Stephen Szurlej
Courtesy of PGA of America, Gary Kellner
Stephen Szurlej
Courtesy of Gary Kellner
Courtesy of PGA of America, Gary Kellner
Courtesy of PGA of America, Gary Kellner
Hazeltine National Golf Club
Chaska, MN•Private
Awards
Panelists Score
Hazeltine National Golf Club
1900 Hazeltine Blvd
Chaska, MN 55318-1020
United States
Overview
Hazeltine might be the most controversial championship course of the modern era, designed by Robert Trent Jones for former USGA president Totton Heffelfinger, who used his considerable clout to bring the 1966 U.S. Women’s Open and 1970 U.S. Open to the then-very immature layout. Criticisms were so extreme that Trent Jones spent the next two decades remodeling it, straightening doglegs, relocating holes and rebuilding greens. Between 1987 and 2010, his younger son, Rees Jones, assumed the reconstruction, with even greater success—and today the layout, like many in the old man's portfolio, is more Rees than Trent. Hazeltine hosted the 2009 PGA and 2016 Ryder Cup, the latter a bright spot for the American team, which perhaps is why the PGA of America has already awarded the 2028 Ryder Cup to this Minnesota site. Davis Love III, longtime Ryder Cup player and victorious U.S. captain in 2016, will step in for Rees and make modifications to the course in preparation with his brother Mark and their lead architect, Scot Sherman.
About
Golf Digest Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 Greatest / Best In State Scores
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Hazeltine provides good shot options throughout the round, but there are shortcomings in several aspects of the course. Most of the course is surrounded by long thick rough so your options when you miss the fairway are punch out or punch out. There are some nice, strategic trees that help dictate hole strategy, including holes 3, 6, 7, 14 and 18. Around the greens the rough is very long and you don't get nearly as many options unless you're short of the greens in between the bunkers that front nearly every hole. The course is wrought with risk and reward shots due to its championship nature. Holes 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 16 are the highest for risk and reward. The greens aren't as undulating to allow a ton of options on approach shots, but the course typically runs so fast and firm that even small undulations can move the ball once it is on the ground. The most fun part about Hazeltine National is you're playing the same holes that the pros and some of the greats in the game have played. You can recreate shots from the Ryder Cup or 2009 PGA Championship or one of the US Opens that have been hosted here. As you play the course, there isn't nearly as much fun to be had because the course is long, brutally difficult and lacks some of the intrigue and character as some of its golden age counterparts. As long as you play the correct set of tees, Hazeltine can be an enjoyable experience that can be enhanced by a caddie. If you're having a match here, I think you can have a fun day time after time. If you're wanting to keep your score every time you play Hazeltine, I don't think you're going to have a good time. Hazeltine National is a challenging golf course and was built to be that. For the very good golfer or professional, the test is fair and engaging throughout the round. For the recreational golf, Hazeltine poses challenge after challenge, hole after hole and you see a lot of tired and beat up golfers at the end of the round. Depending on the audience, this course either scores very high for challenge or very low for challenge. My assessment primarily considers that this course was built to be a championship test, however, it gets docked points because of the overly penal nature of the course for the every day golfer. Directionally, Hazeltine is composed of nested out and back routings that both travel to the far southeast corner of the property before diverging and taking opposing routes back to the clubhouse before paralleling at 9/18. In terms of design elements, the bunkering away from the green is really very good. The bunkering around greens is mundane and the same on nearly every hole on the course: bunkers front right and front left with bunkers sprinkles elsewhere around the greens on occasion. The only hole that doesn't have fronting bunkers is #16 which is probably the best hole on the course. There are trees sprinkled around the course that are additive to the design, focusing the strategic nature of holes by forcing the golfer one way or another and fighting for angles into small firm greens. The piece of land is gently undulating and good for golf. It has to be said that the uphill 9th and 18th feel the same, play the same and just aren't great finishes regardless if you start on 1 or 10. Every par 3 that we played on this day was a 7 iron - a huge knock to the variety of the course where there is opportunity to test other parts of the bag. There is a lot of space between holes at Hazeltine which gives the course a grand feel. The sea of fescue between holes and green strips of fairway give you Erin Hills vibes at times between 10, 18 and 7. The tall oaks that frame holes are big, beautiful and additive to the aesthetics and experience. Hazeltine Lake off or 10 and 16 is a nice addition to the water on holes 6, 7, 8, and 12. Overall, a handsome parkland course with few distinct aesthetic features, but overall pretty handsome. Hazeltine National always finds itself in championship condition. On the day that I visited, the course was presented beautifully - fairways and greens were firm despite recent rains, the greens rolled true and the cut of the short grass around the green emphasized precision on approaches and short game shots. Additionally, the sand in the bunkers is tough to beat. Ideally, the course would run slightly faster and firmer. There is a professional golf pedigree at Hazeltine that most other modern courses can't match. They've hosted the PGA Championship, the LPGA Championship, Ryder Cup and a number of other high level competitive events. The clubhouse is littered with memoribilia from the tournaments they've hosted. Guests get to take one of the Ryder Cup lockers that still have the names of the players on them. The course was built to host large competitve golf tournaments so there is a lot of space between holes, areas to view the course from afar and the holes themselves offer high-level competitive golf throughout. Playing Hazeltine will make every future competition hosted here worth the visit for those who play it. There is a lot of space between holes at Hazeltine which gives the course a grand feel."
Read More2026
Review
“Will make for a great Ryder Cup site. There is some sameness to the holes. #16 is a wonderful short par four with great rick/return characteristics. Nice set of par 3 holes."
Read More2025
Review
“Lots of history, but the architecture leaves something to be desired with greens conditioning suffering from lots of play."
Read More2025
Review
“Hazeltine National is a private club that’s located in Chaska, Minnesota, 30 min west of MSP International airport. Designed my Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (1962). It’s held several events including: the US Open(1916), PGA Championship (2002,2009), Ryder Cup(2016), Women’s PGA Championship (2019), US Am (2024), KMPG Women’s PGA Championship (2026), Ryder Cup (2029). The course plays tough due to the long bluegrass rough and narrow fairways. The greens are well protected with surrounding bunkers and bluegrass rough green surrounds."
Read More2025
Review
“Big wide brawny private course with several good holes. Conditioning very good."
Read More2023
Review
“It's neat to play this course with all it's history. But the rough is too thick, the fairways too tight, and there are too many trees."
Read More2022
Review
“Solid championship course with some great holes."
Read More2018
Review
“Although this course has hosted a couple of majors, I didn't find it particularly memorable. It's tough and in great condition but there's nothing spectacular about the course or the setting."
Read More2018
Review
“A great test of golf. Friendly staff and solid golf course."
Read More2018
