FINAL NINE HOLES OF THE DUTCH 27 UNDERGO RENOVATION By Brian Weis

FINAL NINE HOLES OF THE DUTCH 27 UNDERGO RENOVATION

Lehman Design Group Transforming Red Nine

By Brian Weis

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 3, 2023) - The last phase of the multi-million-dollar golf course investment at Cragun's Resort is underway as Lehman Design Group has begun the renovation of the Red Nine on the Dutch Course. When completed in time for the 2024 golf season, the "Dutch 27" will feature three, fully renovated nine-hole layouts - Red, White, & Blue - and golfers once again will have three different 18-hole combinations to play.

Over the past year, the other 18 holes of the Dutch were enhanced by the addition of white sand to all bunkers and newly paved cart paths. The Red Nine construction will not affect play for the remainder of this season.

Highlights of the Red Nine renovation include new tee boxes, grass fairway bunkers, greenside bunker placement and shaping, and fairway lines. On the 8th hole, the fairway has been lowered to offer a better visual from tee to green, while on the 9th hole, a stadium tee has been created for all tees.

"Every hole will be touched in some way and ultimately changed dramatically from its original look," said Minnesota native Tom Lehman, President and Designer of Lehman Design Group and longtime PGA Tour professional who captured the 1996 Open Championship. "We are very excited about this renovation of the Red Nine as it will nicely complement the other 18 holes on the Dutch course."

This season, golfers at Cragun's Resort are playing the Dutch Course Blue/White combination, which is the same layout used by PGA TOUR Canada's CRMC Championship presented by Gertens, contested over Labor Day weekend. From the championship tees, the pros play the course at par 70, stretching to 7,001 yards.

Golfers still have access to the nine-hole Par 3 Course, ideal for short-iron practice or to introduce a beginner to the game of golf. Instruction at the Chris Foley Golf School and other seasonal programming also is available.

All green fees include golf cart, GPS, and driving range privileges. Walking is allowed on the Par 3 Course and pull carts are available. Rates vary seasonally and resort overnight guests are afforded special green fees.

Cragun's Resort is located on beautiful Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minn., and offers a wide array of outdoor activities for individuals, families, and groups, including a mile-long sandy beach, biking, hiking trails, and watersports.

For additional information, access the website at www.craguns.com.

Revised: 08/03/2023 - Article Viewed 1,935 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.