Minneapolis–St Paul Golf Courses & Tee Times in Wisconsin

Who runs public golf in Minneapolis–St Paul

Three city and county systems cover most of it. The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board runs seven courses: Columbia, Fort Snelling, Francis A. Gross, Hiawatha, Meadowbrook, Theodore Wirth and the Wirth Par 3. Saint Paul Parks and Recreation runs Como, Highland National, Highland 9 and Phalen. In the suburbs, Three Rivers Park District runs 72 holes at six sites, led by Baker National in Medina, and Ramsey County runs four courses including Keller. Juniors 6 to 18 can join the MGA's Youth on Course for $40 a year and play participating courses for $5 or less.

Public courses worth knowing in Minneapolis–St Paul

• Keller Golf Course: Ramsey County course from 1929 that hosted the 1932 and 1954 PGA Championships, the 1949 Western Open and the St. Paul Open from 1930 to 1968. Golf Magazine named its 2014 rebuild the Best Municipal Renovation of the year.
• Theodore Wirth Golf Club: Minneapolis's first park course, built in 1916 and named for the parks superintendent in 1938. Par 72, 6,575 yards; the front nine runs along Bassett Creek with views of downtown.
• Gross National Golf Club: Francis A. Gross opened in 1925 as the Armour course, was the first Minneapolis course with grass greens and hosted the 1964 USGA National Public Links. Par 71.
• Hiawatha Golf Club: Built on fill dredged to create Lake Hiawatha and opened in 1934. It was the park board's only profitable course through the Depression. Its clubhouse is named for Solomon Hughes Sr.
• Columbia Golf Course: Northeast Minneapolis course that began as six sand-green holes in 1919. An 1896 steel-arch railroad bridge, one of two left in Minnesota, crosses the course.
• Highland National Golf Course: Saint Paul's rebuilt muni reopened in 2005, par 72 to 6,700 yards. The 15th has a Snoopy-shaped bunker for Charles Schulz, who learned to play there.
• Como Park Golf Course: Short Saint Paul course behind Como Zoo: par 70, 5,581 yards from the middles, with rolling, well-bunkered greens.

Booking tee times in Minneapolis–St Paul: the local rules

Each system runs its own rules. In Minneapolis, pass and Players Card holders get a 7-day booking window, and a no-show costs $23 a player unless you cancel at least four hours ahead. Saint Paul's four courses take reservations up to 14 days out. Three Rivers books online and holds times with a credit card, and you need to cancel 12 hours ahead to avoid a charge. At Keller, caddies are available if you book them 48 hours in advance.

Why tee times in Minneapolis–St Paul are hard to get

Golfers in Minneapolis–St Paul 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

A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.

How to get a tee time in Minneapolis–St Paul

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. 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.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Ellsworth Country Club and New Richmond Golf Club- The Links Course.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked