white bear yacht club top 100

Valspar Championship

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course)

MOMENTS THAT DEFINED WOMEN'S GOLF

Deeper dive

The First 25 Out: These courses just missed our latest ranking of the 200 best courses

The margins can be so close. Despite collecting more than 85,000 course evaluations from our 1,800-plus expert panelists over a 10-year cycle, the differences between a coveted spot on one of our course lists can be incredibly slight. The first course out of our most recent America’s 100 Greatest—No. 101, Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., —came two hundredths of a decimal point from securing a spot in the first 100.

Continue down to the bottom of our most recent America’s Second 100 Greatest ranking. Two courses, Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon, Mich. , and The Bridge in Sag Harbor, N.Y. , both came less than a hundredth of a decimal point away from earning a spot in the top 200.

If you extend it out further, even No. 225 in our most recent rankings, Yale Golf Course, came within a half of a point of a spot in the top 200. We look at how tight these results are every time our new America’s 100 Greatest , Second 100 Greatest , Best in State and 100 Greatest Public rankings come out, and this time around we decided: Why not give recognition to these courses that are on the cusp of making a move into our next national ranking?

For the first time ever, we’re releasing “The First 25 Out”—which are all courses that met our minimum threshold of having 50 evaluations over our 10-year cycle—and whose scores became a stubborn victim of statistical calculation.

Be sure to click through to each individual course page for bonus photography and reviews from our course panelists. We also encourage you to leave your own ratings on the courses you’ve played … so you can make your case for why a course should be higher or lower on our rankings.

More From Golf Digest

201. Forest Dunes Golf Club

Roscommon, mi.

• 100 Greatest Public

Forest Dunes has previously been ranked on both of our 100 Greatest (2011-'12) and Second 100 Greatest (2013 through 2020) lists.

From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten:  The Tom Weiskopf-designed Forest Dunes in Michigan is a terrific layout on a terrific piece of property, with sand dunes deposited by the nearby Au Sable River and covered with mature pines. But it's not a unique piece of property. When I first played it, I was struck by how much Forest Dunes resembles a Texas course designed by Weiskopf's former partner, Jay Morrish. That course, Pine Dunes in Frankston, Texas, is built on much the same terrain, sand dunes covered in pines. Though they were working at the same time on their respective projects (Forest Dunes was completed in 2000 but didn't open until 2002; Pine Dunes opened in 2001), I don't think Weiskopf or Morrish had any idea that they were working on such similar courses, and I don't think they stole each other's ideas. But it's uncanny how they created kissing-cousin courses. Or maybe not. The two worked together for over a decade before splitting up in 1996, and they shared a common philosophy of course design.

Read our architecture editor's complete review, here.

202. The Bridge

Sag harbor, ny.

• Best In State

The Bridge has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest lists.

The Bridge, which opened in 2002 and is one of the newest clubs in the Hamptons, has an initiation fee nearing $1.5 million. Yet it is anything but a hidebound, traditional club. Wearing jeans, cargo shorts or a cap turned backward is not only OK, it's encouraged, if that's how you want to express yourself. The glass-walled, modernistic clubhouse (pictured) looks like a turbine engine spun out of control. The most spectacular views of the Rees Jones course and Peconic Bay are not from the dining room but from the expansive locker rooms, because that's where members hang out most.

203. Stock Farm Club

Hamilton, mt.

Stock Farm has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest lists.

Situated in the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana near the Idaho border, Stock Farm Club was developed in part by finance executive Charles Schwab. The club features a Tom Fazio design ranked among the best in the state with terrific views of the Sapphire Mountains. Fazio took advantage of the dramatic setting by creating numerous elevated tees, which we were restored in 2019 along with the greens and bunkers. Other activities at this exclusive private club include fly-fishing, horseback riding and shooting.

204. Brookside Country Club

Brookside Country Club has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest lists.

Brookside Country Club was designed by Donald Ross in 1922 and is among the top-ranked courses in Ohio. Except for some well-placed fairway bunkers, Brookside is forgiving off the tee but is quite challenging around the greens, which are bold and exceptionally undulating. Given the difficulty of the greens, it is helpful to play each hole backwards when strategizing off the tee, as staying on the proper side of tricky pins is essential to scoring.

205. Big Cedar Lodge: Ozarks National

Hollister, mo.

Ozarks National was ranked 155th on our 2021-'22 Second 100 Greatest list.

The Ozarks of southern Missouri are not tall, but their ridge-and-valley topography provide a sense of heightened elevation. Ozarks National at Big Cedar Lodge takes advantage of the illusion with holes that run out along ridgetops and onto elongated fingers of land that fall off into wooded ravines. Formerly the site of a different, much narrower golf course, Coore & Crenshaw found ways to widen out many of the same spaces and added new holes on previously unused parts of the property. Though not as broad as is customary for the designers, the cant of the holes and the engaging fairway bunkering put a premium on shaping shots and hitting the correct line off the tee.

206. The Greenbrier: Old White

White sulphur springs, wv.

The Old White course was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2015-'22.

C.B. Macdonald’s early American design of the Old White at The Greenbrier was always respected, especially after Lester George’s 2007 restoration re-established such things as a Principal’s Nose bunker and Dragon’s Teeth mounds. Golf Digest panelists rediscovered its pleasures and ranked it the Best New Public Remodel of 2007. Soon, owner Jim Justice began sponsoring an annual PGA Tour event. Then came devastated floods in July, 2016, which claimed lives and destroyed several Old White holes. Another architect, Keith Foster, supervised a total rebuild of the famed course in less than 12 months, in time for the following year’s PGA Tour event. As a result, The Old White was named Golf Digest’s Best New Remodel again in 2017.

207. The Vintage Club: Mountain

Indian wells, ca.

The Vintage Club was ranked on our 100 Greatest list from 1987-'92 and was 196th on our Second 100 Greatest list in 2021-'22.

The Vintage Club proved to be the last collaboration between former tour golfer-turned-architect George Fazio and his young nephew, Tom. But while George was heavily involved in promoting this exclusive Palm Springs area club to prospective members, Tom was sweating the details out on the construction site. The opulent course was built for $6 million, considered an outrageous amount at that time, but Tom explained that sum was necessary in order to “create an environment where none existed,” a phrase he would repeat later in the decade when constructing No. 27 Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. Tom spent $1.5-million building just The Vintage’s 16th and 17th holes, including three cascading waterfalls at $175,000 apiece. It was money well spent.

208. Torrey Pines Golf Course: South

La jolla, ca.

Torrey Pines South was ranked on our 100 Greatest list from 1969-'74 and was 198th on our Second 100 Greatest list in 2021-'22.

Torrey Pines sits on one of the prettiest golf course sites in America, atop coastal bluffs north of San Diego with eye-dazzling views of the Pacific. Rees Jones’ remodeling of the South Course in the early 2000s not only made the course competitive for the 2008 U.S. Open (won by Tiger Woods in a playoff over Rocco Mediate), it also brought several coastal canyons into play for everyday play, especially on the par-3 third and par-4 14th. An annual PGA Tour stop, Torrey Pines received another boost by Jones prior to hosting its second U.S. Open in 2021, this one won by Jon Rahm.

209. White Bear Yacht Club

White bear lake, mn.

White Bear Yacht Club was ranked 191st on our Second 100 Greatest ranking in 2017-'18.

Before he moved to California where he laid the foundation of many of that state's best courses from the pre-Depression era, William Watson was a pioneer of golf in Minnesota. He arranged the first nine holes at White Bear Yacht Club in 1912 near the shore of White Bear Lake on some of the most roly-poly land imaginable. Several years later, Donald Ross, it is believed, added nine holes and remodeled the course. That rumpled, unmodified land is the heart and soul of White Bear Yacht Club. Modern architects would likely have leveled and softened the slopes and ravines, but here they bring the golf to life visually and psychologically, offering nary a level stance and asking the player to hit approaches with extreme control. Over the last two decades under the guidance of Jim Urbina the surrounding canopy of forest has been pared back to better reveal the massive, enthralling undulations of the course.

210. Sanctuary Golf Club

Sedalia, co.

Sanctuary has previously been ranked on our 100 Greatest list and most recently was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2013-'20. 

