You know you are in God's country when the drive to the first tee takes you past a million acres of Superior National Forest and the last stoplight was an hour behind you. Giants Ridge sits in Biwabik, Minnesota, about three hours north of the Twin Cities and a little over an hour from Duluth, tucked into the Mesabi Iron Range, where they used to pull iron ore out of the ground by the trainload. Now they pull golfers out of their comfort zones instead, 36 holes at a time.
The name comes from an old Ojibwe legend about a giant named Mesabi who roamed these hills and laid down to rest, his sleeping body forming the ridges that define the landscape. Architect Jeff Brauer took that story and ran with it, and the result is one of the best public golf one-two punches in America.
The Quarry: Minnesota's Best Public Course, and It Is Not Close
Let's start with the headliner. The Quarry has been ranked the number one public course in Minnesota by Golfweek for 12 straight years, and it currently sits at No. 46 on their Top 100 Courses You Can Play list. Brauer built it in 2003 on the bones of a former sand, gravel, and iron ore mining operation, and he has said it may eventually be judged his finest and most unique course. He is not wrong.
This is not subtle golf. You get dramatically elevated tees, forced carries over rocky gorges, trench bunkers, massive waste areas, and a 600-foot-deep quarry pit turned lake that the closing hole hugs all the way home. Every hole is named after a mine from the region's past, and the yardage book reads like a history lesson you actually want to sit through.
The short par-4 13th is the hole your buddies will still be arguing about at dinner. Just 323 yards, with a split fairway divided by a dramatic drop, it dares you to pull driver and go for it. The smart play is a layup to the left side for a clean look at the green. The fun play is the hero shot. Choose wisely, or don't. That is what buddy trips are for.
The Legend: The Giant's Footprint and Minnesota's Best Par 3
The Legend opened in 1997, with Lanny Wadkins consulting on the design, and it is the more traditional Northwoods experience. Wide fairways, towering pines, glittering water, and a pace that feels like the course is buying you a beer rather than picking a fight.
Do not mistake friendly for boring. The par-5 3rd features the most photographed bunker in Minnesota, a massive complex shaped like the footprint of the sleeping giant himself, toes and all. Carry it off the tee and you have a legitimate shot at the green in two. Bail out right and it is a three-shot hole. Find one of the toes and you will be telling that story for years, just not the version where you look good.
Then there is the 17th. A 226-yard par 3 over Sabin Lake to an elevated green, voted onto the Minnesota Dream 18 and widely considered the best par 3 in the state. The tee box has hosted wedding proposals. It has also hosted a lot of golf balls that never came back. Bring an extra sleeve and your camera.
Both courses got a refresh from Brauer in 2023, with cleared sight lines and reworked bunkering that sharpened the original designs without losing what made them special. The conditioning at both tracks is consistently praised as some of the best in the state.
Where to Stay
Giants Ridge partners with independently owned lodging properties right on-site, and the setup works beautifully for golf groups.
The Lodge at Giants Ridge sits at the heart of the recreation area, steps from The Legend's first tee. It is an all-condo hotel with 67 units running from one to four bedrooms, each with a kitchenette and living area, plus an indoor pool, hot tub, and Neighbors BBQ Co. on the ground floor. Four guys, four bedrooms, one fridge full of local beer. The math works.
The Villas at Giants Ridge overlook Wynne Lake near The Quarry and offer multi-bedroom units that are ideal for larger groups who want a little more space to spread out and settle the day's bets.
The newest addition to the property is the Pool and Sauna Haus, which opened in summer 2025. Big windows, an expansive indoor pool, sauna, and hot tub with views of the surrounding forest. After 36 holes, your back will thank you.
Stay-and-play packages bundle lodging with golf, and the 36-hole daily specials, with lunch included, are one of the best values in destination golf anywhere.
Add a Third Course: The Wilderness at Fortune Bay
About 30 minutes north, on the shores of Lake Vermilion, sits The Wilderness at Fortune Bay, another Brauer design that won Best New Upscale Public Course honors when it opened in 2005. Rock outcroppings everywhere, lake-edged greens, and a pair of drop-shot par 3s that will test your nerve. It regularly ranks among the top public courses in Minnesota alongside its Giants Ridge siblings.
Here is the kicker for your group: The Wilderness is attached to Fortune Bay Resort Casino, run by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Play the course, grab dinner, then hit the blackjack tables. Some guys leave up. Most do not. Everybody has fun.
Off the Course
Giants Ridge is a year-round recreation area, so there is plenty to do when the clubs are in the trunk. Take the scenic chairlift ride up the ski hill for views that stretch across the Iron Range. The property also has lift-served mountain biking, hiking trails, and disc golf if your group skews adventurous.
For dining, the Wacootah Grille at The Quarry has a patio overlooking Lake Mine and hosts an all-you-can-eat walleye fish fry on Fridays that alone justifies the drive. The Burnt Onion Kitchen and Brews at the Lodge serves grilled walleye, steaks, and local beers, and Neighbors BBQ Co. handles your smoked meat requirements.
Thirty minutes south in Eveleth, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame lets you test your slapshot and settle, once and for all, who on the trip peaked in high school. History buffs can hit the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm for a trolley ride through the region's mining past.
The Verdict
Giants Ridge gives you two genuinely different bucket-list courses from the same architect, on-site lodging built for groups, a casino course 30 minutes up the road, and walleye on Friday nights. The drive north is part of the experience, not an obstacle to it. When the pines close in around the highway and your phone loses a bar or two, that is not a problem. That is the point.
Book the trip. The giant has been waiting.
