The original mission of Superior National at Lutsen golf course, according to consultant John Wait of Sirius Golf Advisors, was “to bring new tourists to the area,” and that mission is back in full swing. On May 15, county commissioners Bruce Martinson, Fritz Sobanja, and Sue Hakes, County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers, members of the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) Golf Course Committee, and golf course staff met to talk about renovations planned for the golf course.
A little over half the cost of the renovations—$3.1 million— will come from the county’s 1 percent recreational and infrastructure sales tax.
“For this golf course to survive,” Wait said, “it requires tourism. …It is a tourism course.” More visitors to Superior National will benefit local businesses and bring in more tax revenue for the county, he said.
Wait gave a PowerPoint presentation that said, “Golfers, when they travel, are looking for resort-caliber golf courses.” Comparing Superior National’s current condition to a resort-caliber course, said Wait, is like comparing a Target store with Neiman Marcus. People golfing at Superior National are not looking for Target, he said, they’re looking for Neiman Marcus.
“We can only do so much with operational changes and marketing,” said Wait. “The course was not built to the standards it needed at the time it was built.”
The staff does a good job with what it has to work with, Wait said. Superior National’s infrastructure needs to be improved. He compared photos of Superior National with photos of Giants Ridge in Biwabik, which is publicly owned and “resort-caliber.” The bunkers at Giants Ridge have clean white sand, he said, while the bunkers at Superior National “look like dirt.” The greens at Giants Ridge are clearly visible and distinct from the course around them. In some spots at Superior National, Wait said, “you can’t even see the green.” The fairways at Superior National have brown bare patches and bumps.
That is not the end of the story, however. Wait believes the land on which Superior national lies is “far superior” to the land at Giants Ridge, with its views of three distinctive natural features: a whitewater river (the Poplar River), the Sawtooth Mountains, and Lake Superior. Superior National looks like “a low-end muni that has been plopped onto the best scenery imaginable,” he said. Putting “Giants Ridge quality” on this piece of land will make it “the best public golf course in Minnesota,” he said.
The architect’s plans
Golf course architect Jeff Brauer of Golfscapes went over his plans for the course. Any golf course wears out after 20 or 30 years, he said, and Superior National has reached that age. The financial parameters of the project will still leave it short of being a professional tournament caliber course. “There’s not a lot of room in this design for someone who’s going to go to Augusta and play in the Nationals,” he said.
The plan calls for a “nearly total rebuild” of the nine-hole River and Canyon courses. “We will update Mountain the very best we can,” said Brauer, and it will be “in good playable condition.” The plan is to charge less for the nine-hole Mountain course and using that in their marketing strategy.
The course will be more interesting to play as well, said Brauer. “We’re talking about building it right so it will last long,” he said. “I’m more excited now than when we started.”
This design is not as long or as large as the 36-hole course Wait had proposed, which would involve the complexity of obtaining more land, but according to Wait the quality will be as high while the course will simply be more compact.
The cost of the first phase of renovations—changes to the River course—were estimated at $3.1 million, said Brauer, but they now think it will be closer to $2.9 million.
Other considerations
Regarding any concerns about the Poplar River that runs through the course, committee member Jim King said, “We’re not changing anything that will affect the Poplar River.”
With ponds and wetlands built into the project, said General Manager Bob Fenwick, “we will have a positive impact on the environment around the river.”
Commissioner Hakes asked about the possibility of increased maintenance costs with the new design. Brauer said with the fairways widened, the course might grow by 10 acres, which would cost about $5,000 per acre each year to maintain. A better course will bring in more money, however, he said.
“Our maintenance budget at this course is pathetic,” said Wait. “It is way, way under what it needs to be.”
Other potential sources of revenue include grants. Fenwick said he hoped the Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association would continue its historic support for the course with a $500,000 loan. He also hoped they could bond for more financing.
“My golly,” said Wait, “if we can fix those problems, what a course we will have. In my opinion, it’s a phenomenal piece of property.”
The new design includes:
. Par 12 in any
combination
of nine holes;
. Deeper tee-off areas and
shorter tee-offs on some
holes;
. Wider play corridors;
. More irrigation and
better drainage;
. Raising up some low
areas;
. Better turf;
. Liners under the sand
traps and better sand;
. A cart path the whole
way around.
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