In the late 1990s, Sanctuary debuted as a counterpoint to what was then the latest fashion, the startlingly outrageous architecture of Mike Strantz. Coloradoan Jim Engh introduced his stylistic philosophy of incorporating Art Deco themes of parallel lines, sweeping curves and repetitive patterns in his bunker, fairway and green shapes. The comforting nature of his architectural style proved to be popular and soothing to many golf fans. But Sanctuary’s site itself is startling. The first tee shot drops 200 feet. Fairways twist and tumble down narrow valleys and over chasms. Enormous greens are protected not just by Engh’s squiggly bunkers but by giant transplanted pines. Sanctuary’s developers, Dave and Gail Liniger, founded the Re/Max real estate empire, but they insisted that Sanctuary have no homes that could disturb the tranquility of the course. It’s a Sanctuary indeed.

211. Maroon Creek Club

Maroon Creek has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest lists.

The stretch of golf at Maroon Creek beginning at the par 4 fourth and ending at the 16th is one of the finest in Colorado. Tumultuous terrain paired with design elements employed by Tom Fazio allows for an incredible experience outside Aspen. The holes feel natural to the land, and Fazio’s routing constantly provides a challenge from start to finish. The constant change in elevations means golfers must correctly judge their distances on every shot. Off the tee Fazio offers some reprieve as oftentimes a good shot will find a speed slot, providing an opportunity to score, but the well-guarded greens means golfers are not out of the woods just with a good drive.

212. Sutton Bay Golf Course: Championship Course

Sutton Bay has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest lists.

Like Bandon Dunes and Sand Hills before it, Sutton Bay is a continuation in the modern trend of great golf courses being built in remote locations. Situated 40 miles northwest from Pierre, S.D., Sutton Bay was created by South Dakota native Mark Amundson who wanted to create a retreat with golf, hunting and fishing. He found his spot on a piece of land on Lake Oahe, perfect for all three. Amundson hired Graham Marsh who wrote in the course’s yardage book, “The brief for the golf course was simple. The course should be playable yet challenging, keep earthworks to a minimum, and preserve the natural landscape.” Marsh certainly achieved his goal, the course feels placed  within —not on top of the land, with unique landforms, sprawling bunker complexes and beautiful views, the course well earns the top spot in South Dakota.

213. Omaha Country Club

Omaha Country Club has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest lists.

Opened in 1899, Omaha Country Club is one of the oldest clubs in the Midwest. The course has some incredibly undulating topography that captivates the golfer with a great mix of uphill and downhill holes. Despite being situated in a flat part of the country, Omaha’s elevation changes separates it from its peers. In addition, the green complexes are severely contoured with some pin positions allowing for scoring opportunities and others adding to the resistance to scoring.

214. Sea Island: Seaside

Saint simons island, ga.

The Seaside course was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2013-'22 and was 176th in 2021-'22.

The Sea Island resort continues to credit famed British golf architect H.S. Colt for its Seaside design, but in truth it was never purely Colt's design. It was the work of Colt's partner, Charles Alison, who traveled to the U.S. and beyond in the 1920s and 30s while Colt remainied in England. But the Seaside Course isn't even Alison's anymore--it is purely Tom Fazio, who incorporated Alison's original Seaside nine (today's 10-18) along with a nine (the Marshland Nine) designed in 1974 by Joe Lee, to create a totally new 18- hole course. But in keeping with the resort’s heritage, Fazio styled his new course in the design fashion of Alison, with big clamshell bunkers, smallish putting surfaces and exposed sand dunes off most of the windswept fairways. The Seaside Course has hosted numerous USGA championships and has been a mainstay of the PGA Tour’s early season roster for many years.

215. Eugene Country Club

Eugene Country Club was ranked on our 100 Greatest list for 36 years and most recently was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2013-'22.

Eugene was the site of one of golf most profound renovations in 1965 when Robert Trent Jones reversed the direction of each hole on the H.C. Egan design, building long tee boxes, all new greens and stylized bunkers that pinch targets and turn doglegs—turning Eugene Country Club into one of the most challenging in the Pacific Northwest. The 2021 renovation wasn’t so radical, but the changes initiated by Tim Jackson and David Kahn have made the course more thought-provoking through the shifting of tees, remodeling of bunkers, the expansion of greens that bring more hole locations into play and a renewed emphasis on using the unique ground contours and swales as more strategically influential factors. The towering Douglas fir trees still frame each hole and influence much of a golfer's strategy from tee to green.

216. Atlanta Country Club

Marietta, ga.

Atlanta Country Club has previously been ranked for 26 years on our 100 Greatest list and more recently was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2015-'22.

For over a decade, the most spirited debate in golf was over who really designed the really fine Atlanta Country Club. Both Willard Byrd of Atlanta and Joseph S. Finger of Houston claimed the honor. Both lobbied Golf Digest hard for the architectural credit, but neither provided much supporting documentation. Both architects are deceased now, and from what we can piece together, Byrd landed the original contract in the early 1960s, but was still more land-planner than course architect in those days, so the club brought in Finger to finish the job. We give them both credit for this hilly, strategic design, a solution neither architect would likely have accepted. Atlanta resident and former Jack Nicklaus associate Mike Riley remodeled the course in the early 2000s and his work helped put the course back in the America's 100 Greatest Courses ranking in 2003 after it had fallen off in 1997. Now architect Beau Welling is working with the club, and the results of his renovation will be revealed in 2024.

217. The Broadmoor Golf Club East Course

Colorado springs, co.

The Broadmoor Golf Club East was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2013-'22. 

The Broadmoor Golf Club East is another timeless mountain course, built hard against Cheyenne Mountain with famed green contours that pose optical illusions. Many putts that look uphill are actually running downhill. Few golfers recognize that the East Course is a combination of nine Donald Ross holes (one through six and 16 through 18) and nine more added 30 years later by Robert Trent Jones (holes seven to 15), though a road crossing helps delineate these lower and upper holes. The East Course was the site of Jack Nicklaus’ first U.S. Amateur win in 1959 and Annika Sorenstam’s first U.S. Women’s Open win in 1995. It has also hosted 2011 U.S. Women’s Open won by So Yeon Ryu and the 2018 U.S. Senior Open won by David Toms, their first major victories as well (at least the first on the Senior circuit for Toms).

218. Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach: Championship

West palm beach, fl.

Trump International West Palm Beach was ranked 84th on our 100 Greatest list in 2005-'06 and more recently was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list from 2013-'22.

Long before he was President of the United States, or even a TV reality show host, Donald Trump built a golf course, on prime real estate in West Palm Beach, which he got from Palm Beach County. In exchange for a 100-year lease, Trump agreed not to sue the county for noise disturbance to Mar-A-Lago resort. He hired Tom Fazio’s older, less-celebrated brother Jim Fazio to design a course that would rival Trump’s casino rival Steve Wynn’s baby, No. 27 Shadow Creek in Vegas. Jim moved 2 million cubic yards of dirt to create 58 feet of elevation change and planted 5,000 mature trees. Lakes linked by recirculating streams were built, as was a monolithic waterfall on the 17th. The result is Shadow Creek Southeast. “Steve Wynn is a friend of mine,” Trump said in a 1999 interview. “I did get certain ideas from Shadow Creek because I think he did a very good job. I made them bigger and better.”

219. Desert Forest Golf Club

Carefree, az.

Desert Forest was previously ranked for 36 years on our 100 Greatest list and more recently was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest list in 2013-'14 and 2017-'18.

Widely considered to be the first desert course ever built, Desert Forest was designed by Robert “Red” Lawrence—a founding member and president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects—and opened in 1962. Revered for its minimalist design and effective use of the natural contours of the land, the course has been previously ranked on our 100 Greatest and Second 100 Greatest lists. In 2013, the course underwent a $3 million renovation led by David Zinkland—a longtime associate of the Coore and Crenshaw design firm—which improved sightlines from tee boxes, added strategic bunkering and refined the greens. Referred to by our own Mike Stachura as “an American golf course design landmark,” Desert Forest is deceptively simple, with few fairway bunkers or doglegs, but requires thoughtful strategy to manage the undulating layout.

220. Mountain Ridge Country Club

West caldwell, nj.

Mountain Ridge has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest.

Mountain Ridge Country Club has forever been one of North Jersey's great hidden gems, and after fabulous restoration work done over the past 10 years by Ron Prichard, the club is starting to get its due after hosting a number of events, including the 2012 U.S. Senior Amateur on its centennial, the 2020 MET Open and the 2021 LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup. This 250-acre site, perched atop an enormous ridge in West Caldwell, was acquired by the club after a move from nearby West Orange, and the club hired Donald Ross in the late 1920s to route a new 18-hole course, which traverses varied, interesting topography and features some genius putting surfaces. Mountain Ridge had a large-scale celebration in June 1931 to dedicate the Clifford Wendehack clubhouse and new course, of which Ross himself attended. The club has hired Andrew Green to complete a long-term plan to ensure that Mountain Ridge continues to be in the conversation as one of the country’s best-known secrets.

