Course Review: Francis Gross Golf Course

September 3, 2008

In the heart of Northeast Minneapolis, Francis Gross Golf Course, also known as Gross National Golf Club, has been a fixture since 1925. Conveniently located just off of Interstate 35W, it is easy to get to and easy to play.

Like many urban courses, it is landlocked and what it lacks in length, needs to be made up by adding traps, water and trees. The scorecard says the course is 6574 yards, but since many holes didn’t even have the blues tees marked, it really plays from 6348 yards. Yet, for an average golfer, this length is perfect with a couple of 500+ yard par 5s and a couple of 180+ yard par 3s. Just enough length to goad you into trying to hit your irons too far.

As to interest, Gross really doesn’t do as great a job. Yes, the course has mature trees and some sand bunkers and almost every hole provides the golfer a safe landing area. The course also limits the number of “lost ball” hazards like unruly rough and open water, but there is a sense of sameness to the layout with a lot of the par 4s with similar lengths and design.

A strength of this course is that it understands what hacker’s need on-course: bathrooms, benches and frequent visits from the food cart. Each hole had a ball washer and a bench, even for the ladies tees, and about every third hole, a bathroom. Even more amazing, the cart person was there every third hole like clockwork. Inside the clubhouse, they have the standard food offerings, but you can order sandwiches to go and they are ready in short order.

Francis Gross reflects its working class roots so don’t expect fancy trappings on or off the course. You’ll probably notice that the course needs a bit of tending and if it is dry, your ball will roll for miles. Yet, what they save on maintenance is reflected in the prices. Gross is one of the best overall values in the Twin Cities and even the food is at working class prices with a hot dog only $2.50 and made-to-order sandwiches for only $3.75.

Francis Gross Golf Course
Minneapolis, Minnesota
612-789-2542

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

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