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The Classic at Madden's

11266 Pine Beach Peninsula Rd

Brainerd, MN 56401-2080

United States

Telephone

Fax: (218) 829-6583

Toll Free: (800) 642-5363

Primary: (218) 829-2811

View Website

PURCHASE YARDAGE BOOK

Overview

The Classic is a genuine amateur architect design, although course superintendent Scott Hoffmann consulted with veteran course architect Geoff Cornish as well as others in creating The Classic at Madden's. It's beautiful but not for the faint of heart, a hilly course with some narrow, pine-lined fairways and occasional challenging shots over water from sidehill or downhill lies. But, like other multiple-course operations, such as Bethpage and Cog Hill, Madden's has easier alternate layouts for high-handicappers.

About

Holes 18

Length 7102

Slope 148

Price $200

Facility Type Public

Year Opened 1997

Designer Scott Hoffmann

Awards

RANKING HISTORY:

100 Greatest Public: Ranked since 2003.
Highest ranking: 33rd, 2003-'04.
Current ranking: 80th.

Best in State: Ranked ninth, 2011-'12, 2019-'22. Ranked 10th, 2013-'18, 2023-'26.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 10th.

Panelists

Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists

3.9

100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES

Shot Options

6.9363

Character

6.932

Challenge

7.1133

Layout Variety

6.946

Fun

6.8684

Aesthetics

7.2788

Conditioning

6.9265

Reviews

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Review

“Super fun, great layout, and scenic!"

2025

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Review

“Shot options: Requires some good iron play on certain shots, or penalties can be big. Holes with great options include 3, 10 and 16. Holes that require really good shots include 1 (approach), 4 (tee shot), 5 (approach), 6 (approach) and 12. ; Hole by Hole comments:Hole #1: easy drive followed by the need for a precise layup to bottom, and then precise approach to raised green; Hole #2: solid shot required, nothing special; Hole #3: great options, esp if playing tee short enough to go for this drivable par 4. ; Hole #4: requires very good drive between the trees, and also has to be correct distance because it’s a 70 degree dogleg; Hole #5: drive not hard, but approach requires precise shot; Hole #6: drive needs to be straight, but approach needs to be precise; Hole #7: requires good long iron; Hole #8: needs precise drive, but approach is somewhat open; Hole #9: needs good enough drive, and some pins will be hard on this one; Hole #10: great risk/reward hole, can play this a number of ways; Hole #11: good options off the tee, requires solid approach; Hole #12: Solid long par 3; Hole #13: Solid long par 5, but not much option to go for it; Hole #14: Requires solid mid iron; Hole #15: Dogleg requires decent drive, but otherwise, only an ok hole; Hole #16: Has a speed slot with precise drive, allows one to go for it over water, but high risk reward; Hole #17: Requires solid iron shot; Hole #18: Solid finisher, but not remarkable; : Challenge: When greens are fast, this can be a great challenge from back tees. Don't always set up the course this way since it’s a resort course. ; Layout variety: The landscape allows for variety in all ways, including length, configuration, hills, etc. ; Aesthetics: Playing in the woods, with lots of water features all over, and some hills, makes the aesthetics very good. I always enjoy playing here. ; Conditioning: It was a wet summer in MN, so weren't as fast as in past years, but I know these greens can be made very fast. I chose to rate it as played, but will update when I play it next. ; Character: This is a fairly new course, relatively speaking, but I think the architecture is quite good. It takes great advantage of the landscape - water, trees and hills - in a very good way. ; Fun: Other than a few forced carry shots, this course will be fun for most average playes, if only that they enjoyed the walk/ride around the property."

2025

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