221. Skokie Country Club

Glencoe, il.

Skokie Country Club was ranked 97th on our 100 Greatest list in 1993-'94.

Skokie Country Club is a classic championship venue that boasts a strong history and a unique combination of contributions from Tom Bendelow, William Langford, Theodore Moreau and Donald Ross. It has withstood the test of time with a strong collection of short and long par 4s, offering a great variety of risk-and-reward opportunities. The course is fair, balanced and promotes accuracy and requires a moderate level of precision. The challenge is presented through bunkering, tree-lined fairways and large contoured greens. With wider fairways and run-up options to many greens the course is very playable for gofers of all ability and presents a very enjoyable experience.

222. Trinity Forest Golf Club

Trinity Forest has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest.

Once a drab, treeless, 165-acre tabletop city dump perched above the tree-lined Trinity River, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw transformed it into one of the most interesting designs in modern architercture. When Coore first saw the site, he ignored the abandoned refrigerators and scattered tires to focus on the flow of the land. It was a series of ridges and ripples formed as parts of the closed landfill settled over time. "It needed a good ironing," Coore joked. In the end his construction crew, though capping the site with a thick layer of sand in which to grow grass and create wasteland roughs, took pains to preserve every dip, trough, hump and hollow. It hosted the 2019 and 2020 AT&T Byron Nelson. Trinity Forest was night and day from any other venue on tour. As Curt Sampson wrote for Golf Digest, Trinity Forest "was night and day from any other venue on tour -- this windswept, nearly treeless expanse of dunes, waving prairie grass, and fast, undulating turf, the new place has every attribute of a links except cawing sea birds and an ocean." Not too many players embraced the cerebral, pinball-ish ground game offered to access some of these greens and navigate the interesting humps and bumps here. Of course, tour winner turned architect Geoff Ogilvy: “I love it,” Ogilvy said. “Strategically, it’s so interesting. It’s got everything that’s missing from modern architecture. There are ways to challenge golfers besides long rough and narrow fairways.” There are also architectural marvels like a double green, great short par 4s and short par 3s. It's too bad the tour won't return to Trinity Forest, but golfers lucky enough to get an invite will continue to enjoy it.

223. Snake River Sporting Club

Jackson, wy.

Snake River has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest.

Just south of Jackson Hole, the Snake River Sporting Club is a four-season resort and residential community with a Tom Weiskopf-designed course that embraces the natural contours of the river valley. Set beside the 1,078-mile-long Snake River and surrounded by mountains, the scenic course winds through tall cottonwoods and sagebrush. The signature par-3 15th is nearly an island green, surrounded not by water but by native grasses which beautifully frame the hole against the backdrop of the Snake River.

224. John's Island Club: West Course

Sebastian, fl.

John's Island West has yet to be ranked on our 100 Greatest or Second 100 Greatest.

John's Island West was one of the last courses Tom Fazio and his associates completed as they were getting into the thick of building Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. In that regard, the course fittingly marks an end to an early Fazio phase, one before it became increasingly clear to him that, for the skills of he and his staff to be maximized, the project's budget and ambition were more critical than having strong natural assets to work with. John's Island, like Jupiter Hills an hour south, did have strong natural assets, namely a series of sand ridges, some up to 50 feet high, that were used to prop up a number of greens and tees. This provided attractive views, tough targets, and much needed relief amid a site thick with dense undergrowth. Several lakes were excavated for added fill and the surfaces of the course were cut and molded with sandy finger-like transition areas and bunkers, but the overall feel of the course is calm and not engineered. It's a wonderful snapshot of a creative use of existing land, one burnished further by Fazio's 2022 renovation.

225. Yale Golf Course

New haven, ct.

Yale was ranked on our 100 Greatest from 1969-'76 and more recently was ranked on our Second 100 Greatest from 2013-'18.

Yale has always been something of a sleeping giant. For a variety of reasons the course has rarely lived up to its full potential, either due to inconsistent conditioning or some ill-considered changes through the decades that moved the architecture off its brilliant 1926 C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor design. Given the handicaps, it's remarkable Yale has continued to be so breathtakingly profound. The Leviathan-sized golf course bulges with magisterial holes like the Road, Cape, Knoll and the world’s best Biarritz chiseled onto the rocky, tumbling site. Recently made public, it's one of the few places in the U.S. (notably alongside the Old White course at The Greenbrier) where the general public can experience true Macdonald/Raynor architecture. The sleeping giant is about to awaken as Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner will go to work on reestablishing the original hole concepts and upgrade turf and drainage following the 2023 season.

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White bear yacht club, white bear yacht club minnesota, united states of america.

Ironically, magnificent land movement is the hallmark feature of a course with the name ‘yacht’!

What defines a great course? Its greens, where you likely take a third or more of your shots? How about the fairways, where the majority of a round is spent? Hard to say. First, most architects don’t build great greens. Second, sites blessed with interesting land well-suited for golf are few and far between. Third, even on an ideal site, the architect must route consecutive holes so that the landforms are captured in a meaningful manner. On the rare occasion when these hurdles are overcome,  you are in the presence of a truly remarkable course. Welcome to White Bear Yacht Club.

Like so many great clubs (e.g. Pine Valley, Augusta National, etc.) the drive to the club gives little away. The word ‘yacht’ portends a romance that comes from a large body of water (we are in the Land of Lakes) and as you wind your way toward the clubhouse, glimpses of White Bear lake are afforded through the trees. Yet, the road is flat and the golfer’s expectations are held in check. As you arrive, the main clubhouse becomes visible, high on a hillock to the right with the lake below. The first time golfer is impressed but there is no sense as to where the golf is until he learns that the building on the other side of the road is the Golf House and that the land around it is luscious and heaving.

The view from the Golf House across the 9th green.

Which architect from the Golden Age was given the opportunity to work with this special land?  Well … that is indeed a fine question! Club member and historian, Mark Mammel, has been gathering information and mulling over that very question since 1992. His conclusion:

All sources agree that William Watson created an original plan. The first 9 holes, which opened in 1912, may have followed this plan, but this is also uncertain. The course was on a 45 acre plot north of the clubhouse and other than perhaps #17,  no holes from this layout still exist. Minneapolis Tribune golf columnist George Rhame, in Sept 1913, stated “The White Bear course, a 9 hole invention, has no bunkers nor does it need any.” The 18 hole course, which opened in 1915  had many bunkers throughout as shown in a large contemporaneous surveyors map. In “Golfer’s Magazine” from May 1925 past Commodore W. G. Graves describes that the early 9 hole course “came into being” but adds no other details, then states that after acquiring more land “… an 18 hole course was planned. William Watson laid it out. Donald Ross gave freely of his advice in its development and Tom Vardon, the professional at the club, was of great assistance.”

That seems simple enough: ‘ William Watson laid it out. Donald Ross gave freely of his advice in its development and Tom Vardon, the professional at the club, was of great assistance.’

Alas, Mammel continues:

There are some problems with this description. In the 1961 club history (which is mostly about sailing) member Margaret MacLaren is quoted: “On a Sunday noon, the summer of 1910, she [Mrs John G Ordway] was lunching at the home of her father-in-law, Lucius P. Ordway, at Dellwood. Among the guests were William Mitchell, Henry Schurmeier, and Donald Ross, a very well-known golf course architect. These gentlemen were discussing plans for a 9 hole course for the White Bear Yacht Club.” In a previous iteration of this discussion on the GCA site Tom MacWood stated that he had Ross’s travel records for 1910 indicated that he was in the UK the entire summer. However, even with this caveat, I can see no reason why Mrs. MacLaren would create this story out of whole cloth, since neither she nor anyone at the club really cared one way or another who the designer might have been. Could she have had the wrong date? I suspect so. Additionally, since the golf course opened in Fall 1915 and Vardon didn’t arrive until 1916, it’s difficult to see how he could have influenced the original layout. Brad Klein in his book places Ross at WBYC in both 1912 and 1915. An article from the Minneapolis Morning Tribune from Sept 1916 states that Ross was going to WBYC “with a view of rearranging it.”

