by Kevin
Turnquist
Braemar Golf Course is everything
you’d expect of a course run by the City of Edina. Upscale. Beautiful. Large.
Orderly. Maybe a little too orderly. More properly termed a golfing complex
than a golf course, Braemar includes 27 regulation holes (the Castle, Hays, and Clunie
nines), a nine-hole executive course, a driving range, a golf dome and three practice
greens. The setting is picturesque with rolling hills, abundant water, and mature
hardwoods. During autumn’s full colors this course can be truly spectacular.Keep it straight
The regulation nines are challenging but fair. Yardage from the white tees ranges from
6026 to 6410, depending on which nines you play. Landing areas are usually generously
sized, so the driver gets a lot of action. Braemar rewards the golfer who stays on the
fairway. One can usually play from tee to green without encountering significant
obstacles, as long as you’re straight. Rebels who seek their own path to the green
are harshly dealt with however. Water can come into play on 21 of these holes. Large traps
protect the greens if you approach from the rough. While the fairways are relatively flat,
they’re often lined with more rolling terrain.
A bit o’ Swiss
The course is in superb shape, with the conditions of the tees,
fairways, and greens more typical of a good private course than public links. Yardages are
well marked. Paths from green to tee are clearly signed. Rangers are omnipresent and
really try to ensure that everything runs on schedule--one even offered to help locate one
of our stray orbs. Playing Braemar feels a bit like being in Switzerland. Everything is
beautiful and organized, but you feel a little worried about what would happen if you
didn’t follow instructions. Even with the abundant supervision, though, our round
took about four hours and 45 minutes.
Dress sensibly
Edina (Every Day I Need Attention) residents can purchase a patron card which allows
them to make tee times up to five days in advance. Non-locals can only call a day in
advance, so it’s pretty hard to get weekend morning times. Rates are reasonable at
$21 weekends for non-residents. A nicely appointed clubhouse serves 3.2 beer and decent
enough food, but isn’t the sort of place that invites lingering. Shirts are required
but collars are not. It turned out that wearing Kelley green or madras plaid, while
certainly very common, was not actually a requirement.
Braemar,on balance, is truly a gem among Minnesota’s public
courses. Highly recommended
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