Cragun's Resort in Brainerd Unveils The Dutch Red Nine

In 1955, Dutch Cragun graduated from the University of Minnesota. He called his father and asked if he could make a living running the family's small fishing resort on the shores of Gull Lake in the heart of the Brainerd lakes region. His dad said, "Hell no." Nevertheless, Dutch headed north and began a legendary process of renovation, acquisition, and expansion.

By 1997, he'd acquired enough land to solicit bids on a championship golf course from two of the biggest names in golf course design at the time: Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and Rees Jones. The two famously combative brothers were set for a showdown on Gull Lake when Rees pulled out and RTJ, Jr., traveled all the way from Siberia to survey the property.

In 1998, Cragun's Legacy Course opened. In 2000, Jones added a third nine. In 2020, Dutch wanted to expand further - the resort comprises over 1,000 acres today, after all. He asked three course architects to submit plans. Former (British) Open Champion and Minnesota native Tom Lehman came to town to watch his son compete in the Minnesota State Amateur. The then-86-year-old Dutch approached the fellow University of Minnesota grad and asked if his firm might be interested in submitting a plan. Within two months, Lehman's firm had a plan, and after two days of talking, Lehman was "all in" - not just for the new course, but also for a radical redesign of the original 27 holes.

In 2023, The Lehman 18 and The Dutch 18-the Dutch White and Dutch Blue Nines-were put fully into play. Just this year (2025), a radical facelift of the final 9, The Dutch Red, was completed-and just like that, the "Dutch 18" is the "Dutch 27." Equally as newsworthy, Dutch Cragun sold Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake in April to the local consortium Leisure Hotels & Resorts. With an influx of new capital, and an energetic, visionary quartet of new owners, the classic family and golf resort is positioned to reign over the Brainerd Lakes area.

The Dutch Blue, Red, and White

Unlike the orbital Lehman 18, all three nines on the Dutch 27 are walkable. The Red-White combination is scheduled to host the CRMC Championship, a prestigious PGA Tour Americas event, for the next three years. According to Eric Martin, Head Golf Professional at Cragun's, "We're working to host a Korn Ferry Tour event, eventually."

All possible combinations of nines play just over 7,000 yards from the championship tees, and for the CRMC, they can be stretched out a bit more. The hope is that one tee box for the tournament will actually play from the patio of the clubhouse. "We're waiting on final Tour approval of that," says Martin. "It'll be so cool if it goes through." The 2025 CRMC Championship (August 24-31) will be played over the Red-White combination (par 71), putting the just-opened Red Nine to the test. "We're excited to see how the pros play it," says Martin. "There are some great risk-reward holes out here."

It's rare for a golf resort - and at Cragun's, the golf is front and center, even though the fishing and watersports are outstanding, along with a host of family recreation options - to have 45 holes that are essentially by one designer but with such different feels. Whereas the Lehman 18 has revetted bunkers, the Dutch 27 has sprawling, natural-looking bunkers with thick fescue "eyelashes." As the starter warns at the first tee, players should keep their eye on all balls heading toward bunkers, as they can disappear in the blink of a human eyelash; you'd rather your ball gets into the pristine white Ohio sand. And if you do find your ball in those eyelashes, your best bet is to just wedge it out. Trust me.

The large-scale renovation of all 27 holes, though, was geared towards, "making the course more playable," according to Lehman. "We focused on creating width," he stressed, "There were a lot of places where a mishit would make the next shot unplayable." Increasing playability required removing a large number of trees, as well as removing bunkers from areas 180 yards out and to the right of the tees. "Who were those bunkers meant to punish?" asked Lehman. "Average players. Golf is hard enough without punishing the people you want to enjoy the course the most."

The Dutch Red (par 36) is "much more playable" than the Dutch White or Blue, according to Martin, with whom I played a recent round on the Blue-Red combo. Because I'm a contrarian at heart, I score several strokes better on the Blue than on the Red, however. Whereas the Blue course plays around Stephen's Lake, as does the Lehman 18, the Red-White combo offers players who can only play 18 holes the best chance at scoring. Martin reports how multiple Cragun's members who have been somewhat brow-beaten by the Lehman 18 come in the next day to report shooting their "best score ever" on the Red-White combo. So it will indeed be interesting to see how low the pros can go.

