On a sun drenched afternoon in late May I traveled to the west central Minnesota resort town of Alexandria to play at the Alexandria Golf Club. My playing partner and tour guide for the round was a local insurance agent named George, who was gracious enough to put up with my erratic golf swing for 18 holes. Alexandria and the surrounding lakes are approximately 2 1/2 hours from the northwestern suburbs of the Twin Cities and the drive is quite easy as Alexandria is located on Interstate 94. After a player checks in at the clubhouse and scans the scorecard the length of the course does not knock you over, as the course plays 6,504 yards from the back tee position. What an observant player notices as first looking at the score card is a course rating of 71.6 and a slope index of 130 from the back tees, so there is something else going on to make up for the lack of length at Alexandria Golf Club. Built in 1915, the course is from an era that puts a premium on shot making. Approach shot need to be in the proper position to take advantage of scoring opportunities. Small firm greens that putt true, but with a nice pace is what one can expect to find. Positioning the ball below the hole along with a reasonable aptitude for putting will reward a golfer with a nice score,even if bombing the tee ball is not one of your strong suits. View from behind 15th green Both the 7th and the 17th greens are unique as both of these par 3 holes play to greens that are designed to resemble the shape of states, the 7th Minnesota and the 17th, Texas. I am not aware of another golf course,at least in Minnesota, that has greens that resemble states. View of 7th green-"Minnesota" from tee. View of 17th green-"Texas" greenside. The gently rolling terrain makes walking the course a pleasure. In the past 20 years, many golf courses were designed as housing developments first and golf courses almost as an after thought with some very lengthy distances between greens and tee boxes,making walking difficult if not nearly impossible. Playing the Alexandria Golf Club makes one remember what golf is suppose to be. I enjoyed my round at Alexandria Golf Club and would recommend it as a place to play if you find yourself traveling to the area. Alexandria Golf Club can be contacted by telephone at 320-763-3605 or on the web at www.alexandriagolfclub.com

A view from behind the 15th green.