix wooded holes with ponds, and Lake Superior is in view.
Izatys Golf Resort
Izatys Golf Resort is an 18-hole regulation course near Onamia, Minnesota, playing to par 72 across 6,634 yards.
Little Falls Country Club
Par 72 and 6,051 yards from the back tees: Little Falls Country Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Minnesota.
Long Prairie Country Club
Par 72 and 6,302 yards from the back tees: Long Prairie Country Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Minnesota.
Spring Brook Golf Course
Par 70 and 6,259 yards from the back tees: Spring Brook Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course in Minnesota.
The Vintage at Staples
The Vintage at Staples is an 18-hole regulation course near Staples, Minnesota, playing to par 72 across 6,571 yards.
Tianna Country Club
One hole moves 56 feet from tee to green, and the back nine plays 455 yards longer than the front.
Why tee times in Brainerd Lakes are hard to get
Golfers in Brainerd Lakes get maybe six months of good weather, and they all want the same weekend mornings. Demand bunches up from May to September.
Most public courses open their tee sheet a set number of days ahead, often 7 to 14, and many municipal courses give residents or card holders an earlier window. The best weekend-morning times usually go the day they're released. Leagues and outings take blocks of the sheet before the public ever sees them.
When tee time cancellations happen
Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.
How to get a tee time in Brainerd Lakes
Yoink
Watch all 27 courses in Brainerd Lakes. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink watches all 27 courses in Brainerd Lakes for you. The open tee times sit in one place instead of a dozen booking pages, and your phone buzzes the moment one fits your day, time window and group, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Duluth has 3 courses on Yoink and Brainerd has 3.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Brainerd Lakes: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Brainerd Lakes?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Brainerd Lakes?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Brainerd Lakes?
Demand is highest from late spring through early fall. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Minnesota
- Minneapolis–St Paul · 91 courses
- Minnesota Lakes Country · 26 courses
- Rochester & Southern Minnesota · 19 courses
- St. Cloud & Central Minnesota · 16 courses
- Eau Claire & La Crosse · 2 courses
- More Minnesota · 6 courses
- More Minnesota · 1 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Wisconsin Northwoods, WI · 29 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- maddens.com · official
- breezypointresort.com · official
- breezypointresort.com · official
- maddens.com · official
- maddens.com · official
- craguns.com · official
- ruttgers.com · official
- duluthmn.gov · government
- golfduluth.com · government
Tee times in Brainerd Lakes, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.