MN National Golf Club

Overall Score: 4.2/5

Golf Course: 4/5

Clubhouse: 4/5

Staff: 5/5

Camping Facilities/Amenities: 3.5/5

Food Score: 4.5/5

Full Photo Album

Trip Overview:

I arrived on Friday, August 26th and left on Sunday, August 28th. I stayed at the RV park on the club property, and I did golf a round on Saturday.

Trip Purpose:

Rest, relax, recharge, and work in a new place that combines two of my favorite things: golf and adventure photography.

Facility Highlights:

MN National Golf Club and Resort boasts beautiful views of the Minnesota landscape, delicious food, RV park and condo-style lodging to round out your stay and play adventure. They host a 27-hole course facility (18-hole Championship course and a 9-hole Savanna course) with 5 tees per hole to allow a great experience that is personalized to your skill level. They offer beautiful golf, quality pro-shop (priced very fairly from my personal experience), tap and grill for good food that isn’t just awesome golf course hotdogs (more on that in a minute), and even stay and play packages you can enjoy.

Additionally, they do offer a wide variety of business services for corporate meetings, retreats, and the like, with somewhat personalized menu options for your meetings. I did not have a meeting here… yet, but I can tell you from talking to one of the chefs, you are unlikely to be disappointed by the experience your business function would have at this facility.

The Pros:

From the moment I arrived (unannounced as a blogger/reviewer by the way), I did not meet a single staff member who wasn’t friendly, caring, accommodating and ready to help me get where I needed to go and find all the things I needed to make my stay as comfortable as possible.

It was clear from arriving on this property and driving up the long driveway alongside the 9th green of the Savanna course towards the clubhouse, that this beautifully secluded property was well maintained and cared for with great attention to detail.

The clubhouse is warm and welcoming with a beautiful, woodsy design scheme that made you feel as though you were in a cabin in the Aspen mountains, but with clear and careful attention to comfort and detail. The lobby, restaurant, and pro shop levels of the clubhouse were filled with amazing woodwork, vaulted ceilings, and a ton of Minnesota wildlife decorations (many of which you can see from time to time on the course). The beautiful floor-to-vaulted-ceiling fireplace was breathtaking and allowed for some privacy separation between the restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, and lobby area.

The food (that I tried) was… delicious. That really doesn’t do justice to what went in my mouth. For lunch on Saturday, I ate the Smokedstacker Club Sandwich. I need to pause for a minute, because my mouth is watering all over again and I do not want to drool on my laptop. I know, you say to me, “…come on, it’s a friggin club sandwich. It can’t be that good. So plain and normal.” NO. This was no ordinary club, and you are missing out every day you don’t try it. Let me explain. This club comes with smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, for sure, the standards. Then, just to take your mouth on an adventure it wasn’t anticipating, they cherry-wood smoke their bacon. Yep, a little less common, but still common I get it. Then, just as you bite into this club you think can’t anything better than what a club should be, the cranberry aioli hits your tongue and greets you with a very pleasant slightly sweet twist you were not ready for. Combine all those flavors in between two slices of cranberry wild rice bread and your whole face turns a corner, and you are no longer on steady, safe, standard paved road of the club sandwich. Nope. You in fact are now romping almost blissfully through a tasty pasture of sweet and salty flavors reminiscent of what you saw Melissa Gilbert’s character do in the opening credits from the old show Little House on the Prairie. There are a number of great choices on the menu that will make ordering this a tough choice, at least it was for me, but trust me, it is worth the risk of missing out on other things to get this sandwich.

The facilities are clean and well kept. The bathroom and shower area were kept in such a standard that never felt anything less than clean and sanitary. The RV Park was well laid out and my spot (e33) was quiet, secluded, and right off the driving range (I was well protected by a net and a tree line though, so don’t fear). They did have electricity and sewer for the RVs and the lay out was small enough to keep it quiet and intimate, but large enough to hold over 40 RVs.

The Cons:

Knowing full well that no property is perfect and without flaw or need for improvement (and also knowing that my opinion is my opinion and others may have different standards or expectations, I struggled to find cons. However, there are a couple of things that, if you are bringing your family or friends to the RV park that could be improved for future stays (or at least things you should know about to be prepared for your adventure here).

First, the showers. If you, like me, do not have bathroom facilities in your camper, you should know that the shower access is only inside the clubhouse and therefore only open during business hours. That means that between 8pm and 6am on weekends, and 8pm and 7am on weekdays (during the season anyway), you will not have access to showers or inside bathroom facilities. They do have several portable toilets throughout the RV park, so you aren’t left painfully holding in your needs all night, but as far as a shower goes, you will have to shower during business hours in the restrooms right next to the pro shop while golfers are coming in and out, which can be uncomfortable for some people.

Second, the Wi-Fi. Something I hate complaining about as it truly is a convenience complaint and not a necessity, but there is Wi-Fi in the whole property, including the RV park, but it was slow, weak signal (to my campsite) and frequently cut out. My phone got signal, but based on the remote location, it was weak and therefore I could not access my hotspot well. So, again, not a major problem, but for a person like me, trying to get a bunch of work done, it was, safe to say, annoying. However, for the majority of campers, this is not an issue because you already have solutions in place or are looking to get off the grid, so this would not affect you.

Yep, that’s it. That’s all I could come up with for cons!

I think it fair to say one more time that the engaging, kind, and respectful presentation of literally every staff member I encountered, including the pro shop staff, the restaurant staff, the bartender, the RV staff, the golf course staff (even the young ones), were all there to ensure every golfer and customer has the best experience and enjoys every bit of their stay.

I truly could not be more grateful to the whole team, and without them knowing I was going to be doing this blog, they treated me as if I was someone important, which I am very much not!

I will make my way back there again for sure, and if you are a golfer, camper, or just someone who loves beautiful Minnesota landscape views and good food, this is must-visit place for sure! Add it to your list of upcoming destinations!

For full picture gallery of my visit, click here.

A quick note to preserve credibility here. I am not affiliated with the club in any way. I do not represent them, nor did I receive any special accommodation, kickback, incentive, payment, or other special treatment from the club in any way. The thoughts and reviews are my own, from my own personal experience, and I paid my way in full for this trip and for all experiences.