Mammel concludes:

So where does this leave us? As I keep going over it all, I suspect the routing is from Watson. It is interesting that 2 prominent Minnesota Ross courses, Interlachen and Minikahda, were also originally laid out by Watson! Ross clearly was involved around the time the 18 holes were being built, as he was active in the Twin Cities with Woodhill and Minikahda at the same time. How much credit should he get? He doesn’t name the course in the list his company published, though he does name Minikahda, Interlachen Woodhill and Northland in Minnesota. Vardon probably worked with bunkering, since many of the bunkers from the 1915 map, as shown from a later aerial photo, no longer exist. Vardon was a well-known regional course designer so it is no stretch to imagine he had opinions and input as the course matured during his tenure as pro (1916-1937). The club has been accepted as a Ross course by many, including Brad Klein and the Donald Ross Society. Tom Doak indicated that many features fit with Ross’s style, though he made it clear he had no real evidence of this provenance. Jim Urbina is on the same page, recognizing the course as a great classic layout no matter whose name is attached. 

That’s a perfect summation: ‘a classic layout no matter whose name is attached.’  Clearly, Watson, Ross and to a lesser degree Vardon were all ‘chefs in the kitchen’ but like a person dining, what matters is the food on the plate in front of him as opposed to who did what in the kitchen.

This scorecard from 1917 essentially reflects today’s course.

Though its provenance is unclear, the course’s maturation has been peaceful with the club demonstrating the rare wisdom of leaving well enough alone. As noted by Mammel,  Commodore W. G. Graves’ beautifully worded article in 1925 also read in part, ‘ The original plan tested by play has required very little change or modification. Such changes and improvements as have been made as opportunity afforded have been strictly in line with the plan after experience showed that nothing more was needed. There has been no vacillation and there is no regret for money ill spent and for unnecessary discomfort and interruption to play.’ This same kind of no-nonsense approach has carried on decade after decade with mercifully few blips along the way.

In the 1980s, a local architect did some work to a few holes including the seventh, eighth and sixteenth. Bunkers were added to ‘defend’ two short par 5s and the one shot eighth hole was notably modified. In 1993 the club contacted Renaissance Golf Design in Michigan and charged them with restoring the eighth hole as best they could from available aerials. Tom Doak and Jim Urbina paid a visit and brought down the hillside into the green complex and restored the original bunker pattern. Once again, a tucked back right hole location is something to behold. Both architects were smitten by the land and course.

As seen from high right, the 8th green.

Urbina’s distinct recollection from his initial trip twenty-six years ago was that the course possessed some of the game’s most unique landforms but that they were masked under a canopy of trees which hid the scale of the property. He hoped for an opportunity to return. Eight years later, the club decided to address the modernized bunkers around seven and sixteen. Urbina cleaned up those holes and as he prowled around the rest of the property, he began formulating a vision for a better tree policy and mow lines with Green Keeper John Steiner, who is an institution in Minnesota. Steiner has manned the position since 1979 (!), first having caddied there in 1969 and then joining the green keeping staff the following year. Urbina knew that they would become friends after discovering Steiner’s original copy of George Thomas’s cornerstone book on architecture, Golf Architecture in America , sandwiched between books on agronomy.

The same story that played out at hundreds of Golden Age designs across North America was also true at White Bear Yacht Club: Tree growth had altered the width of the playing corridors and hindered proper turf quality. By 2012, Urbina, now under his own shingle at Jim Urbina Golf Design, worked with Steiner to re-present the mow lines. Fairways were extended and re-connected to the fairway bunkers. Short grass was instituted around many of the greens including the ninth, twelfth and fifteenth holes. All the work was done in-house and by 2015 the focus was expanded to restoring vistas like the sight of the third green as one approaches the second green.

Today’s course plays to a standard par of 72, measures nearly 6,500 yards, and the nines return to the Golf House. Given that the land is so singular, there are peculiarities. There are five one shot holes and five three shot holes. You encounter a par five within every four hole stretch and four of the first eleven holes are one shotters. What the three shotters give, the one shotters take away! The course is not heavily bunkered – only 62 and there is an appealing dearth of greenside bunkers around the five par 5s. Those five holes combined total but two and both par five greens on the second nine are bunkerless, the ultimate compliment to the land. Interestingly enough, two of the one shotters (six and eleven) combine for 20% of the course’s bunkers and the twelfth hole alone accounts for nearly another 20%.

From the author’s perspective the two standout features are how the holes lay on the ground and the variety of the putting surfaces which are every bit the equal of the terrific tee to green land movement. Having spent considerable time on site, Urbina unhesitatingly places it in his top 10 in terms of topography and green locations and notes that the course ‘…reminds me of Eastward Ho! on Cape Cod in that the excitement never stops.’  In fact, Urbina thinks that it rivals any course in the Midwest, which, when you consider the golf rich states included, is high praise indeed.

Keep an eye out for the attractive greenside mounding as we tour the course below. It comes in all shapes and sizes, from a massive knob in front of the first green to the low-lying, long hump that stretches along the right of the third green. Their irregular appearance speaks as to handwork versus machine work and stamps the course as built during the Golden Age. Having only played a couple of Watson courses, the author was curious if such mounding was indicative of Watson’s work, so I contacted Green Keeper Josh Smith at Orinda Country Club.  Watson laid out that charming course in the foothills northeast of San Francisco in 1924. Smith’s response is telling: ‘Yes, Watson used mounds to accent holes here. I am also particularly impressed by his routing up and down and around the hills and how he handled the creek crossings.  We are in a hilly neighborhood but he created a very nice walk with no two holes alike. Additionally, he clearly cared about the variety of the 3’s and purposefully built a short one with teeth.  Lastly, he appeared satisfied with minimal overall bunkering, especially in the fairways.’ As we will see, those words (save for the creek crossings) apply equally well to White Bear.

Holes to Note

First hole; 405 yards; Ross wrote of a gentle handshake, which tells you straightaway that Watson routed this beast! Standing high on the tee with Golf House directly behind, there are countless ways to get the round off to an ignominious start. If by chance the player hits a fine tee ball, he now faces an approach that could rightfully be described as potentially the most ruinous on the course. The green is a good twenty feet above the fairway, on top of a daunting embankment. A knob in front of the green obscures the putting surface, even from the right side of the fairway. At its base, the course’s single deepest bunker awaits and given that you are hitting your approach from an uneven lie, the bunker receives plenty of grumpy customers.  The land makes the hole, the solitary bunker helps define the playing strategy, and the green is full of personality. In short, it neatly forecasts what is to come. If there are ten better opening holes in golf, the author hasn’t seen them.

The inspired view from the 1st tee captures the excitement that is to follow. Strategically, the right side opens up the green and removes the pit from play but … out of bounds lurks right of the trees.

Imagine trying to escape from this pit in 1920 with just your hickory niblick (today’s 9 iron)!

One of the charming features that dates the course as pre-1920 are rises fronting several of the greens. This one is the most pronounced but the 5th and 7th greens possess a similar feature that muddles the optics for one’s approach. By the 1920s, architects had largely abandoned this construct and that is one of the reasons that an argument can be made that courses built in the 1910s are more character-filled.

Second hole, 430 yards; What does land movement mean to a fairway? Several things. The more interesting the movement, the more discernible the hole is from its peers as it is given its own unique voice. Second, a fairway with movement means that it matters a great deal where one’s tee ball lands. Hitting on a downslope versus an upslope translates to an approach several clubs shorter. Third, fairway movement defines daily play as, alas, it is always there, day-in, day-out. It isn’t part of the playing corridor like a bunker – it is the the vast majority of the playing corridor. Fourth, and this is why links golf reigns supreme, a lumpy fairway makes a golfer continually make minor tweaks to his stance/set-up. In so doing, a course with such fairways becomes infinitely more interesting to play than one with flat fairways, especially for the 50th and even 500th time. Is the author implying that White Bear Yacht Club approaches the ideal member’s course? Absolutely.

The speed-slot off the second tee is down the right and leaves this approach shot from a hanging lie. Note the attractive mounding that accents the green.

This 2017 photograph from behind shows how the fairway was widened to the right by 4 to 5 paces. An enhanced appreciation for the course’s property comes from watching balls release along the short grass rather than being constrained by rough.

Third hole, 135 yards; To define what makes a ‘great set of greens’ is to delve into how eighteen putting surfaces both complement one another  and pose different questions. Put another way, the fourteenth green at Augusta National is undeniably magnificent but six of them in one round would not constitute a great set. White Bear Yacht Club runs the full gamut from small to large greens, sloped front to back and back to front, wild interior contours and greens with more tilt than contour. The third green is of the small variety with a deceptive cant from front right to back left. It sits perfectly atop a ridge. While prudence suggests hitting for the middle of the green and putting out to perimeter hole locations, the hole’s diminutive length prompts greed. A golfer who chases after left hole locations and hits a pull feels like a numpty.

