Course Review: Logger’s Trail Golf Course

August 14, 2008

A visit to Logger’s Trail Golf Course in Stillwater, Minnesota is like a step into the country. Only thirty minutes from downtown St. Paul, it is surrounded by hobby and horse farms and feels more like a course that might be a few hours North. Upon arrival, seeing the links style layout may fool you because it has tight fairways and narrow greens, making this course harder than it looks.

You might think that 6,383 yards is a short course , but spend a little time on it and you’ll know that if you can’t control your ball, it will feel 500 yards longer. The lack of trees may also fool a golfer into thinking that they can spray their tee shots with impunity, but they would be sorely mistaken. Compensating for a lack of natural hazards, the course designers have added numerous strategic bunkers and berms to thwart off-target drives.

The berms are a unique feature, but hitting into them leaves your ball in dry and weedy areas, making a recovery shots quite a challenge. Also, hitting out of them makes for blind shots and difficulty assessing distance. The on-course signage is very limited with yardage markers just large discs embedded in the course so expect some searching to determine what club to pull out next.

Playability and challenge are this facility’s strengths, but as any hacker knows, there is more to an enjoyable golfing experience than just the course itself and that is where Logger’s Trail seems to fall down. The facility’s layout is very compact and tightly organized, with only a short walk from the parking lot to the first tee, yet the practice facilities are small and the clubhouse is just a converted trailer.

If you choose to play cart golf, the paths are excellent and nicely integrated into the course. If you are a walker, this course is compact enough that you won’t be exhausted by the end of your round. Before your round though, be warned that the practice putting green is only postage stamp sized and the driving range requires most golfers to hit over water (we know what hitting over water does for our nerves). Also, food offerings and the pro shop are very limited so stock up before you head out to the first tee.

If you are looking for challenging golf, Logger’s Trail is a stiff test. If you are looking forward to the 19th hole after your round, the clubhouse doesn’t do the course justice.

Logger’s Trail Golf Course
651-439-7862
www.sawmillgc.com

Excerpt from Hacker’s Guide to Twin Cities Golf (c) 2008-2009
www.hackersguides.com

Bookmark This Post: