Cragun's Golf Resort, Minnesota

Nestled along the banks of Gull Lake, Cragun's Golf Resort features two Robert Trent-Jones designed courses, plus a 9 hole par-3 course.

Just outside of Brainerd, Minnesota, this was our first Harvest Host stop. We arrived on a Friday, amidst a several day long club tournament, so the 18-hole courses were booked for the weekend. We were still thrilled to get to play the 9 hole par-3 course before we left.

The courses were all exquisite - immaculately kept, wonderfully green and perfectly manicured. Mature trees lined the rolling fairways, but the greens were no where near as good as our home course in Livingston.

The par-3 course is reversible, meaning it has 18 tee boxes and nine greens, and they switch the direction every other day - clockwise/counterclockwise. This was something new for us - we'd never seen that. As far as par-3 courses go, this was top of the line and challenging enough. Number 9 had an elevated tee box, playing down to a donut green with a sand trap in the center.

It was a pretty chilly morning, but as far as the golf goes, we all loved it!