The beautifully situated 3rd green. Standing on the tee higher and to the right, the flag is always visible but the hole/cup itself is obscured 1/3 of the time by a ridge in front, signifying what Watson thought was – and wasn’t – important.

The bunker in the foreground is an intriguing feature, as it is 4 feet above the putting surface and snares the slightest under hit tee ball.

The putting surface is none too big but is a good one to find off the tee. Though a pull off the tee feels calamitous, you will quickly find your ball and a deft recovery is possible, if unlikely. Like all great courses, you shouldn’t lose many balls over a playing season, though you will find yourself in a slew of awkward and/or entertaining positions.

Fifth hole, 440 yards; Cries of ‘unfair’ would ring loud if this hole was built today, which is always a good sign that you are about to tackle a hole with unconventional demands. There’s no mollycoddling on this brute. The tee shot is manageable (play to the right) but the long second is to a green that is cruelly unhelpful. Expertly situated in a saddle between slight rises in front and back, the putting surface is low in the middle and drifts downhill to the right. If the golfer wants a friend, he will need to get a dog. Similar to the equally unjust Road Hole on The Old Course at St. Andrews, the vast majority of the 4s registered here come by virtue of a one putt – and a ‘4’ feels like a hard fought birdie.

The biggest hills are down the left so to find the ‘speed slot’, pound one right and hope that the hills don’t retard its run too much. Of course, similar to the 1st and 2nd tee balls, the vague threat of out-of-bounds right hinders a free-flowing swing on the tee.

Note how the putting surface is high in the front and back and lower in the middle.

Sixth hole, 150 yards;   How an architect follows a murderously difficult hole like the fifth is telling. If he backs it up with another toughie, the member can feel bruised and battered, or even dispirited. If he follows it up with a hole (or two) that tempt, the member is encouraged and stays wholly engaged. Combined with the half par, uphill seventh, the golfer has a real chance to rebuild from the damage invariably inflicted at the fifth.

Hard to believe based on this view from the tee but …

… seven bunkers ring the 6th green. As they are pulled back from the putting surface, they tend to leave an awkward length recovery shot. Like the 3rd, the golfer does himself a service by hitting the green in regulation and not fussing about.

Ninth hole, 515 yards; Normally, the author isn’t a fan of elevated tee boxes as they tend to flatten a hole’s appearance and rob the golfer of a sense of the land’s movement. This proves to be an exception where the closest tee to the prior green is – no surprise – the original tee, which was to the right and uphill from the eighth green. A new tee was added in the 1990s behind the eighth green to give the hole an extra ~30 yards and make it less vulnerable to technology but the new prospective from a lower angle is less invigorating. From the original tee, on the high spot on the property, the golfer can’t but be impressed by the scale of the ‘rolling waves’ of hills before him. One hopes to carry a hill some 230 yards out and have one’s tee ball carom forward another 30 to 40 yards. Then, the green, hidden from the player down in the valley, can be reached with a mid-iron, assuming the wind isn’t coming off White Bear lake. It is the kind of wildly irritating hole that can get under a good player’s skin if he doesn’t play it in four shots. Making such a score more tenuous is the angled green, the course’s second smallest target and its soft shoulders make it particularly elusive. Short grass now encases the green and the run-offs lead to a far more fiddly recovery shots than before.

The view from the original 1915 tee highlights the turbulent topography with the 9th hole ending in front of the Golf House. As an example of the continual progress being made, the fairway now extends to the bunker on the left, a good five paces wider than seen in the 2017 photograph above.

Tenth hole, 330 yards; Both Ross and Watson were masters of routing two shot holes that played from a high tee into a valley and up again to a high green, which is what we have here. Indicative of White Bear’s never-ending rolls and rambunctious terrain, two fifteen foot hills are encountered between the high tee and high green. They turn the tenth into the sort of hole that the author relishes, a hole where there is no one correct way to play it. Good players sometimes hold to the belief that if you hit to X, then you should be guaranteed a Y outcome. Such “sticks” find frustration and consternation on this hole (and perhaps the entire course). While a player seeks a level stance to aid him in placing his short iron underneath the hole, he may or may not find it upon arriving at his tee ball. The only thing for certain is that these fairways come with no guarantees. Like most greens situated on a hillock, the putting surface slopes insensitively from back to front dropping over three feet. Yard for yard, the tenth packs a punch, that in many ways, epitomizes the course.

As seen from the high point between the 9th and 10th holes, the 10th gets the second nine off to a rousing start.

At fairway level, the ground movement is even more evident/striking.

A look from behind the green reveals the convoluted land that defines the fairway. An approach ten paces short of this flag rolls off the false front while one ten paces long renders a nervy downhill chip.

Eleventh hole, 180 yards; There are three ways a putting surface challenges: size/configuration, tilt/pitch and interior undulations. There are countless permutations within each category. This rectangular green surrounded by bunkers features elements of all three. The right third is elevated and features a puffed up knob. The hole location is invariably there on ‘The Angry Bear,’ which is the equivalent of Tough Day and as much as any hole location on the course, can prompt players to turn incandescent. The rest of the green is canted and slides from high right to lower back left. It and the seventh are among the most complicated greens on the course and its multi-faceted nature emphasizes the point that discerning the best play isn’t nearly as evident at White Bear Yacht Club as it is at most courses where greens are angled toward the player with monotonous regularity.

The high back right to low left cant of the green gives players fits and the objective off the tee is to place your ball left of the hole in an effort have an uphill putt for your second shot. Even an uphill chip for your second shot can be preferable to a downhill putt.

Twelfth hole, 385 yards; This is White Bear Yacht Club’s most acclaimed hole. Doak devoted an entire page to it in Volume 3 of The Confidential Guide , noting ‘…the trick is to play the tee shot out wide to the left or right (near a line of bunkers) , and then play the second shot across the approach into a shoulder of green on the opposite side, which will funnel the ball back down to the hole.’ Every course should dream of featuring an approach like this where feel/craftiness one-up a formulaic aerial shot to a set yardage. Yet, most modern architects are loathe to build greens that sweep from front to back and so the golfer is free too often to dully reach for whatever club will land his approach near the hole. Here, you might play one or two clubs less than the yardage indicates or you may aim to the sides as Doak suggests and let the bumper mounds funnel the ball close. Either way, the brain needs to be fully engrossed for the task at hand.

The play from the tee is to the fairway side opposite the hole location.

If the hole is on the left side of the green, then driving close to this string of bunkers becomes ideal. Though it is unknown if the Scot Watson or the Scot Ross or the English Vardon built them, there is little reason to doubt that all three Brits would recognize and approve their merit, knowing full well from Great Britain that the smaller the scale, the more awkward the stance/lie.

Any lover of links golf appreciates the beauty of only half the flag pole and flag visible. The author shutters to think how many modern architects would have bulldozed various landforms to provide better optics, which would have forever ruined the mystery and allure of a game here. The enticing manner in which the holes play up, over, and around landforms is far preferable to a course whose fairways stay contained in valleys like those at Royal Birkdale. Given the option of ten rounds between the two, the author would pick seven at White Bear Yacht Club and three at the Open venue.

This view from behind tells it all and captures how the green falls four feet from front to back. An approach that doesn’t deaden into one of the side banks will be deposited in one of three back bunkers. The copious amount of short grass surrounding the putting green adds another playing dimension.

Thirteenth hole, 515 yards; White Bear Yacht Club isn’t heavily bunkered and needn’t be; the land is the thing. Ultimately, that is its trump card. So many architects these days are adept at building handsome, rugged bunkers that modern courses are starting to look too much alike. Here the land is so singular that it never blurs with another course.

The land as opposed to bunkers dictates the narrative. As we see below, no greenside bunkers required.

Originally, the 13th green was located left in the dell. One suspects the club learned the hard way that a dell green doesn’t work well in the north through the winter months when water freezes, thaws and re-freezes.

Fourteenth hole, 335 yards; The author first played the course in the fall of 2017. The vast majority of the restoration work had been completed and on a peak autumn day the course could not have been presented better. While the front nine exceeded expectations, the superlative four hole stretch to start the second nine really impressed. Standing on this tee in a corner of the property, the author was sure that a weak patch would emerge. Instead, three of the best driving holes on the course ensued, each capped by one of the course’s finest greens.

Similar to sixteen, this hole bends to a degree that reaching for a driver is no certainty. And that’s an important attribute as any course where the player automatically reaches for a driver is lacking.

This tickler of a two shotter is amply defended by its pugnacious green featuring an abrupt tier.

