THREAD:
I'm "feeling Minnesota" today so here comes a thread on what many consider to be the finest course in MN- @Northland_CC an inirational Donald Ross classic that dates back to 1899. It has a fairly incredile story.

"What is a Duluth?" you may be asking.
Duluth is the 3rd largest city in MN. It is the final westward port that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. So Duluth has a busy port, drugs, prostituition and great college hockey. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? Duluth.

Because it was (kind of) an important town at the turn of the 20th Century, barnstorming course architect Donald Ross was hired to design the course.

Some 100 years after Ross builds the course, I'm in the parking lot of @TCC_CLUB in St. Paul with the Vork brothers and meet their buddy @chrisolsethpga, another former T&C bag room legend, who is now the head pro @Northland_CC (Chris on right, sizing up Lee Trevino's b.s.)

@chrisolsethpga was a Duluth native and would not stop talking about Northland. One year, Ole came back from a NCC visit with a Taylormade Burner Plus (with the green true temper EI-70 shaft) a gift from UM- Duluth hockey star Brett Hull.

The Super Bowl of Duluth golf is the Northland Invitational. Nobody- not John Harris, not Tim Herron- nobody dominated the Invitational more than Leo Spooner, winner of 10 Invitationals between 1956-84.
(Spooner playing from bunker.)

Another piece of history from Northland: Ann Gregory became the first black woman to play in a @USGA championship at Northland in 1956.

Back to Leo Spooner: he was such a menace of a player, they named the 4-ball Championship after him.
The Leo Spooner is a fall classic that draws an elite field of players, including generations of Herrons, like @PGALumpy & son.

(Rory McIlroy in center for scale.)

Is the coursde any good? No, it's incredible. The infinity of Lake Superior in the distance is awe inspiring. You can almost hear Gordon Lightfoot if you listen closely.

It's a par 71 at 6800 yards and it's f@&king HARD.

One trip in 2007 with @apwheeler33, @JoeBianchi15 & @ChadHartmanShow. Windy day I'll forever remember for 2 things:
1. Joe's 2-iron on #12 (2 feet from 210 yds. into wind.)
2. @ChadHartmanShow INSISTED we listened to the @Twins game the whole way home...game was a blowout.