Last week we visited the private Dellwood Hills Golf Club in Dellwood, Minnesota. Located next door to the Donald Ross designed White Bear Yacht Club, Dellwood Hills is a long Don Herfort course that has several holes in the process of being upgraded based on plans by Garrett Gill and Paul Miller.

The par five eighth hole is receiving the bunk of the changes, with the green-side half of the hole completely under construction. The green is being rebuilt, the pond made larger and fairway contours reshaped. The hole is currently being played as a par four with a small temporary green in front of all the activity.

The first and tenth holes also had some construction along the shores of the pond that separates them. This was the first time I’ve visited this course, so I’m not sure what this looked like before.

A train track bisects the course for the first time between the second and third holes. I also noticed something unique in that all four of the par three holes are grouped together in this same area.

The course, built in 1970, winds through a lot of nice, quiet, wooded areas and never seems too crowded by houses. Some of the areas were a little soggy, but the overall condition of the course was very nice.

The clubhouse and practice areas were great and I really liked the finishing hole. I didn’t have a camera with me, but the view from the 18th tee is one of the most impressive in the state.

Thanks to Dellwood pro Jay Norman for supporting charity golf and providing the certificate we purchased in a silent auction earlier this year.