Giants Ridge's The Quarry Achieves Lofty Rankings from Several National Golf Outlets By Brian Weis

Giants Ridge's The Quarry Achieves Lofty Rankings from Several National Golf Outlets

Splendid Jeff Brauer Design Ranks in the Top-10 of Value Golf Courses by GOLF Magazine; Finishes in the Top-40 Among Top Public Courses by MyGolfSpy and Golf Digest

By Brian Weis

Giants Ridge - Minnesota's premier golf destination set in the rugged beauty of the Mesabi Iron Range - celebrates three impressive public course rankings its The Quarry golf course received from several prominent golf outlets.

The Quarry maintained its top-35 showing in Golf Digest's latest biennial list of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses rankings, as it finished 35th. Designed by noted course architect Jeff Brauer, the aptly-named The Quarry is built on the site of a former sand quarry and iron ore mine, and was the only course in Minnesota listed among the top-60 in Golf Digest's latest list.

Dramatically raised tees and hazards forged from reclaimed and repurposed mine land set The Quarry apart from other courses and provide dramatic Iron Range vistas. According to Golf Digest, The Quarry's "very inventive design also demands some aerial play, too."

MyGolfSpy, a leading golf website focusing on unbiased equipment, golf course and accessory reviews, ranked The Quarry 18th on its Top 50 Public Courses in the U.S. list. More than 300,000 visitors to the website offered reviews of the nation's top public courses, and MyGolfSpy enlisted the help of TheGrint, a golf handicap and stat-tracking service, in compiling these rankings.

The Quarry also ranked high in GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S. rankings, as it finished ninth. The rankings highlighted the best courses golfers can play for $150 or less, and were rated by the publication's 97 handpicked panelists from around the world who have a keen eye for architecture, both regionally and globally. The panelists noted about Giants Ridge, "Add a pinch of Pine Valley vibe with a splash of Irish links magic on top of a former sand, gravel and iron ore mining site and you get The Quarry at Giants Ridge."

"We appreciate the recognition from these respected media outlets and industry insiders, as their readers and constituents know their golf inside and out," says Director of Golf John Kendall. "These prestigious honors represent our commitment to providing our guests with an extraordinary golf experience."

The year 2021 was a banner one for Giants Ridge and its layouts. Both The Quarry and Giants Ridge's other course, The Legend, finished in the top-10 of Golfweek's annual "Best: State-By-State Courses You Can Play" rankings, with The Quarry notching the top spot as the best public course in Minnesota for the seventh consecutive year. An easy drive from the Twin Cities, Giants Ridge was the only resort in Minnesota to boast multiple courses in these rankings.

GOLF Magazine also ranked The Quarry 68th in its Top 100 Courses You Can Play rankings, and Golf Digest bestowed its highly coveted "Editor's Choice Award" in the Best Golf Resorts in the Midwest Category to Giants Ridge. Celebrating the "best of the best" golf destinations, Giants Ridge was one of only eight resorts listed in the Midwest and the only destination in Minnesota.

More Information »

Revised: 12/21/2021 - Article Viewed 7,837 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.