In the 1980s, the club was having a mighty problem maintaining the green and finding a sufficient number of hole locations. Pete Dye’s brother happened to be in town and went out with John Steiner and club officials to inspect it. Roy Dye’s words of praise that day helped insure that its contours were never softened.

Fifteenth hole, 425 yards; The ever rotating visuals are part of the charm. At the prior hole a downhill pitch makes everything clearly visible. Here, the golfer has done well off the tee if he can see the flag and at the next, the approach is uphill over a large bunker well short. What more do you want?! Compare that to the prosaic visuals offered at so many modern courses whereby the golfer is given a clean look at the target with everything laid out nicely. Under one scenario, the golfer has no choice but to feel a tight connection to the landscape while in the other, the same scene plays out ad nauseum.

The 15th plays a role like the 5th does on the first nine by denting the golfer’s psyche.

The noble 15th green is at grade to its surrounds. It welcomes a running approach past the swale short left. Only the trees behind suggest that you aren’t playing a links and the old school mounds complete the appealing picture.

This view from behind exposes the hog back’s ridge that runs down the middle of the green. The author can attest to the lonely feeling of being back right and putting to a front left hole location. The resultant second putt from twenty feet did not go in either.

Sixteenth hole, 485 yards; The final of three consecutive, hugely appealing elbow holes, the sixteenth slides up and to the right around a fierce cluster of bunkers cut into a hillside. The author writes ‘elbow’ as that was still the more popular expression to the term ‘dogleg’ as the course was taking shape. Though the fairway moves to the right, the land slopes right to left. If the tiger tries to force the issue off the tee of this 1/2 par hole, the reverse camber fairway will insist that he play a power fade. Recall that this is the hole where Urbina removed several greenside bunkers enabling the severe green with a three foot step through its middle to shine. Sandwiched between the rigors of the fifteenth and seventeenth, the pressure is on the golfer to make something positive happen, which of course is the surest way to insure that it doesn’t.

As seen from behind, there are several ways to work a ball close to the low back left hole location. Move the hole location to a higher point and the going gets progressively trickier.

Seventeenth hole, 205 yards; While the mystery for who deserves credit may never be solved, one thing is certain: all parties involved embraced the notion that the target for one shotters need not be large. Of the five greens that measuring less than 4,000 square feet, four of them come on par 3s (the exception is the eleventh). While the tiny third hole seems wonderfully in proportion given it’s the shortest, that sense of ‘balance’ is notably absent here. Standing on the tee of the longest one shotter, the golfer can be forgiven for feeling disgruntled and that he is too far away to approach the course’s second smallest green. As such, it makes for a clever penultimate hole where the player’s long and short game are likely both tested.

The hole’s handsome appearance acts as some consolation.

White Bear Yacht Club is in good company, and joins elite courses like Cypress Point, Rock Creek, Lahinch, Morfontaine, and Swinley Forest in ending on a down note. Its Home Hole is no one’s favorite but so what? The blind drive over the iconic white bear on the hill holds one’s interest and the approach to the canted green is a nervy one should the match still be on the line. The concept of finishing with a long, difficult par 4 may be de rigueur in the United States but is alien to Scottish links like North Berwick, Prestwick and St. Andrews. White Bear Yacht Club has done well to resist pursuing unnatural acts to alter its finish.

The Home hole features a fine blind drive over a hillock with – you guessed it – a white bear acting as the mark.

Save the finishing hole, the author would love to single out other design weaknesses, as that is what a course critic is supposed to do. Yet, what could they be? The tees are simple and clean in presentation and near the prior green. The fairways deserve to be recognized as world-class, featuring movement that is human in scale (e.g. the second, seventh) to much wilder stuff (e.g. the ninth, thirteenth) and these contours act as central hazards. Starting with the sixteen foot pit at the first green, you know that bunker depth isn’t an issue so … perhaps the greens are bland? Are you kidding?! Just think about the interior contours at holes like the seventh, fourteenth and sixteenth or the swift back to front green at the tenth or the all-world front-to-back twelfth and the slinging right-to-left eleventh.Wind? Check. True, the soil isn’t sandy loam and bouncy-bounce conditions aren’t always present but the resultant slightly slower fairway speeds have the advantage of having tee balls hang up on fairway slopes creating another kind of challenge.

In short, the author can think of nothing that is missing or of anything that would add materially to the potent mix of existing features. Like Royal Hague in the Netherlands and Eastward Ho! on Cape Cad, White Bear Yacht Club has slowly and carefully pursued a plan this century to better expose their greatest asset, which are some of the game’s most delightful landforms. If you want to quibble, you could argue that a 36 hole day at one of these three courses might be too physically taxing but given that exercise is one of the game’s great benefits, that seems like a good problem to have. So, as a course with no real weaknesses and a club that isn’t interested in passing fads, there’s no surprise that White Bear Yacht Club is slotted among the top 50 on the 147 Custodians of the Game.

GolfClubAtlas once again thanks Jon Cavalier for the use of his photographs throughout this profile. Be sure to follow Jon on Instagram @ linksgems.

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White Bear Yacht Club

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One of American golf’s real charmers, the White Bear Yacht Club was formed as a sailing club for blue-blooded easterners on the banks of Minnesota’s pristine White Bear Lake back in the late 1800s. Golf was not added until 1912, but Donald Ross’s initial nine-hole course was such a hit that he extended the layout to eighteen holes in 1915. The sport then quickly became the club’s principal recreational activity.

Low-profile and continuing to sneak under the radar of ranking panels, the course Ross designed here was one of his very best, and certainly the most interesting for golfers conditioned to believe that great terrain, rather than great turf, is the essential ingredient for great golf. Like at nearby Interlachen, Ross brilliantly incorporated all of the natural features of the site into a routing that moves across a series of radically undulating hills and ridges. With the exception of the 18th fairway, there is no let up from the natural bump and flow of the land so for those who don’t appreciate odd bounces, side-hill stances and hitting into obscured targets the par threes will offer your only relief.

White Bear starts with a tremendous par four that first plunges downhill and then rises up into an elevated green set beyond a huge bunkered ridge. The 2nd and falling par three 3rd are also good, but it’s the prolonged stretch of quality holes from the 5th to the 17th which really elevates the track into America’s elite. Massive undulations and cool greens make the 5th, 10th, 12th and 15th exciting par fours to play while the 7th is a classic par five with genuine three-shot options and an aggressive, but dangerous, two-shot strategy. Narrow and bumpy from the tee, its green is within reach but set on a spur and protected by a hump that kicks most balls away to tricky chipping gullies. This hole, as well as other wild five’s like the 9th, 13th and 16th, underscore the quality of Ross’s routing and his ability to locate fun and interesting green sites. Generally small but with lots of natural shape, the targets here show tremendous imagination and are full of subtle variety. Both the 11th and 12th, for instance, are situated beyond a frontal crest, the 11th with a high backdrop to allow balls to feed toward the pin and the 12th, by contrast, falling away steeply at the rear. There are at least seven or eight other outstanding greens, as well as a number of approach shots that rank among the most enjoyable Ross ever conceived.

Interestingly, his original plans for White Bear were destroyed during the 1930s and the course suffered through an extended period of neglect thereafter. Thankfully this neglect was addressed by the careful restoration work of Tom Doak’s team during the 1990s. Reinstating fairway widths and green areas, they also removed inappropriately planted trees and unnecessary traps, including those near the 7th and 9th greens, which in turn allowed full restoration of some fascinating chipping areas. This project was an enormous success and has helped present-day members better appreciate the true quality of their precious layout.

Donald Ross designed some remarkable courses in America, but few that have managed to evade publicity as successfully as the White Bear Yacht Club. With some of the finest slopes for golf in the Midwest, there is no doubt that were the layout a little longer and the climate more conducive to growing decent golf grasses, passionate golfers from all over the world would flock to play here.

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White Bear Yacht Club Dellwood MN | Membership Cost, Amenities, History, What To Know When Visiting

Disclaimer:  CountryClubMag.com is an independent resource and is not associated with any of the clubs on this website. Club initiation and membership cost information are estimates only and should not be relied upon for making club membership decisions.

Nestled along the picturesque shores of White Bear Lake in Dellwood, Minnesota, the White Bear Yacht Club stands as a true gem among the state’s exclusive recreational destinations. This historic and elegant yacht club embodies the essence of lakeside luxury, offering members and guests an unparalleled experience in a serene, natural setting.

With a rich heritage dating back over a century, White Bear Yacht Club is a beloved institution renowned for its pristine waters, world-class amenities, and warm sense of community. Join us as we embark on a journey to discover the timeless beauty and hospitality that defines the White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood, MN.

