What You Need To Know: Cragun's Legacy Courses By Brian Weis

What You Need To Know: Cragun's Legacy Courses

An Insightful Interview With Logan Jackson, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Logan Jackson who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Cragun's Legacy Courses is a 45-hole resort golf complex recently redesigned by Tom Lehman, and located in the Brainerd lakes area. The facility offers two championship golf courses and plays host to the PGA Tour Canada's CRMC Championship. The course offers TFM GPS equipped EZ-Go golf cars and a Golf Digest awarded The Legacy with a "five star rating" in 2008. The course is the only Audubon International Signature Sanctuary in Minnesota and the second resort course in the world with such designation. Cragun's Legacy was also named Midwest's #1 Golf Course of the Year by the Midwest Golf Course Owner's Association and its Dutch Legacy course was ranked 18th best in Minnesota by Golf Digest in 2005.The facility welcomes resort guests from around the world as well as corporate, member, MGA, MNPGA, PGA Tour, and charitable golf tournaments throughout the season.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
When coming to the Brainerd area, the options for golf are nearly endless, but there is no better place to play then with us at Cragun's Legacy. Encompassed in one property is 36 brand new holes of championship golf that plays host to a PGA Tour Canada event, with 9 more to come. Yet it doesn't end there, the facility also offers a full practice facility and reversible par 3 course that also offers foot golf. From beginner to tour player, our facility really features something for everyone.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
When it comes to local knowledge there is nothing more important than favoring the front of the greens on the Lehman course, the backs of the greens have quick and aggressive run off and can lead to your ball disappearing quickly. With tight collars and forgiving slopes a player is able to putt and get up and down from many locations, pin high or short of pin high.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
At Cragun's Legacy, the entire facility has been renovated, improved and changed. All holes in the original 36 hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. design have been rerouted and 9 new holes are in the process of being added, to create 45 great holes of championship golf. The renovation features beautiful Ohio white sand bunkers, scenic lakeside views, challenging approaches, and an all around golf experience enjoyable by all skill levels.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
With the redesign, there is so much to be proud of with our facility, but I think the piece that brought the most pride was getting to host the PGA Tour Canada this last August. To see these great players and all that goes into the event be held on 18 of our best holes, not only showcased the new product we had to offer, but also all our great area has as well.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
When it comes to most talked about holes, its hard to pick just one, but many remember the 9th of the red course. It is short down hill par 3 that comes right into the club house. It is a perfect setting to double down a bet, or change the whole outcome of a round.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole in the new rotation would have to be the 18th hole of the Dutch course, it is a very reachable par 5 playing only 531 yards from the back tee. The tee shot brings 2 large, high lipped fairway bunkers into play and takes any chance of getting to the green out of play if your ball lands in one. If you manage to correctly place our shot, the approach from the fairway is no cake walk either. The green is narrow with lots of slope back to front, defended by a large pond on the right and pot bunker left. If this isn't intimidating enough the club house and patio are directly behind and often house a large crowd for your finishing putt. All these pressures along with its signature beauty make Dutch #18 my favorite hole.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Although basic, the most popular dish and drink after or even during the round is our out bar burger and any beer special. If this is to basic, many do come in and order off the full restaurant menu and there really isn't an item you can go wrong with. Although many favor our Chef's specialty dish named after his home town, the Philly paired with any of our many signature drinks.

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
For the traveling golfer, there is no better place to stay then with us at Cragun's Resort. Our facility features homes right on the golf course, lake side or in our hotel for groups of all sizes. Staying at Cragun's resort also opens the opportunity for discounted greens fees or even a package that can include golf all over the area.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
With the course being so new, course records are still to be obtained and we welcome all to come try their luck at trying to be the first low score on either the Dutch or the Lehman course.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7491
Slope: 138
Rating: 76.4

More Information
Cragun's Legacy Courses 11497 East Gull Lake Drive East Gull Lake , MN, 56401 218-825-2789

www.craguns.com

Revised: 02/06/2023 - Article Viewed 2,041 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.