Lehman 18 Makes Grand Debut After Extensive Renovation

Renovation of Dutch Red Nine Currently Underway

By Brian Weis

Brainerd, MN (July 24, 2023) - Following a multi-million-dollar renovation by Minnesota native and PGA professional golfer Tom Lehman, the Lehman 18 made its grand debut today at Cragun's Resort with an official teeing off ceremony.

Lehman was serenaded on the first tee by the University of Minnesota Band Alumni, Cragun's Resort owner Dutch Cragun, Eric Peterson, General Manager, Jack Wawro, Director of Golf, and Matt McKinnon, Director of Golf Course Maintenance. Tee off footage on this link.

"Having grown up 90 minutes from here, it's great to return to be a part of this resort's golf legacy," said Lehman, a Minnesota native who attended the University of Minnesota.

Open for its first full golf season, the course layout moves perfectly through a 1000-acre wooded sanctuary working its way around Stephens Lake and through many of the other natural wetlands, a true Minnesota backdrop. Dramatic strategic and aesthetic changes occurred on every hole, with lake and forest views in abundance throughout.

Lehman cited the demanding, 627-yard par 5 fourth hole among his favorites, with the summer's prevailing wind almost always at the golfer's back, allowing the chance to think about getting home in two shots and a chance at eagle. Avoiding a trio of fairway bunkers guarding the right side of the fairway is key off the tee, he explained. The green is protected by a massive bunker in front that will need to be avoided.

On the back nine, from the 16th hole through the close, spectacular views of the lake beckon at every hole.

The Dutch Course, which annually hosts the PGA TOUR Canada's CRMC Championship presented by Gertens, debuted its renovated Blue Nine earlier this summer. The Championship layout (Blue and White Nines) stretches to 7001 yards and plays to par 70. The Red Nine is currently closed for renovation by Lehman Design Group and will reopen in 2024.

Cragun's Resort is located on beautiful Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minnesota, 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 or to reserve a tee time, access the website at www.craguns.com.

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Revised: 07/25/2023 - Article Viewed 2,107 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.