After getting off to a gentle start, the Dutch Red Nine presents players with a drivable par 4 at the 4^th Hole, with deep, ravenous bunkers well short of the green. Any mis-hit off the tee will likely leave you with a 60-yard bunker shot to an elevated green.

The 620-yard par-5 8^th Hole will be a real test for the pros. Not only is it long, but the green complex is devilish - small and elevated, with a rocky waterfall hazard to the right. Anyone who goes for this green in two shots had better have exquisite control over their fairway woods or hybrids. I know it can be done - I watched Head Pro Martin do it (from the blue tees, not the tips-still impressive!) - but playing for PGA Tour Americas money...we'll see.

Perhaps the most memorable hole on the Dutch Red is the teeny, tiny 118-yard 9^th, with its 40-foot elevation drop from tee to green, its crescent-shaped teeing ground that alters the angle of play radically from day to day, and its tiered green that falls away behind into a pond. Personally, if I were on a golf trip, I'd schedule my rounds to end on this hole, where the group can finish with an epic closest-to-the-pin competition for all the money and bragging rights.

The pros, however, will close on the Dutch White, which crescendos with a lovely, reachable par-5 with a green partially fronted by a serene pond and framed by the ruggedly handsome Legends clubhouse.

All rates on the Dutch 27 and Lehman 18, which can run as low as $60 to as high as nearly $200 depending on time and various discount deals, include GPS-equipped cart and range balls. There are always beverage carts circulating, and the patio at the Legends clubhouse bar and grill is the perfect place to enjoy a house cocktail and lunch or dinner as you watch players come in.

Cragun's Resort

In Legends, the wraps or the wings are excellent choices for a post-round snack. If you hanker for something more upscale, head over to the main resort buildings to Irma's Kitchen, where Northwoods ingredients meet gourmet preparation. The seared duck breast was spectacular, and the view from the outdoor deck over the lake serene.

Behind the main lodge is a large marina, with pontoons and other flavors of floating fun available for rentals. The fishing on Gull Lake is, according to local sources, the best in the area, with its almost labyrinthine collection of bays and inlets. Book the dinner cruise for both the delectable prime rib and a luxurious tour of the lake.

For some family-friendly golf fun, the Nice9 course is a 9-hole par-3 course that is reversible, playing clockwise one week and counter-clockwise the next. It's actually a very nice challenge for all skill levels, with a few holes that are definitely not pushovers, and "some of the best greens on the property," according to Head Pro Martin. Pro tip: If you purchase the Rec Pass during your stay, it includes unlimited walking and play on the Nice9 - I mean, drop the kids off in the morning and pick them up at dusk!

Golfers and families alike are recommended to consider renting one of the several entirely renovated houses on property. These have multiple bedrooms and baths, generous kitchens and common areas, and former garages renovated into poker and poll rooms. I can imagine a boys' trip with golf, fishing, pool, and poker on the docket during a winner-take-all battle royale long weekend. The new ownership team will be focusing their efforts on updating the lodge and cabins on the property as well. As Martin points out, "The golf courses are in fantastic shape now, aside from some cosmetics like signage. So the first priority is updating the accommodations."

In short, Cragun's Resort offers a veritable cornucopia of Northwoods activities year-round (ice-fishing and cross-country skiing, anyone?). For those really looking to exploit the area's under-rated and oft-overlooked northern Minnesota golf courses, The Gravel Pit short course is across the street, and Madden's at Gull Lake's The Classic are highly recommended, along with several other area gems. Cragun's alone does between 50,000 - 60,000 rounds per season, so demand in the entire area for quality golf is enormous.

Residents of and visitors to the Brainerd lakes region can be awfully glad Dutch Cragun didn't listen to his father when he came north to take over the family resort. Tom Lehman calls Dutch "a Minnesota treasure," and what he's built at his namesake resort is priceless. Fortunately for us, and for the world of golf, he's shared his bounty with the rest of us, and under new ownership, his legend and legacy will thrive for decades to come.