White Bear Yacht Club History and Founding

The White Bear Yacht Club, located in Dellwood, Minnesota, boasts a rich and storied history that dates back to its founding in 1889. Designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert , who later became famous for his work on iconic structures such as the United States Supreme Court Building and the Woolworth Building in New York City, the club’s architecture reflects the grandeur and elegance of a bygone era.

Founded by a group of enthusiastic sailing and boating enthusiasts, the White Bear Yacht Club quickly established itself as a hub for leisure and social activities along the pristine shores of White Bear Lake. Cass Gilbert’s architectural brilliance is evident in the club’s timeless design, which seamlessly integrates with the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape.

Over the years, the club has played host to a myriad of sailing regattas, social events, and gatherings, earning a reputation for its commitment to promoting the sport of sailing and fostering a strong sense of community. Today, the White Bear Yacht Club stands as a testament to its enduring legacy, preserving the historic charm and architectural marvels that have captivated generations of members and guests alike.

Famous Golf Tournament held at White Bear Yacht Club

The White Bear Yacht Club (WBYC) in Dellwood, Minnesota, is a private golf club that has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments over the years. One of the most famous is the Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) State Open , which has been held at WBYC on several occasions, most recently in 2019.

The MGA State Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf tournaments in the United States. It has been held every year since 1898 and has been won by some of the greatest golfers in history, including Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus.

The WBYC golf course has a challenging layout that is sure to test the skills of even the best golfers. The course is known for its undulating fairways, small greens, and well-placed bunkers.

In addition to the MGA State Open, WBYC has also hosted a number of other prestigious tournaments, including the MGA State Amateur Championship , the MGA Women’s State Amateur Championship , and the MGA Senior State Open Championship .

WBYC is also a popular destination for amateur golfers from all over the country. The club offers a variety of membership options, and its golf course is always in excellent condition.

Here are some other notable golf tournaments that have been held at White Bear Yacht Club:

• The Showcase @ White Bear Yacht Club  (an annual event hosted by The Golfer’s Journal)
• The Jimmy Johnston  (a 36-hole alternate shot format tournament held in honor of WBYC member Harrison Johnston)
• The Angry Bear  (a friendly event where the golf course superintendent makes the course play as difficult as possible)

WBYC is a truly special place for golf lovers. It is a club with a rich history and a course that is sure to challenge and excite golfers of all skill levels.

White Bear Yacht Club Membership Costs and Dues

Here are the estimated and rumored Membership Costs and Dues for the White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood MN:

Estimated Costs:

• Initiation Fee: $10,000-$20,000
• Monthly Dues: $400-$600
• Food and Beverage Minimum: $150/month (May-September only)

Rumored Costs:

• Initiation Fee: $20,000-$30,000
• Monthly Dues: $500-$700
• Food and Beverage Minimum: $200/month (May-September only)

It is important to note that these are just estimates and rumors, and the actual Membership Costs and Dues may vary depending on the type of membership you choose and other factors.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about the White Bear Yacht Club Membership Costs and Dues:

• There is a non-refundable application fee of $250.
• Initiation fees can be paid in full upfront or over a period of time.
• Monthly dues are charged year-round, regardless of how often you use the club.
• The food and beverage minimum is only applicable during the summer months (May to September).
• There are additional fees for some activities and amenities, such as golf, tennis, and swimming.

White Bear Yacht Club Amenities

The White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood, Minnesota, offers a range of amenities to its members, catering to a diverse set of interests and recreational activities. While specific offerings may change over time, here are some of the typical amenities you might find at such a yacht club:

• Sailing Facilities: As a yacht club, sailing is often at the forefront of its activities. Members can enjoy access to sailing lessons, sailboat rentals, and various types of sailboat racing and regattas.
• Dining: Many yacht clubs offer fine dining options, providing members with an elegant and comfortable setting to enjoy meals with a scenic view of the lake.
• Tennis and Other Sports: Yacht clubs often feature tennis courts, swimming pools, and other sporting facilities to cater to a variety of athletic interests.
• Social Events: Yacht clubs frequently host social events, including parties, galas, and special gatherings for members and their guests.
• Marina Services: Access to boat slips, docking facilities, and maintenance services for members who own boats.
• Clubhouse: A clubhouse typically provides a central hub for members, offering meeting spaces, lounges, and event facilities.
• Junior Programs: Many yacht clubs have programs for children and young adults, including sailing lessons and other activities.
• Waterfront Access: Direct access to the lake, with facilities for swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, and more.
• Golf: Some yacht clubs may have golf courses or partnerships with nearby golf clubs to offer golfing opportunities to members.
• Fitness and Wellness Facilities: Gyms, fitness centers, and spa facilities to promote health and well-being.
• Social and Networking Opportunities: Membership often includes access to a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for boating and watersports.

White Bear Yacht Club Event Information and Dining Options

The White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood, Minnesota, offers a variety of events and occasions for members to celebrate and enjoy. While specific events may vary from year to year, common events and celebrations at yacht clubs like White Bear Yacht Club may include:

• Sailing Regattas: Yacht clubs often host a series of sailing regattas throughout the season, where members can compete in various boat classes and racing formats.
• Opening Day and Closing Day Celebrations: Many yacht clubs mark the beginning and end of the sailing season with special ceremonies and social gatherings.
• Themed Parties: Clubs may organize themed parties throughout the year, such as costume parties, tropical luau nights, and holiday-themed events.
• Concerts and Entertainment: Enjoy live music performances, outdoor concerts, and other entertainment options that the club may host.
• Junior Sailing and Youth Programs: Clubs typically offer programs and events specifically designed for young sailors and their families, including junior regattas and summer camps.
• Social Mixers: Casual gatherings where members can socialize and network with fellow boating enthusiasts.
• Weddings and Private Events: Yacht clubs often provide event spaces for weddings, corporate functions, and private celebrations with stunning lakeside settings.
• Educational Seminars: Some country clubs host workshops and educational events related to sailing, boat maintenance, and other nautical topics.
• Holiday Celebrations: Special events for holidays such as Independence Day, Labor Day, and other relevant occasions.
• Annual Awards Banquet: A formal event where the club recognizes and honors outstanding achievements in sailing and contributions from members.
• Regatta Parties: Celebrations held in conjunction with major sailing races and regattas, featuring award ceremonies and social gatherings.
• Member’s Birthday Celebrations: Some clubs organize birthday parties for members, to celebrate their special days.

The dining options at the White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood, Minnesota, may vary, but typical options you might find at a yacht club include:

• Fine Dining: Many yacht clubs offer upscale dining options in an elegant and formal setting. These restaurants often feature gourmet cuisine and a carefully curated wine list. Members can enjoy a refined dining experience with lakefront views.
• Casual Dining: Yacht clubs may provide more relaxed dining options, such as a grill, bistro, or pub-style restaurant. Casual dining areas are perfect for members seeking a more laid-back atmosphere and a variety of comfort foods.
• Outdoor Dining: Enjoy the beautiful lakeside scenery with outdoor dining on patios or decks. Outdoor dining areas often offer a more relaxed atmosphere, allowing members to soak in the natural beauty while enjoying their meals.
• Member’s Bar: Many yacht clubs have a dedicated bar area where members can socialize, relax, and enjoy drinks and light fare. It’s a popular spot for post-sailing gatherings and casual meetups.
• Private Dining Rooms: For special occasions and private events, yacht clubs may have private dining rooms available for members to reserve. These spaces provide an intimate setting for celebrations or business meetings.

White Bear Yacht Club Dress Code and Guest Policy

The dress code and guest policy at the White Bear Yacht Club, like those at many private clubs, are typically designed to maintain a certain level of decorum, uphold the club’s traditions, and create a pleasant and respectful atmosphere for all members and guests.

Here are some general guidelines that are often found at private clubs:

Dress Code: The dress code at the White Bear Yacht Club may include the following:

• Appropriate Attire: Members and guests are generally expected to wear attire that is neat, clean, and in good condition.
• Formal Dress: Some areas of the club may require more formal attire, such as collared shirts, slacks, dresses, and appropriate footwear.
• Casual Dress: Other areas, like outdoor dining or casual dining spaces, may permit more relaxed attire, such as shorts and casual shirts.
• Swimwear: Swimwear is typically restricted to pool and beach areas, and cover-ups may be required in indoor areas.
• Hats and Headgear: Some clubs have policies regarding hats and headgear, often requiring the removal of hats when indoors.
• Denim: Some clubs may restrict the use of denim in certain areas, while others allow it as long as it is clean and presentable.

