Bethel University is a course I've been wanting to play for awhile now. I'm SO glad I finally got the chance. This is the best course I've played in the Twin Cities so far (haven't played Bryant Lake yet). There are excellent concrete tee pads on every. These are all plenty long enough, level and grip nicely. Many holes, about 2/3's I'd guess, have two tees per hole. What's nice about these is that most drastically change the way the hole would be played. Some of the longs are a few hundred feet behind the shorts while others are aimed at the pin from a completely different angle. The baskets are Mach 3's that are in great shape and catch just fine. Hole 16 had 2 baskets for the hole. One in the short A position and another in the way longer B or C position. All holes had at least 2 pin positions per hole with many having 3 per hole. This is always awesome to see and adds to the replay value here. The tee signs here are some of the best I've seen in awhile. They feature a very nice looking hole map showing any OB and tree lines. It shows both tee locations with the yellows or golds being the longs and blues being the shorts. It shows all pin positions with distances to each pin from each tee, which is a nice touch. They also have the pars listed for each location and there is a next hole arrow on every hole as well which makes navigation pretty straightforward. There are tee signs on every tee pad as well, not just one or the other. The course is free to play and open to the general public. The course is also open year round which is always nice to see. The design for this course is top notch. You'll be required to throw all different types of shots to be successful here. You'll need to be accurate as well. There is water in play on a couple holes as well. The elevation here is pretty drastic in spots, well most of the course really. Lots of undulating hills throughout the course. And the course itself is just very visually appealing. It's very clean and mowed beautifully. Gorgeous piece of property.

There honestly aren't many cons here. One potential issue would be you have to throw over a road on hole 18. But if you're careful It's a non issue really. Another thing worth mentioning is that the rough can be THICK in spots, like hard to even pitch out thick. This isn't necessarily a con per se but staying in the fairway is paramount here. One other thing is that it's not designated which pin position is currently in use. I know this is nitpicky but it would be nice, especially on the longer holes.

This is an absolutely fantastic course and is worth a round if you're anywhere near here. While I haven't played all the courses in the Twin Cities yet this is the cream of the crop so far. It's not a great place for beginners but if you're intermediate or above you will absolutely love this course. I loved every second of my round here on a cold, windy and rainy fall morning. It was my 400th played course and was worth waiting for to play. I'd highly recommend this place . I can't wait to come back and play in ideal conditions and there is absolutely no doubt I will. Great design and Phenomenal course.

This course is absolutely incredible and I think one of the best in the state. It has recently begun gaining traction as more and more tournaments have been held here. The course is open to the public even though it is on university grounds. That being said however respect that it is a religious university and keep it clean.

Onto some specifics:

Concrete tee pads - short and long pads
Super well maintained course
Signage with pin locations
Great hole variety - a few bomber holes, some technical shots, and a few easy birdies
Pin locations move just frequently enough to keep things interesting
Super Scenic Course
Water holes that are not obnoxious in difficulty

Getting to the course parking lot can be a pain if its your first time
Not maintained in the winter, but still playable
Can get pretty muddy after rain/snow
Occasional group of college students relaxing on the course during the school year

The faculty really care about the course and are always making improvements. Overall this might just be the best free to play course in Minnesota, just treat the course with respect so everyone can enjoy it for years to come!

1.Concrete teepads (most holes have long and short locations)

2. Multiple pin locations for variety (some holes have multiple baskets)

3. Very well maintained

4. Allows for variety of shots (roller on hole 4 worked for me, bunch of forehands, etc)

5. Nice elevation changes

6. Tee signs and signs pointing you to next tee pad

1. Tee signs are laminated paper stapled onto a wood plank. I appreciate the effort though!

2. Would be nice to know which pin locations are being used.

I definitely recommend this course for North metro.

The app only has it listed with 10 holes on the scorecard. Everything is par 3 except long tee/pin on holes 3 and 15.