Ruttger’s jump-started the high-end golf bandwagon here in 1992 with the Lakes, which stands out for its elevation changes. It’s by far the region’s hilliest layout, climbing and dipping through forests and offering several tee shots that are rewarded with extra roll if distant ridges are carried. Both the Lakes’ nines close with par-3s, including one of the best one-shot finishing holes you’ll ever play. No. 18 measures 233 yards and requires a choice between an aggressive line over water or a safe lay-up below the hole with a chance to get up and down for par. In keeping with area custom, Ruttger’s includes a nine-hole par-3 layout among its golf offerings.

While the Brainerd Lakes region has ample golf, lodging, dining and activities, Minnesota’s newest golf hotspot strips things down to the state’s barest essentials, golf and fishing. The result is nothing less than the two top public courses in the state, and a third that’s nearly as good. All three are the work of a Texan, Jeffrey Brauer, who first made a splash here in 1998 with the Legend at Giants Ridge, a ski area turned golf resort owned by a state agency. Giants Ridge sits in the northeasternmost corner of the state, not far from Ontario, Lake Superior and International Falls, the latter often touted as the coldest spot in the lower 48. This has long been an active mining area, but state officials are trying to ease the transition to an alternative economy, namely one based on golf—thus the Legend, which opened to critical acclaim and has a classical flair, with extensive use of large, shallow, cloverleaf bunkers framing tee shots and approaches (a nod to Alister MacKenzie). This impeccably maintained design is cut through thick forests of pines and hardwoods, offering a secluded feel that’s fitting for this remote corner of the Upper Midwest.

Brauer outdid himself when he opened the second course at Giants Ridge last August. The Quarry, as its name suggests, is laid out through old mining sites, but unlike other such designs, its past is subtly evidenced through boulders, elevation changes and waste areas of mine tailings rather than dramatic exposed cliff faces or deep canyons. It’s nonetheless spectacular, with one risk-reward hole after another, such as the fifth, a long par-5 with a heroic carry off the tee to an angled fairway and a pond left of the green challenging long hitters. The Quarry also employs a bit of desert-style target design, but in a generous way—rather than require you to hit from point to point, Brauer guides you from one safe spot to the next. The trouble is easy to avoid, but when you find it, be prepared to forfeit strokes. Nests of multiple deep bunkers lie in islands of deep rough, making recovery almost impossible. All in all, it’s golf for the serious player. Giants Ridge has a lodge and villas, but there’s little in the way of other activities or entertainment on the premises.

The state’s newest and possibly best public design, on equal footing with the Quarry, opened at the end of May, half an hour north of Giants Ridge on the shores of Lake Vermilion, one of Minnesota’s top fishing spots. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort is another dramatic Brauer design showcasing exposed rock ledges, strategic risk-reward decisions and several lakefront holes to boot. The first hole is a stunner, a long par-5 with two fairways split by a vertical rock ledge. This brand of dramatic and thought-provoking golf plays out continually along the well-groomed 18. The casino resort also has a marina for fishing and a posh new stone-and-timber clubhouse that has quickly proven popular with golfers and casino guests.

With its bargain prices, fine golf courses and peaceful rural resorts, Minnesota begs for either two rounds a day or a mix of golf and fishing, with either option followed by quiet evenings in the cool northern air. If stalking aquatic prey is not your thing, you can still get a taste of local culture, for it’s nearly impossible to find a restaurant that doesn’t offer walleye, usually breaded or crusted with pecans. The traditional accompaniment is wild rice, harvested locally. It’s a worthy complement to the natural beauty and wildness of these lakeside golf locales.