Guest Policy: The guest policy at the White Bear Yacht Club will outline the rules and limitations for inviting non-member guests to the club. Common elements may include:

• Guest Limits: Clubs usually have restrictions on how often and for how many guests a member can extend an invitation.
• Registration: Guests may need to be registered with the club in advance, and there could be a fee associated with hosting guests.
• Sponsorship: A sponsoring member may be required to accompany their guest during the visit.
• Compliance: Guests are typically expected to adhere to the club’s dress code and behavioral expectations.

White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood, Minnesota, represents a cherished haven for those seeking a unique blend of lakeside luxury, nautical adventure, and a strong sense of community. With a rich history dating back to the late 19th century and an enduring commitment to preserving its traditions, this esteemed yacht club offers a wide range of amenities and opportunities for members to enjoy.

From world-class sailing facilities to fine dining and social events, the White Bear Yacht Club continues to be a beacon of leisure and camaraderie on the shores of White Bear Lake. Its timeless appeal and dedication to fostering a close-knit community make it a special place where members can create lasting memories and celebrate the beauty of lake life.

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White Bear Yacht Club

Dellwood ave dellwood, mn 55110 phone: 651-429-5002.

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   Golf Course Information

Description.

White Bear Yacht Club members enjoy a beautiful, Donald Ross-designed golf course ranked 5th in the state by Golf Digest and 61st in Classic Courses in the United States by Golf Week. The course features variations in lie, undulating greens and raw beauty in layout, offering a challenging, yet enjoyable course members never tire of playing. Seasoned members are continuously impressed by the superb course conditions, ability to access the course at their leisure and the exemplary pace of play making the game both enjoyable and convenient.

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Golf Course Info

• Course: 18 Holes
• Course Type: Private
• Architect: Donald Ross
• Opened: 1915
• Head Pro: Tom Skoglund

Golf Course Stats

• Back Tees: 6471 Yards
• Back Slope: 135

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White Bear Yacht Club

White Bear Yacht Club – Played September 2021

• Rankings: None of my four lists
• Location: 56 Dellwood Avenue, Dellwood, Minnesota
• Original Architects: Donald Ross & Willie Watson
• Course Access: Private
• Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available

Score Card Information :

• Blue: 6,471 yards, Par 72, 72.1 Rating/132 Slope
• White: 6,266 yards, Par 72, 71.2 Rating/131 Slope
• Gold: 5,823 yards, Par 72, 69.0 Rating/127 Slope
• Red: 5,658 yards, Par 74, 73.3 Rating/134 Slope

After a wonderful day at Interlachen and Hazeltine, I headed a little bit outside of the metro area to see White Bear Yacht Club.  That might be one of the best golf course names I’ve come across.

Through my burgeoning interest in golf course architecture, I’d heard about White Bear before.  Additionally, as has been the theme so far on this trip, I had a connection through the No Laying Up message board.

I met up with Nick, Nick’s mom, and Tyler to check out this wild golf course.  You’ll see from the photos, but the course heaves and dips over crazy land.

White Bear Yacht Club has a long history dating back before the original nine holes from 1912.  Before the turn of the century the club was founded around sailing.  Since then the club has hosted many tournaments and was the home of 1929 US Amateur winner Jimmy Johnston and head pro Tom Vardon.  You may have heard of his brother Harry.

A fun aside from the club’s history page is that F Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda occupied a room in the clubhouse in 1921.  They were apparently too wild and had to relocate.

Let’s start the show.  The sign below greets you upon your arrival.

White Bear Yacht Club has an excellent logo, showcased here on the intricate hole markers.

All hole yardages are from the blue tees.

Hole 1 – 405 yards – Par 4

It’s no easy start to this round.  The contouring and elevation change punch you in the mouth from the beginning.  I love it.

For all the slopes you get in the fairway, the green is relatively tame.

Hole 2 – 429 yards – Par 4

A big drive can really help you out here.  The fairway slopes to the right, so accurate drives will likely end up on that side.  The approach shot plays to a relatively tame green which is fair due to the length of the hole.

Hole 3 – 133 yards – Par 3

I love quirk in golf courses and this hole is an epitome of that.  Much of the green is obscured by the hill on the right and any left miss is absolutely screwed.  It’s a short shot but you are absolutely nervous to hit it.  Thrilling!

Hole 4 – 552 yards – Par 5

The high heather that is seen straightaway is in play on your tee shot.  Laying back or aiming up the right is imperative.  The characteristic fairway contours continue on this hole.

Hole 5 – 441 yards – Par 4

You don’t often find holes that play over roads, but they are more common on older courses for some reason.  Unleash the driver on this long par four.  The slope on the left side may slow down drives, but that side is best for the approach.  It’s a real cost/benefit decision.

Hole 6 – 152 yards – Par 3

With the downhill grade, I found this hole played much less than the yardage.  Short is also better than long, so that factors in as well.

Hole 7 – 457 yards – Par 5

The length may not scare you on this tee, but the slopes all over and heather down the right should.

Second shots must not be indifferent as there is a big slope in front of the green.  You can have some interesting chips around this putting surface.

Hole 8 – 189 yards – Par 3

Quirk shows up again with three par threes on the front.  Any left misses here leave you with a challenging chip from well below the green.

Hole 9 – 514 yards – Par 5

This might be the quintessential hole at White Bear Yacht Club.  You cannot see the green until you get pretty close.  The fairway contouring is turned up to the maximum, as evidenced by the view in the second shot.  On the approach shot you can be creative playing along the ground or carry the ball all the way to the green.  Choices abound!

Hole 10 – 332 yards – Par 4

Hitting the fairway is a big advantage when playing to this green.  The putting surface is elevated and mostly blind.  To add to the challenge, it is also one of the smaller targets.

Hole 11 – 180 yards – Par 3

Epic, almost comical slope characterizes this green.  If you find yourself in the wrong section, be happy with a three putt!

Hole 12 – 383 yards – Par 4

Back across the road we go.  The view from this tee box is certainly unique. A wide fairway is guarded by bunkers on the right before it gives way to a sunken, obscured green.  Very interesting hole from start to finish.

Hole 13 – 514 yards – Par 5

Not many of the holes at White Bear Yacht Club feel tight from the tee.  This is an example of what “tight” is here.  It’s still pretty generous especially if you treat it as a three shot hole and play for accuracy.

The fairway mounding doesn’t quit out here!

Hole 14 – 336 yards – Par 4

I was told there had been some work on this hole and it had been changed a bit.  The dogleg right did feel a bit out of place.  The tee shot would become easier with multiple plays.

Bunkers guard the green, but I would argue the small size and extreme slope are the bigger challenges.

If I’m being honest, I thought this green was too severe for its size.

Hole 15 – 423 yards – Par 4

As you’ve seen the par fours here can be very difficult.  The 15th is no exception, but if you can hit a drive up the left it shortens this hole a bit.

This look at the second shot can induce some fear.

But upon getting closer you see that the green is open in front and accepting of run up shots.  A good mix of length with accommodating architecture.

Hole 16 – 483 yards – Par 5

It wasn’t apparent what this hole was doing on my first look.  The green sits out in the distance, slightly to the right.  With a hazard to the left, power fades play well here.

My drive left me with no view of the green and relying on my host for direction.  He did a good job!

Short grass surrounds the green and can make for some awkward chips.  For a short par five, it’s pretty devilish.

Hole 17 – 205 yards – Par 3

The final par three takes you on a straightforward journey.  Can you you hit a longer shot to a bigger green while avoiding the bunker?  No crazy slopes or elevation change here.

Hole 18 – 343 yards – Par 4

The finishing hole evokes Ireland with a blind tee shot marked by a “white bear” aiming rock.  Driver is not needed and arguably not advised as a comfortable wedge yardage for the approach is paramount.

A good drive puts you in attack mode with a short club.

My day at White Bear Yacht Club was phenomenal.  First, the company was top notch.  On a long solo trip, I was grateful for the open arms of my No Laying Up friends.  Second, the course spoke to me in a way not many do.  So much quirk and interesting architecture.  The membership has something special here.  What a day!

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White Bear Yacht Club

The fact that the White Bear Yacht Club is “recognized as the only Minnesota Golf Course in the top 150 Golf Courses in the world!” says it all. Opened in 1920, the course was designed by William Watson and Donald Ross.

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On this page, you’ll find the official shortlist all the nightclubs in Moscow . (More in-depth further below). And, each with why its best to go.

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